Luna Lu

As vice president of innovation at Arizona State University’s Knowledge Enterprise, Luna Lu advances ASU’s innovation ecosystem by accelerating entrepreneurship, venture creation and industry partnerships — directly fulfilling the university charter’s commitment to drive the economic, social and overall health of the communities it serves.

“Phoenix has emerged as a major technological hub — not just for semiconductors, but as a leader in AI, national security, robotics, sustainability and health care,” she says. “This vibrant ecosystem provides a massive opportunity for ASU to amplify its economic and social impact and develop exceptional talent and human capital.”

Lu will also serve as managing director of the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute and an ASU Foundation Professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU.

Before joining ASU, she held several faculty and leadership positions at Purdue University. She served as vice president of industry partnerships, associate dean of faculty affairs in the College of Engineering, the Indiana Chapter of the American Concrete Pavement Association Endowed Chair Professor, acting head of the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering, and founding director of the Purdue Center for Intelligent Infrastructure.

Lu is a founder, board chair and former CEO of Wavelogix Inc., a venture-backed high-growth tech company, whose intelligent infrastructure sensing technology was adopted as a national standard by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and is used in more than 30 U.S. states and six countries.

She integrates civil engineering, electrical engineering and materials science in her research on concrete and cementitious materials and develops functional nanomaterials and devices for sensing, energy harvesting and enabling intelligent infrastructures.

Lu is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and the Royal Society of Arts. Her awards include the 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers Alfred Noble Prize, 2024 Edison Gold Award, 2014 National Science Foundation CAREER Award, 2020 Vebleo Scientist Award, 2021 ASCE Gamechanger and the 2023 TIME Magazine Best Invention Award for a smart sensor embedded in poured concrete that communicates real-time data to engineers via a smartphone app.

Lu is excited to amplify ASU’s success for the benefit of the state and beyond.

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ASU News: New vice president of innovation to shape new paths at ASU