He served as President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Vice Chairman of the National People's Congress.

1979, Lu was an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow at RWTH Aachen University, West Germany.

He soon was promoted to associate professor and was the research group leader of the Laboratory of Fluid Power Transmission and Control at ZJU.

1983, Lu was promoted to professor, and was the director of the Institute of Fluid Power Transmission and Control, Department of Mechanical Engineering, ZJU.

From July 1997 to March 2011, he was the President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and also the Executive Chairman of the Presidential Committee of CAS Academic Board (中国科学院学部主席团).