Northwestern Engineering’s Sinan Keten has been named chair of the McCormick School of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, effective September 1, 2026.
Keten, Jan and Marcia Achenbach Professor at Northwestern Engineering, develops theory, molecular and multiscale simulations, and machine learning methods to study the mechanical behavior of soft materials, with a focus on polymeric and biomolecular materials and their composites.
By combining advanced computational tools with biological design principles, Keten, who is also a member of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering faculty, aims to accelerate the discovery and design of durable, resilient materials for applications in fields such as defense, infrastructure, manufacturing, and therapeutics.
“Sinan is a creative researcher and thoughtful leader whose work reflects the interdisciplinary spirit of Northwestern Engineering,” said Christopher Schuh, dean of Northwestern Engineering. “I’m excited to see how his leadership will build on the department’s strengths and help shape the next generation of discovery in mechanical engineering.”
A Northwestern faculty member since 2010, Keten has been honored for his work numerous times. In 2023, Keten was one of 16 researchers selected for the 2024-2026 class of the Defense Science Study Group. And in 2024, Keten won the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Pi Tau Sigma Gustus L. Larson Memorial Award for outstanding achievement in mechanical engineering, within 10 to 20 years following graduation with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or a related field.
Other honors include the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) from the White House and several awards from the ASME, American Society of Civil Engineers, and Society of Engineering Science. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and ASME. Keten has held leadership positions including serving as the Director of Graduate Studies and Associate Chair of Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern, and the President of the Society of Engineering Science in 2025.
Keten succeeds Wei Chen, Wilson-Cook Professor in Engineering Design and professor of mechanical engineering, who has held the position since 2020. During Chen’s tenure as chair, the department has emphasized research into robotics, AI, additive manufacturing, and other modern technologies with a synergistic theme of “Embodied AI.” Two US National Science Foundation-sponsored Engineering Research Centers (ERC) were established through the leadership of faculty in Mechanical Engineering: the HAND (Human Augmentation via Dexterity) ERC led by Northwestern University, and the HAMMER (Hybrid Autonomous Manufacturing, moving from Evolution to Revolution) ERC led by Ohio State.
At the education front, in 2024, Northwestern Engineering launched the Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering program, a joint collaboration between the two departments. In 2025, the department launched the New Master of Science in Advanced Manufacturing and the undergraduate certificate program in Robotics.
“Wei has provided thoughtful and forward-looking leadership during a period of significant growth for the department,” Schuh said. “Her efforts helped position mechanical engineering at the forefront of fast-moving fields such as autonomous design and manufacturing, robotics, and AI-empowered engineering science and analysis.”
A member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAA&S), Chen directs the Integrated Design Automation Laboratory (IDEAL) and is the founding director of the Predictive Science and Engineering Design Cluster. Her research focuses on simulation-based design under uncertainty, using AI, machine learning, multifidelity modeling, and uncertainty quantification to enable predictive engineering design and the data-driven development of advanced materials and structures.
By integrating methods from materials science, manufacturing, structural mechanics, data science, and design optimization, Chen’s work supports the creation of lightweight, energy-efficient, and sustainable materials, products, and processes used in industry and commercial software.