Longtime UH leader Vassilis Syrmos recommended as UH Mānoa chancellor
from UH News May 29 2026
Vassilis Syrmos has been recommended by University of Hawaiʻi President Wendy Hensel to serve as the next chancellor of UH Mānoa, the flagship campus of the state’s 10-campus public higher education system. His appointment will go before the UH Board of Regents (BOR) for final approval on Thursday, June 4. If approved, he will begin serving on July 1, 2026.
A faculty member in the UH Mānoa College of Engineering for 35 years, Syrmos brings more than two decades of higher education leadership experience. He has served as interim provost of UH Mānoa since July 2025. Before that, he served for 12 years as UH vice president for research and innovation and eight years as associate vice chancellor for research at UH Mānoa.
“Vassilis has done an exceptional job as interim provost, building on decades of leadership across the UH System and at UH Mānoa,” said Hensel. “He brings a deep understanding of UH Mānoa’s budget, operations and role within the broader UH System, as well as strong relationships at the state and congressional levels. I am confident he will be an effective partner as we strengthen leadership for our flagship campus.”
As interim provost, Syrmos helped secure legislative support to sustain the UH Cancer Center’s research and strengthen its National Cancer Institute designation through the doubling of Hawaiʻi’s cigarette tax. He also advanced efforts to improve UH Mānoa’s financial transparency, modernize budgeting, strengthen student success initiatives and better align campus operations with institutional priorities.
As vice president for research and innovation, Syrmos led long-range strategic planning efforts that contributed to record growth in extramural funding, including a high of $734 million in fiscal year 2025, the fourth consecutive year UH exceeded $500 million in research funding. He strengthened partnerships with Hawaiʻi’s congressional delegation, federal agencies and state leaders to advance strategic university priorities and expand research opportunities. Syrmos also established the Office of Indigenous Knowledge and Innovation, making UH the only R1 university in the nation to embed Indigenous knowledge and innovation within its research enterprise.
“I am deeply honored to be recommended as the next chancellor of UH Mānoa”, said Syrmos. “Having served the university for more than three decades, I consider Hawaiʻi and this campus my home. I look forward to working with President Hensel in strengthening student success, advancing research and innovation and working closely with our faculty, students, staff and community partners as we continue to move UH Mānoa forward as Hawaiʻi’s flagship university.”
Nationwide search
Syrmos was selected from a finalist pool that also included the provost and vice president for academic affairs at San Francisco State University and the president of National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan. The search attracted 32 applicants and nine nominations or inquiries.
The BOR voted to re-establish the UH Mānoa chancellor position in December 2025, following a recommendation from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems to separate the roles of UH president and UH Mānoa chancellor. The faculty senate unanimously endorsed an immediate launch to the search in spring semester to provide stability for the campus and dedicated Manoa leadership in discussions regarding the separation of hybrid positions and offices shared between Manoa and the system.
The search included a representative advisory committee, open nominations and applications, campus visits by finalists, public forums and stakeholder meetings. All three finalists participated in two-day campus visits that included more than 20 meetings with stakeholder groups and a public presentation and Q&A session, each of which was viewed by more than 500 people. Community feedback generated more than 650 comments across all finalists, in addition to input from shared governance groups.
Chancellor responsibilities
As chancellor, Syrmos will serve as the chief executive officer of UH Mānoa, reporting to the UH president and serving on the president’s senior leadership team. He will oversee a budget exceeding $800 million and more than 5,000 employees, providing leadership across academic affairs, research, student success, enrollment and administrative operations in partnership with the provost and executive team.
Syrmos is expected to advance UH Mānoa’s mission as Hawaiʻi’s flagship research university while strengthening connections across Hawaiʻi, the Pacific and Asia and upholding the university’s responsibility to the Native Hawaiian community, language and culture.
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UH Mānoa chancellor search: finalist campus visits set
UH News, April 26, 2026
The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Chancellor Search Advisory Committee has named W. John Kao, (polymer scientist) 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, (LGBTQ activist) 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.
Campus forums for finalists
Vassilis L. Syrmos campus forum
Amy Sueyoshi campus forum
W. John Kao 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.
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Vassilis L. Syrmos
Syrmos currently serves as Interim Provost at the UH Mānoa, a role he has held since July 2025. He previously served for 11 years as the UH system Vice President for Research and Innovation. He has also held leadership roles as associate vice chancellor for research and graduate education at the UH Mānoa and associate dean in the UH Mānoa College of Engineering. Syrmos is a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering. During his tenure as vice president for research and innovation, UH extramural funding reached a record high of $734 million.
He is the author or co-author of more than 100 journal and conference papers and has authored a book and numerous scholarly articles. He also served on a number of boards and committees supporting research and innovation initiatives.
Syrmos earned his PhD in electrical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and a diploma in electrical engineering from Democritus University of Thrace in Greece. His research interests include geometric and algebraic approaches to linear system theory, computational algorithms for signal and image processing, robust and optimal filter design, medical imaging and prognostics and diagnostics for condition-based maintenance systems.
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Amy Sueyoshi
Sueyoshi currently serves as San Francisco State University Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, a role she has held since 2022. She previously served as dean and interim dean of the College of Ethnic Studies and earlier as associate dean for five years. She has also served as director of Race and Resistance Studies at San Francisco State and as co-curator of the GLBT History Museum, the first queer history museum in the nation.
Sueyoshi is a professor of Race and Resistance Studies and professor of Sexuality Studies. She has published books, articles and essays, presented at conferences, lectured at universities nationwide and received multiple community awards.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Barnard College of Columbia University, a PhD in history from University of California, Los Angeles and an MBA from San Francisco State University. Her research focuses on the intersection of Asian American Studies and Queer Studies. As provost, she has advocated for and secured funding for endowed faculty lines in under-resourced areas, most recently in disability studies.
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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.