Wei Lu named U-M Innovation Champion

Wei Lu has been named one of 20 inaugural Innovation Champions by U-M Innovation Partnerships, the core of faculty research commercialization on campus. In this role, he will share information, resources, and news with faculty colleagues in the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) division to help them collaborate with industry contacts and transfer their research innovations into products.

“The University of Michigan has an extremely vibrant innovation and entrepreneurial community,” said Lu, the James R. Mellor Professor of Engineering and professor of ECE. “The Innovation Champions program aims to build upon this strength to help Innovation Partnerships better serve UM researchers.”

He has consistently been a leader in the development and commercialization of novel memory technologies, successfully co-founding two semiconductor companies from his research in ECE. Crossbar, Inc., founded in 2010, offers ultra-fast and programmable non-volatile memory units. The company made the 2015 EE Times Silicon 60 List of tech startups to watch. In 2018, Lu and fellow ECE Professor Zhengya Zhang co-founded MemryX, Inc., which markets highly efficient and scalable edge artificial intelligence (AI) computing chips. MemryX recently released a new product that promises to transform applications of AI on everyday devices.

Lu was previously recognized as the 2022 Distinguished University Innovator of the Year, where he gave a talk on memory and memory-centric computing. With over 15 years of experience in tech transfer and working with Innovation Partnerships, he is well-suited to offer guidance and peer mentorship to ECE faculty who want to bridge the gap between research and real-world application.

“Through [the Innovation Champions’] leadership and collaboration, we can accelerate the impact of U-M research discoveries, fuel our region’s economic growth and contribute to solutions that improve lives globally,” said Kelly Sexton, associate vice president for research – innovation partnerships and economic impact.

Lu’s accomplishments in memristor-based neuromorphic computing and development of next-generation electronics has been recognized through many awards and accolades, including the Rexford E. Hall Innovation Excellence Award, the David E. Liddle Research Excellence Award, and the Ted Kennedy Family Faculty Team Excellence Award. He is an IEEE Fellow and an NSF CAREER Award recipient. In addition to his position in ECE, Lu holds a joint appointment in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE).