Institute Professor Paula Hammond appointed next School of Engineering dean
Hammond to be first woman dean of MIT’s School of Engineering
MIT Institute Professor of Chemical Engineering Paula T. Hammond ’84 PhD ’93 will serve as the next dean of the School of Engineering, Provost Anantha Chandrakasan announced in an email on Friday, Dec. 5. She will be the first woman to serve as dean of MIT’s largest school.
The decision ends a five-month search to find a permanent successor for Chandrakasan, who left the engineering dean post to become provost in July. Per the announcement, Hammond will begin her new role on Jan. 16, 2026. Professor of Mechanical Engineering Maria Yang will continue to serve as interim dean until then.
In his announcement, Chandrakasan praised Hammond’s scholarship and noted her selflessness and kindness, evident through her resolve to enable “others’ professional growth and success.”
“She has developed and overseen new efforts to improve faculty recruitment and retention, mentoring, and professional development — all with the aim of helping everyone find a welcoming and productive place to do their very best work,” he wrote.
Hammond, who is currently also the executive vice provost, has been a faculty member at the Institute since 1995. In 2006, Hammond became a full professor, and in 2021, she was named an Institute Professor. In addition, she was the head of the Department of Chemical Engineering from 2015 to 2023. Previously, Hammond earned her bachelor’s and PhD at MIT, her master’s at Georgia Tech, and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard.
Hammond’s research focuses on designing nanomaterials and polymers for applications in areas such as medicine and batteries. Her publications have garnered over 50,000 total citations, and she is an elected member of all three National Academies (Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine). Her lab is part of the MIT Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research.
Hammond was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2024, and she was part of President Biden’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. She is also a co-founder of LayerBio, Inc., a biotechnology company that develops nanotechnology for drug delivery, and has been a member of the scientific advisory board of Moderna.
As dean, Hammond will determine how the School of Engineering will navigate reduced federal funding for science and engineering, which has shrunk many graduate programs at MIT and has disrupted some students’ postgraduate plans. For instance, in March, the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) department announced a 5-10% cut to funding for its Masters of Engineering (MEng) program.
In a statement in MIT News, Hammond expressed her aim to build on the “cross-disciplinary efforts” in the School of Engineering launched by Chandrakasan when he was dean.
“I believe we have incredible opportunities to build at the interfaces of science, engineering, the humanities, arts, design, and policy,” she said. “MIT should be the leader in providing educational foundations that prepare our students for a highly interdisciplinary and AI-enabled world.”
Hammond also stated that she wants to “lower barriers” between engineering departments in terms of curriculum and teaching.
In an email to members of the School of Engineering, Hammond expressed her gratitude for the new role and her commitment to ensuring the school’s excellence in terms of “deep engineering fundamentals.”
“I look forward to getting to know and hear from all members of our community and visiting across departments to hear what is on your mind in the next several months,” she added.