Evanston, Ill.-based Northwestern University has selected Mung Chiang, PhD, as its 18th president, effective July 1.
Dr. Chiang has served as president of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., since January 2023, according to a May 18 Northwestern news release. During his tenure, the university expanded research activity to more than $1 billion in sponsored research expenditures and secured $3.9 billion in investments for an artificial intelligence memory chip advanced packaging facility.
He succeeds Michael Schill, who stepped down as Northwestern president in September. President Emeritus Henry Bienen will continue serving as interim president through the end of June.
Under Mr. Schill’s leadership, Northwestern secured the second- and third-highest fundraising years on record in fiscal 2024 and 2025. The university raised nearly $2.5 billion during his tenure.
Before becoming Purdue president, Dr. Chiang served as dean of the college of engineering and executive vice president for strategic initiatives at the university. Prior to Purdue, he spent 14 years at Princeton (N.J.) University in academic and leadership roles.
Dr. Chiang also served as science and technology advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State in 2020 and currently chairs the board of the U.S. Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation.
Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine includes the research, teaching and patient care operations of its academic medical center. It operates more than 200 patient care sites.
