Northwestern University will have a new president come July, its Board of Trustees announced Monday, selecting current Purdue University President Mung Chiang as its pick to lead the school.
Chiang is set to take over the reins on July 1 and will be the university’s 18th president. The school’s last president, Michael Schill, resigned in September 2025 amid a federal funding freeze on the university.
“I am honored and thrilled to be Northwestern’s next president,” Chiang said in a news release shared with the Chicago Tribune. “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 became president of fellow Big Ten Conference school Purdue University in January 2023, leading a student body of around 58,000 on its West Lafayette campus. Before becoming the university’s president, he worked as Purdue’s dean of the College of Engineering and executive vice president for strategic initiatives. Prior to that, Chiang worked for 14 years at Princeton University.
Outside of academics, Chiang was appointed science and technology advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State in 2020. He currently chairs the board of the U.S. Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation, which he was appointed to in 2024.
Chiang said in the news release that his first priority as president is to “listen to and learn about Northwestern’s distinct culture and this community of scholarly and creative minds, because what matters most is the ‘who’ before the ‘what.’”
“I plan to engage with as many members of our community as possible: students and parents, faculty and staff, alumni and donors, neighbors and partners, as well as all the trustees,” Chiang said in the news release. “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.”
According to the news release, Chiang’s presidency corresponded with Purdue’s most selective incoming class, highest graduation rate, most successful fundraising year, largest federal research grants and the largest industry research grant in the university’s history.
Beyond that, Purdue saw athletic success as well. The university’s men’s basketball team reached the national championship game under Chiang’s tenure.
