Purdue University Northwest (PNW) announced following a national search that José R. Sánchez will join the university as dean of the College of Engineering and Sciences, effective May 1, 2025.

Sánchez most recently served at Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts, where he held positions as dean and professor of the School of Science and Engineering and founding dean of the School of Engineering and Computational Sciences. His accomplishments included securing transformative gifts to establish endowed professorships and research initiatives, significant expansion of sponsored research, the addition of several market-responsive undergraduate and master’s programs, and expanded external partnerships with industry and government leaders.

Sánchez held previous Engineering leadership and faculty roles at Wentworth Institute of Technology, University of Indianapolis and Bradley University. He has also served as a program evaluator with the American Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accrediting body since 2020.

“We are delighted and excited for José Sánchez to join our Academic Affairs team to lead the College of Engineering and Sciences amidst the changing landscape of higher education, the growing vibrancy of Northwest Indiana, and a sense of optimism across the university,” said Marie T. Mora, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at PNW. “With his experience as an academic and leader, I am confident he will build upon the college’s established reputation, programmatic strengths, and dedication to improving the quality of life and place for our students (many of whom are first-generation college students, adult learners, and other non-traditional students), their families, and communities, as well as for our faculty and staff.”

As dean, Sánchez will lead an academic college offering 19 undergraduate and master’s programs that rigorously prepare students for careers in competitive STEM fields. He will also lead PNW’s ABET- accredited and nationally recognized School of Engineering within the College of Engineering and Sciences.

Sánchez will also oversee the distinguished scholarship and research initiatives advanced by PNW’s Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation (CIVS), the Integrative Physiology and Health Sciences Center, the Center for Crime and Forensics, the Water Institute, the Energy Efficiency and Reliability Center, and the Center for High Energy Physics.

“I am honored to join Purdue University Northwest as Dean of the College of Engineering and Sciences,” said Sánchez. “When I visited PNW, I was truly impressed by the strong sense of community and the university’s deep commitment to student success. I look forward to collaborating with faculty, staff and students to foster innovation, strengthen interdisciplinary partnerships and create transformative opportunities that positively impact the region and beyond.”

Sánchez earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He earned both his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Bradley University.