Northwestern University, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Dean

Northwestern University named Christopher Schuh as the next Dean of the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. He also serves as the John G. Searle Professor of Materials Science and Engineering. 

Schuh is the first McCormick alum to lead the school, and as a member of the National Academy of Engineering, Schuh is a renowned researcher, serial entrepreneur, and dedicated educator. Schuh previously was the POSCO Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he served as head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering from 2011 to 2020. As head at MIT, Schuh worked alongside faculty and staff to develop a sweeping strategic plan designed to attract new faculty, expand space, launch new programs, and provide a world-class educational experience for undergraduate, master’s, and PhD students. 

During his tenure at MIT, Schuh oversaw significant growth and increased diversity of the faculty ranks and a significant increase in research expenditures. He worked to expand and redefine the department’s space profile, launched successful fundraising campaigns, and rolled out online courses, which were offered to learners from around the world. Schuh and his team established endowed fellowship support for graduate students, opened several new shared community labs and collaboration spaces, and launched new programs to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation among students and postdoctoral researchers.

Prior to joining MIT in 2002, Schuh held the Ernest O. Lawrence postdoctoral fellowship at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. His research is focused on structural metallurgy, in which he seeks to control disorder in metallic microstructures for the purpose of optimizing mechanical properties.

John Muckle and Lindsay Gold led this search with Jonathan Sanchez, David Grimes, and Kira Hamilton. 

Read the full press release here.