UH Mānoa chancellor search: third finalist W. John Kao campus visit May 4–5

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The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Chancellor Search Advisory Committee has named W. John Kao, National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan President, as the third of three finalists for the position of chancellor of the UH flagship campus. Kao will visit the UH Mānoa campus May 4-5.

To honor candidates' requests for confidentiality, the names of the finalists were announced approximately one week prior to their scheduled campus visits. Vassilis Syrmos, UH Mānoa Interim Provost, was named the first finalist on April 20, and Amy Sueyoshi, San Francisco State University Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, was the second finalist named on April 23. More information is available on the UH Mānoa chancellor search site.

Students, faculty, staff, administrators and community members are invited to attend an open forum to hear Kao share his vision for UH Mānoa, followed by a question-and-answer session.

Presentations will be recorded and posted after the final campus visit.

W. John Kao campus forum

Campus forums for the other finalists

Vassilis L. Syrmos campus forum

Amy Sueyoshi campus forum

Feedback is a critical part of the search process. Feedback links are available on the UH Mānoa chancellor search website beginning on the first day of each finalist's campus visit. During their visits, finalists are also meeting with campus stakeholders and constituent groups.

About W. John Kao

Kao currently serves as National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan President, a role he has held since 2022. He previously served as vice president at the University of Hong Kong and as head of the Institute of Translational Research and head of the BioMedical Technology Cluster with the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park.

Kao began his academic career at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he served in various leadership and faculty roles. Prior to that, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the California Institute of Technology and ETH Zürich. Kao earned his PhD in macromolecular science and MS in biomedical engineering from Case Western Reserve University and a BSE in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University.

His research focuses on biomaterials, drug delivery and regenerative medicine, with particular emphasis on translating fundamental science into clinical applications. He has secured more than $197 million in research funding and authored more than 350 scientific publications and patents. As president of National Tsing Hua University, Kao has raised more than $550 million to support strategic development, infrastructure and talent cultivation.