Mission and challenges of higher education: an interview with G.Q. Max Lu, the president of the University of Surrey

The University of Surrey (referred to as Surrey hereafter) is one of the renowned universities in the UK that was established on 9 September 1966 with the grant of its Royal Charter and its roots go back to Battersea Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1891. Surrey is the research hub of small satellites, mobile telecommunication and artificial intelligence in Europe. In 2016, Surrey was named as ‘University of the Year’ in the UK and, in February 2018, Surrey won the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education (Surrey's fourth award)—the highest national award for the UK universities, in recognition of the outstanding contribution of Surrey to nutrition and health. The president and vice chancellor of Surrey, Professor Max Lu, took this position in 2016 and is also the first scholar of Chinese origin to be the leader of a British university. Before he joined Surrey, he was the provost and senior vice president at the University of Queensland in Australia. Professor Lu is not only a talented leader in education field, but also a distinguished scientist in materials chemistry and nanotechnology area. He has been honored with numerous awards, including the Orica Award, RK Murphy Medal, China International Science and Technology Award and Medal of the Order of Australia, etc. He has been also appointed to the Prime Minister's Council for Science and Technology and the Board of UK Research and Innovation, etc. The rich experience and open-mindedness lead to his profound insights into higher education around the world. Lately elected as a fellow of Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) and foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor Lu shared his broad and deep perspectives on higher education with National Science Review during his travel in Beijing.