Lee Jang-moo (Korean: 이장무, Hanja: 李長茂; born May 14, 1945) is a South Korean mechanical engineer and academic administrator. He served as the 24th president of Seoul National University (SNU) from July 2006 to 2010.
Education
Lee earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Seoul National University in 1967. He received his Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics from Iowa State University in the United States in 1975. In 2009, he was conferred an honorary doctorate degree by Babeș-Bolyai University in Romania.
Academic Career
Lee began his academic career as a professor in the College of Engineering at Seoul National University in July 1976, where he specialized in dynamics, vibration, design, and power mechanisms. He served as the Dean of the College of Engineering from 1997 to 2002. He was also a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1982 to 1983.
Administrative and Leadership Roles
As SNU president, Lee established the SNU Vision Plan 2025 and a four-year action plan to guide the university's development. His tenure included initiatives to internationalize the university, such as appointing approximately 150 foreign professors, establishing joint classes and dual degree programs with foreign universities, and reinforcing promotion and tenure review processes. He also promoted interdisciplinary teaching and research, including the establishment of a new College of Liberal Studies and a Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology.
Lee served as Chairman of the Korean Council for University Education from 2007 to 2008. He was a member of the National Presidential Advisory Committee on Science and Technology (1998–1999), President of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers (2000), and President of the Korean Society for New and Renewable Energy (2004–2006). He also served as Vice President of the Association of Korean Societies of Science and Technology (2005–2007).
Honors and Affiliations
Lee has received awards from the National Academy of Sciences, the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the International Academy of Production Research, the Korean Academy of Science and Technology, and the Korean Academy of Engineering.
