Yu Lizhong (; born September 14, 1949) was the first Chancellor of

New York University Shanghai New York University Shanghai (NYU Shanghai) is China's first Sino-US research university and the third degree-granting campus of New York University (NYU). Jointly established by NYU and East China Normal University with the support of the city o ...

, having held this position from 2012 to 2020. Yu was awarded the title of Chancellor Emeritus of NYU Shanghai upon his retirement. Yu Lizhong joined NYU Shanghai from

East China Normal University East China Normal University (ECNU) is a comprehensive public research university in Shanghai, China. It was formed in 1951 by the merger of the Great China University (est. 1924) and Kwang Hua University (est. 1925) and originated from the St. ...

(ECNU), where he served as president from 2006–2012. He also served as president of

Shanghai Normal University Shanghai Normal University (SHNU) ( Chinese: 上海师范大学) is a public research university in Shanghai, China. SHNU is one of the three Key Universities (上海市重点大学) (Along with Shanghai University and University of Shanghai fo ...

prior to 2006.

Education

Yu Lizhong received his undergraduate degree in

Geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...

from

(ECNU) and his Ph.D. in Geography from the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

. He also holds honorary doctorates from

École Normale Supérieure École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, S ...

and the University of Liverpool.

Research and Leadership

Yu’s research focuses on environmental processes, environmental change, and sustainable development. He has published over 150 refereed papers in major journals and is widely recognized as an influential scholar in the field, serving on the boards of multiple educational, environmental, and scientific organizations throughout China. A skilled researcher and dedicated teacher, Yu is also an experienced administrator, having served in several important administrative capacities throughout his career at ECNU. It was under his leadership and forward-thinking global vision that ECNU embarked upon an ambitious path of growth and internationalization, cementing ECNU’s reputation as an institution of higher education with global impact.

References

1949 births Alumni of the University of Liverpool East China Normal University alumni Living people Educators from Shanghai East China Normal University faculty Shanghai Normal University faculty {{China-academic-bio-stub