From UCI Student to Professor: Lily Wu
Jan. 24, 2025 - For students aspiring to be professors, Lily Wu's story may offer some clues. Lily Wu ’01 (B.S.), ’03 (M.S), ’07 (Ph.D.) is an associate professor of teaching in chemical and biomolecular engineering. She came to UCI as a chemical engineering student, which led her to pursue her master’s degree and Ph.D. here and become the director of international programs. She also launched the popular experiential learning course Introduction to Engineering (ENGR 7) in 2012, and taught it for 10 years before beginning her tenure-track position this quarter. She shares about her UCI journey.
Why did you major in chemical engineering?
I was good at chemistry and math in high school. I’m a first-gen student. My family was poor, and a family friend suggested the major since it was the highest paying engineering field. I wasn’t sure if engineering was right for me, but Professor Amelia Regan really changed my life as she talked me out of my fears. She encouraged me to stick with engineering in light of my family’s financial needs, and said I could still do the other things I love.
Why did you pursue a master’s degree and Ph.D. at UCI?
UCI has an Accelerated Status Program that allows you to take graduate classes if you have a 3.5+ GPA so I went for it because I thought a master’s might be the new bachelor’s. You can skip the GRE and become a graduate student through this program.
My professors G.P. Li and Mark Bachman thought I was “Ph.D. material,” but I didn’t. They appreciated my work ethic and leadership skills and offered me a doctoral position in their lab with funding, a project and a team to lead.
How did you begin your popular Introduction to Engineering (ENGR 7) course, which is known for its hands-on engineering approach?
I applied for a director of academic innovation position at the school, which needed someone to launch a freshman engineering program and international programs. I’m very passionate about helping our students not to feel lost.
After visiting several universities with similar programs and with the help from numerous colleagues in engineering, my team launched the two-quarter class where students built and designed a hovercraft, a drone, an autonomous rover, a fitness tracker and a microfluidic concentration detector. The school saw the value of this experiential learning course as it enhanced student motivation and their sense of community in their freshmen year.
Tell us about the impact of the course.
Hand-on projects really help students retain interest in engineering. Students who took ENGR 7 have better grades in subsequent engineering courses moving forward, especially female students. Research shows females do better in a community setting. Team-based learning is now required by ABET accreditation.
What did you do as faculty director of International Programs?
I helped the school launch strategic partnerships with universities and institutes abroad. Over the last 10 years, we raised over $10 million for UCI from various programs with hundreds of outstanding students and expanded our partnerships all over the world. I also organized international conferences and had the privilege to take some of our UCI students overseas.
I really enjoy helping international students since I went through a similar experience myself in high school, coming from Shanghai. I have some of them over every Thanksgiving for dinner among other activities, and really like coaching, serving and mentoring them.
Did you ever imagine you would become a professor?
No, I never imagined I’d have the privilege of being a teaching professor. It is the best surprise of 2024. I am very grateful for the opportunity and the support I received from my department and school leadership. As a Christian, I believe God has guided my path toward this calling and honor in the UCI community.
Any words you want to share with undergrads?
Maximize your opportunities and resources at UCI. Explore the option of research early on. You can approach professors to conduct research, which I started my second year. Many are willing to accept undergrads in their research programs. UROP is also a great resource to fund undergraduate research.
Go out and seek opportunities. I’m an outlier in that I’m thick-skinned and thought I had nothing to lose by asking. At the end of my senior year, I visited Professor G.P. Li’s office seven times before he was finally available. I went to ask him if I could work at his lab. For me, that’s how it all began.
- Natalie Tso
