Danielle Tullman-Ercek Named New Chair of Northwestern Chemical and Biological Engineering

Northwestern Engineering’s Danielle Tullman-Ercek will serve as chair of the McCormick School of Engineering’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, effective September 1, 2026. 

Tullman-Ercek, James N. and Nancy J. Farley Professor in Manufacturing and Entrepreneurship and professor of chemical and biological engineering, builds biomolecular devices for a wide range of applications in areas from medicine to the environment. In particular, her lab research focuses on highly organized self-assembling proteins­—the nanoscale building blocks of biology. Such systems abound in the living world, and the resulting assemblies govern critical processes at all levels of life, from the formation of virus capsids to the transport of oxygen in the blood.

Tullman-Ercek directs the Master of Biotechnology Program in Northwestern Engineering, and the Synthetic Biology Research Experience for Undergraduates program. In addition, she is a codirector of the Center for Synthetic Biology (CSB), of which she was a founding member, and cofounder of Opera Bioscience, which is working to create affordable, high-purity proteins for commercial applications.

“Danielle’s expertise across research, teaching, and translation is impressive and her unique insights will be a valuable asset to the department,” said Christopher Schuh, dean of Northwestern Engineering. “I look forward to the continued growth of the department under her leadership.”

A Northwestern faculty member since 2016, Tullman-Ercek was elected to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering’s (AIMBE) College of Fellows in 2023. AIMBE fellows represent the top 2 percent of medical and biological engineers in academia, industry, education, clinical practice, and government. 

Tullman-Ercek succeeds Justin Notestein, professor of chemical and biological engineering, who has served as chair since 2023. A member of the Northwestern faculty since 2007, Notestein has been named the McCormick School of Engineering’s Associate Dean for Research and Doctoral Education, effective September 1, 2026.

“Justin has long been a significant presence within Northwestern Engineering’s research and academic enterprise,” Schuh said. “Under his leadership, the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering has advanced pioneering research and prepared the next generation of leaders in fields vital to society—from decarbonization and clean water technologies to biomanufacturing, advanced materials, and human health.”  

Notestein also directs the Center for Catalysis and Surface Science, is a member of the Northwestern-Argonne Institute of Science and Engineering, and is affiliated with both the International Institute of Nanotechnology and the Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy. Notestein received a 2025 Masahiro and Eiko Meshii Award, which honors faculty members for excellence in design education.

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.