ASU Names Luna Lu Vice President of Innovation as Arizona’s Tech Ecosystem Expands

By Kyle Macdonald, COO of Silicon Oasis

Arizona State University has named Luna Lu as its new vice president of innovation, bringing an experienced researcher, entrepreneur and industry partnership leader to one of the state’s most important institutions for technology and economic development.

Lu will serve within ASU’s Knowledge Enterprise and as managing director of the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute. Her responsibilities will span entrepreneurship, innovation, corporate engagement, economic development and strategic partnerships.

The appointment comes at an important time for Arizona.

The state has rapidly expanded its position in semiconductors and advanced manufacturing while building growing capabilities across artificial intelligence, national security, robotics, sustainability, health care and other emerging technologies.

Universities will play a critical role in determining how effectively Arizona converts that momentum into new companies, technologies and high-quality jobs.

Lu brings significant experience doing exactly that.

Before joining ASU, she spent more than a decade at Purdue University, most recently serving as vice president in Purdue’s Office of Industry Partnerships. According to ASU, industry-sponsored research awards at Purdue reached a record high in fiscal year 2026 under her leadership, increasing roughly 80% from the previous year.

She also brings firsthand entrepreneurial experience. Lu founded Wavelogix, a venture-backed deep-tech company developing smart infrastructure technology that is now used across more than 30 states and six countries.

That combination of research, commercialization and entrepreneurship could be particularly valuable for Arizona.

World-class research alone does not create a world-class technology ecosystem. The research must be connected to entrepreneurs capable of building companies, investors willing to fund them, corporations that can become customers and partners, and experienced operators who can help those companies scale.

ASU sits at the intersection of many of those groups.

Lu specifically identified the Phoenix region’s emergence as a major technology hub and pointed to the opportunity for ASU to expand its economic impact while developing the talent needed to support the region’s growth.

For Silicon Oasis, that mission closely aligns with the broader opportunity facing Arizona: creating stronger connections between universities, founders, investors, corporations and the broader community.

Arizona has many of the ingredients required to become one of America’s leading technology ecosystems. Turning those ingredients into lasting economic impact will depend increasingly on our ability to commercialize research, create companies, develop talent and connect innovation happening inside our universities with the broader market.

ASU’s continued investment in innovation infrastructure represents another important step in that direction.

Source: Arizona State University, “New vice president of innovation to shape new paths at ASU,” July 1, 2026.

Read the original ASU News article