THE Landscape
When Hertz Fellow Mung Chiang arrived at Purdue University to serve as the dean of their college of engineering and executive vice president for strategic initiatives, he was already a well-established researcher and leader. In 2013, he received the Alan T. Waterman Award, which is the highest honor given to an American researcher under the age of 40 each year. He also served as the science and technology adviser to the U.S. secretary of state and initiated the U.S. government’s tech diplomacy programs.
THE PATH
But his greatest step forward happened in 2023, when he was named president of Purdue University, a public land-grant university that also has the oldest computer science program in the United States.
His presidency at Purdue is seminal on two fronts. First, Chiang, who was born in Tianjin, China, is the first Asian American president of Purdue University. And second, he is the youngest president of a top-50 American university, ever, having taken office at the age of 45.
“As an immigrant living the American dream and as a citizen of the greatest nation in human history, I am grateful to serve in higher education.”
Mung Chiang
President, Purdue University
Chiang was elected president by a unanimous vote from the Purdue Board of Trustees. “He has displayed not only academic excellence but also administrative acumen, effective relationship-building with academic, governmental and business partners, and the skills of public communications,” said Purdue Board of Trustees President Michael Berghoff.
In his inaugural address, he said that he is proud of where he came from, and how he got to where he is now. “As an immigrant living the American dream and as a citizen of the greatest nation in human history, I am grateful to serve in higher education, the best hope for freedom and opportunity,” he said. “Our university creates the time when many lives are lifted by access and success across differences in background and perspectives.”
