Purdue president Mung Chiang named 18th Northwestern president
Mung Chiang can be Northwestern’s subsequent president, the Board of Trustees introduced Monday.
Chiang’s presidency begins July 1, in keeping with a University information launch. He will succeed former President Michael Schill, who resigned from the position in September 2025.
Interim President Henry Bienen, who first served as University president from 1995 to 2009 and returned after Schill stepped downwill stay within the position till the tip of June, the discharge acknowledged.
Chiang has been the president of Purdue University, a fellow Big Ten analysis establishment, since January 2023. A primary-generation immigrant, Chiang is ready to be NU’s first Asian American president, in keeping with the discharge.
“I have long admired Northwestern for its dedication to interdisciplinary scholarship, artistic creation and impactful research, its tremendous healthcare system, and its palpable school spirit,” Chiang mentioned within the information launch.
Chiang graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor’s diploma in electrical engineering and arithmetic, in addition to a grasp’s diploma and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering.
From 2017 to 2023, he served as dean of Purdue’s College of Engineering. He was additionally Purdue’s govt vice president for strategic initiatives from 2021 to 2023.
Before his tenure at Purdue, Chiang spent 14 years at Princeton University, turning into one of many college’s youngest chair professors. He chaired the Princeton Entrepreneurship Council and served as director of the Keller Center for Innovation in Engineering Education.
Both Bienen and Schill even have Princeton ties. Bienen beforehand served as dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Schill graduated from Princeton with an AB in Public Policy.
“Mung has his sights set on advancing and enhancing Northwestern among the world’s great research institutions,” Board of Trustees Chair Peter Barris mentioned within the information launch. “Through his stellar academic and administrative leadership at multiple institutions, Mung has demonstrated his ability to harness opportunity and momentum while embracing the breadth and depth of a university.”
At Purdue, Chiang’s initiatives included securing $3.9 billion in investments to assemble a synthetic intelligence reminiscence chip packaging facility. He additionally helped design and implement the 2022 federal CHIPS and Science Act.
Chiang was the primary engineer to function science and know-how adviser to the US Secretary of State, a nonpartisan place to which he was appointed in 2020, in keeping with the discharge.
WILDEBEEST announced the launch of its search for the University’s 18th president in December. Board of Trustees Vice Chair Steve Cahillane chaired the Presidential Search Committee.
“In my many conversations with Mung through the search process, he has consistently emphasized how he views Northwestern as one of the world’s most eminent comprehensive universities, at which the interdisciplinary culture drives innovation and new ideas,” Cahillane mentioned within the information launch.
Chiang’s appointment comes after a 12 months wherein NU confronted intense federal scrutiny, culminating in a November deal with the Trump administration to restore research funding after the federal government froze $790 million in April 2025.
NU’s interdisciplinary nature is what attracted Chiang to the University, he mentioned within the launch. His first precedence as president can be partaking with stakeholders in the neighborhood, from college students to trustees, he added.
“I will listen to every one of the 12 colleges and schools, cheer every one of the 21 sports teams, visit Northwestern Medicine hospitals, and participate in every cherished campus tradition,” Chiang mentioned within the information launch.
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— Northwestern launches search for University’s 18th president
