Initial gift aims to attract and support talented international students
ANN ARBOR, Mich., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — A new fellowship program, the James F. Lu World Fellows Program at the University of Michigan College of Engineering, aims to position Michigan as a top destination for exceptional international PhD students and provide them vital financial support during their enrollment in the Michigan Engineering PhD program.
The program, created through an initial $10 million gift from entrepreneur, philanthropist and U-M engineering alumnus James Lu, will provide multi-year funding for international doctoral students pursuing groundbreaking work in fields such as medicine, computing, artificial intelligence and space technology.
“Attending University of Michigan provided me a platform from which I was able to launch my career as an entrepreneur building tech-focused businesses across a number of different industries,” said Lu, co-founder and managing partner of Joffre Capital.
“U-M offers one of the strongest engineering programs available, and I am honored to have the opportunity to establish this fellowship program focusing initially on engineering students pursuing PhDs. At a time where international grants and fellowships are becoming more difficult to maintain, this program is intended to enable Michigan to continue attracting top international candidates while providing those students a clearer path to attend a leading engineering PhD program.”
In Lu’s estimation, the education international students receive at U-M is known and valued around the world in part because of the global alumni network, and international students are a major driver of U-M’s prestige, inspiring his gift. Additionally, according to a 2025 study published in the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, most international PhD students remain in the U.S. five years after receiving their degrees, helping to power the American economy. With the launch of this fellowship, Lu hopes to establish a framework that inspires other donors to create similar fellowships throughout the university, further attracting international research talent across disciplines.
“The strength of the U.S. research enterprise is fueled by PhD students. The nation and University of Michigan have long benefited from our ability to draw top talent from across the globe,” said Karen A. Thole, the Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering. “This generous gift will help continue that tradition, as we work at Michigan Engineering to solve today’s pressing challenges and develop the next generation of engineering leaders.”
The merit-based James F. Lu World Fellows Program will support up to 55 students pursuing PhD degrees over a five-year period, providing up to $150,000 per student. The first class of fellows will arrive in the fall of 2026, coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the first PhD awarded by U-M—a first for public universities.
Lu aims to extend and expand the program in the future to other areas of U-M and to students pursuing different levels of degrees. His previous gifts to the university have supported scholarships, fellowships and more at units including the College of Engineering, the Medical School, the Office of Financial Aid, and the College of Literature, Science and the Arts.
Lu’s entrepreneurship started at U-M, while he was earning his bachelor’s and master’s of science degrees in electrical engineering and computer science. While enrolled at U-M, he launched Yoolin, a social media network based in China. This business launch established a runway for further entrepreneurial successes, including founding and running internationally leading educational technology platform Chegg, which started as a textbook rental company and expanded to provide online study support.
Lu went on to work as a software engineer at NASA. In 2012, he became the founder and manager of Amazon Marketing Services, now Amazon Ads. In 2015, he was selected to be Vice President at Baidu, one of the largest Chinese internet providers, where he was responsible for the content ecosystem business group until co-founding Joffre Capital in 2017. He is also a member of the U-M Provost Advisory Committee.
Contact:
University of Michigan
Kate McAlpine
(734 647 7087)
kmca@umich.edu
