Lu began her distinguished career teaching biochemistry at the Women's Medical College in Shanghai between 1928 and 1930, then moved to teach at the medical school at
St. John's University, Shanghai, between 1930 and 1933. She then took up a post as research assistant at the Henry Lester Institute for Medical Research, Shanghai, from 1933 to 1937. In 1938, Lu came to the UK for a year's postgraduate study at the
University of Cambridge under
Dorothy M. Needham, as a research student at
Newnham College. In 1939, during
World War II, Lu took up a post as research fellow at the Institute of Experimental Biochemistry,
University of California, Berkeley, and at the Harriman Research Lab, San Francisco, from 1939 to 1941. She moved to the Hillman Hospital,
Birmingham, Alabama, from 1941 to 1942, and then to the International Cancer Research Foundation,
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, from 1942 to 1945. In 1945, Lu joined the Needhams in
Chongqing as a consultant for nutrition at the Co-operation office and in 1948, moved to
Paris, France, to work at
UNESCO at the secretariat for natural sciences. From 1957 onwards, Lu was a research fellow of the
Wellcome Medical Foundation, working with Dr
Joseph Needham in Cambridge on the "Science & Civilisation in China" project. Lu was a Foundation Fellow of
Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge. ==Works==