Chu, when his appointment was announced in November 2000, said he planned to lead the Hong Kong institution for a few years, then return to UH.
Chu brings with him a $2.8 million grant from the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research to further his search for new superconducting materials.
Chu in 1987 discovered a compound that allows electricity to flow without resistance at a temperature higher than the boiling point of nitrogen -- high-temperature superconductivity.
Texas voters this month approved establishing a $500 million fund to help universities expand their research programs.
