Dr. Lu was awarded his PhD degree 11 years ago in stem cell and tissue engineering from the highly ranked VU University Amsterdam. He has since been a full-time researcher at the University of Sydney. Over the last ten years, his cutting-edge original research in stem cell technology and regenerative medicine has significantly advanced the understanding of the vital roles of tissue microenvironments (e.g. bioactive soluble factors, cells, substrates) in controlling stem-cell differentiation and trophic factor release. His research has identified novel and innovative strategies, including the use of smart biomaterials and pharmaceutical molecules to modulate stem-cell fates for better bone regeneration outcomes, especially for the elderly.

He has won more than $500,000 project/fellowship grants as first CI. In addition, his recent collaborative work with Prof. Guocheng Wang on a project “Optimisation of the key properties of orthopaedic implant” was funded by Shenzhen International Science and Technology Cooperation Funding, China. (~A$100,000, 2019–21, CI). He has regularly published articles in high impact journals in the field of regenerative medicine: 50 in total, 43 original papers [15 first author (4 corresponding author), 2 reviews and 4 book chapters (2 first author, 1 senior author), and 1 editorial (first and corresponding author), 1730 citations in total, and a H-index of 24 (Scopus). He has maintained an average citation count for my referred publications of 30 per publication. These publications are his initiative in developing research questions and producing novel findings to advance knowledge and demonstrated my excellent ability to work collaboratively with the scientists from other fields. Most of his publications are in high-ranking journals (within Q1 quartile) covering the disciplines of stem cell biotechnology, biomaterials, and biomedical engineering.