Purdue University President Mung Chiang is stepping down to take the helm at Northwestern University — an institution of less than half Purdue’s size.
Chiang has led Purdue for just over three years. He joined the university in 2017, and served as dean of the college of engineering and the executive vice president for strategic initiatives under former Purdue President Mitch Daniels.
A trained electrical engineer, Chiang’s research has focused on computer networking. Prior to joining Purdue, Chiang spent 14 years at Princeton University. He holds 26 U.S. patents, according to a press release from Northwestern.
Chiang, who was 45 when he took over, was the university's first Asian president. He oversaw the July 2024 breakup of Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis into two separate academic organizations.
Last fall, the Purdue board approved a contract extension for Chiang through mid-2031. The contract included base annual pay of $600,000 beginning this year, plus $500,000 if he remains through June, according to Purdue. He is also eligible for performance pay. Last year he received nearly $169,000.
Chiang will join Northwestern July 1. A private research university, Northwestern enrolls about 23,000 undergraduate and graduate students, compared to about 58,000 at Purdue.
Chiang’s departure comes as higher education faces political turmoil during President Donald Trump's second term. The Trump administration has targeted universities for admission policies, student protests and how federal funding is spent. It canceled a $34.9 million federal grant for Purdue to help more than 13,000 low-income Indiana students go to college as part of an effort to end diversity, equity and inclusion practices.
Last year, a Republican-led U.S. House committee investigated Chinese influence at Purdue and other universities. A study released in September 2025 called for tighter controls on Chinese students and academic partnerships. It cited past ties between some Purdue students and faculty and Chinese institutions connected to China's military sector and argued those links justify stricter visa screening, federal funding restrictions and limits on research access. There were no confirmed cases of espionage at Purdue or any of the other universities investigated. The committee largely praised Purdue's approach, calling it a model other institutions should follow.
Purdue has effectively blocked admission of Chinese students to a number of graduate programs, according to reporting in the Lafayette Journal & Courier, the Purdue Exponent and the magazine Science. That’s a dramatic reversal for an institution that spent more than a decade cultivating relationships with Chinese universities and students.
Chiang himself is a U.S. citizen who was born in China, according to the Exponent.
In a press release about his departure, Chiang said “It has been an incredible honor and joy for me to work with the amazing board, colleagues, students and alumni here.”
Purdue described Chiang’s tenure as “a time of growth and academic excellence during a challenging time in higher education.”
Gary Lehman, chairman of the Purdue Trustees, said: “We will miss Mung and Kei and their positive influence on our campus and community. We wish them all the best as they move forward to the next steps in their careers.”
The board plans to name an interim president while searching for a new leader.
Dylan Peers McCoy is an investigative education reporter with WFYI. Contact Dylan at dmccoy@wfyi.org.
