Northwestern University names Mung Chiang as next president
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern University named Mung Chiang, the president of Purdue University since 2023, as its new president on Monday.
Chiang will assume the role on July 1 and become Northwestern’s first Asian American president, according to a university news release.
"I am honored and thrilled to be Northwestern’s next president," Chiang said in a statement. "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."
Mung Chiang (Northwestern University)
The backstory:
The announcement comes after a months-long search to replace Michael Schill, who announced last September he would resign as president amid pressure from the Trump administration, which threatened to withhold millions of dollars in federal funding over alleged antisemitism on campus during protests against Israel’s war in Gaza.
The funding uncertainty led to dozens of layoffs at the school.
After Schill stepped down, Henry Bienen, who also previously served as president of Northwestern, became interim president, a position he will continue until Chiang takes over.
"Mung has his sights set on advancing and enhancing Northwestern among the world’s great research institutions," said Peter Barris, chair of Northwestern’s Board of Trustees, in a statement. "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."
Chiang’s educational journey began with studying electrical engineering at Stanford University. In his academic research, he’s focused on "optimization of networks, fog networking, and the Internet of Things, smart data pricing and network economics, social learning networks and online social networks," according to the news release.
He went on to teach at Princeton University before serving as dean of Purdue’s College of Engineering, then in other administrative positions before becoming president in 2023.
"Mung Chiang is a distinguished scholar who brings understanding and experience in the complexities of research-intense universities, along with a proven ability to grow the resources that power discovery," said Susan Quaggin, who served on the search committee and chairs the department of medicine at Northwestern’s medical school, in a statement. "His genuine commitment to faculty, students and staff and his ability to bring people and ideas together across disciplines to deliver results are exactly what Northwestern needs to remain at the forefront of innovation."
Chiang has also served in federal government positions like advising the U.S. Secretary of State and on the board of the U.S. Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation. He also helped design and implement the federal CHIPS and Science Act and secured funding to build an AI memory chip packaging facility at Purdue.
He also serves on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.