Notestein Named McCormick’s Associate Dean for Research and Doctoral Education

Northwestern Engineering's Justin Notestein has been named the McCormick School of Engineering’s Associate Dean for Research and Doctoral Education, effective September 1, 2026.

A member of the Northwestern faculty since 2007, Notestein has served the University research community in many capacities. Named the ChBE chair in 2023, Notestein also directs the Center for Catalysis and Surface Science, is a member of the Northwestern-Argonne Institute of Science and Engineering, and an affiliate of the International Institute of Nanotechnology. Notestein received a 2025 Masahiro and Eiko Meshii Award, which honors faculty members for excellence in design education.

“Justin has long been a significant presence within Northwestern Engineering’s research enterprise. His breadth of leadership roles within our research efforts combined with his deep commitment to mentoring graduate students and fostering collaboration makes him an outstanding choice to serve as associate dean for research and doctoral education,” said Christopher Schuh, dean of the McCormick School of Engineering.

In his research, Notestein designs and synthesizes advanced catalysts, adsorbents, and functional materials to enable more sustainable production of important chemicals and fuels. His work focuses on modifying particle or metal-organic framework surfaces with organic groups, inorganic complexes, or ultra-thin oxide layers to precisely control catalytic active sites and better understand structure–function relationships. Ultimately, the research aims to create surfaces with coordinated networks of active sites capable of performing complex chemical transformations—similar to interconnected pathways in biological systems.

Notestein succeeds Professor Erik Luijten, who in January was named the University’s next provost. Luijten has spent more than a decade in academic leadership roles at Northwestern. A professor of materials science and engineering, Luijten has worked to strengthen scholarship across schools and disciplines, including work with the Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts and Northwestern’s Prison Education Program.

“Erik has been an extraordinary leader and collaborator whose work has strengthened Northwestern’s research community across schools and disciplines,” Schuh said. “We are deeply grateful for his service and leadership.”

In his new role, Notestein will manage research administration, research development, and Northwestern Engineering's PhD programs. A search for a new chair of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering will begin in the coming weeks.