Mitra Hartmann Named Chair of Biomedical Engineering Department

Northwestern Engineering’s Mitra Hartmann has been named chair of the McCormick School of Engineering’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, effective September 1, 2025.

Hartmann, professor of biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, and (by courtesy) computer science, leads work at the forefront of embodied intelligence and biologically-inspired control. Her Sensory and Neural Engineering (SeNSE) Group integrates biomechanics, animal behavior, neurophysiology, and robotics to investigate how movement shapes sensory experience. The lab’s central goal is to understand how the brain achieves closed-loop sensorimotor control, in which feedback from the body and environment continuously guides action and perception in real time.

Hartmann succeeds Matthew Tresch, chair and professor of biomedical engineering, who has served in the role since 2021. During Tresch’s tenure, the department welcomed several new faculty, advanced its leadership in bioelectronics and regenerative engineering research, and strengthened collaborations with Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine.

“Mitra is an accomplished researcher and faculty leader. Her highly interdisciplinary work, including close collaborations with faculty in other departments, makes her well suited to lead Northwestern Biomedical Engineering,” said Christopher Schuh, dean of the McCormick School of Engineering. “I want to thank Matt for providing outstanding leadership to the department during the last four years. I am confident that Mitra will continue the department’s strong momentum at the forefront of research and education in the field.”

Mitra is an accomplished researcher and faculty leader. Her highly interdisciplinary work, including close collaborations with faculty in other departments, makes her well suited to lead Northwestern Biomedical Engineering. Christopher SchuhDean, McCormick School of Engineering

Working within Northwestern Engineering’s Center for Robotics and Biosystems, Hartmann’s research advances tactile sensing by modeling how interactions between mechanical sensors and the environment generate neural signals. In 2021, her group developed the first 3D simulation of a rat’s whisker array — not as an end in itself, but as a biologically-grounded model for studying how peripheral mechanical inputs are represented by neural activity. This system offers a platform for exploring core principles of closed-loop control, with applications ranging from robotic design to translational strategies for treating sensorimotor impairment.

Hartmann is an elected fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and a recipient of the US National Science Foundation CAREER Award. She has received multiple honors for teaching and mentoring, including Northwestern University’s Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence Award, the McCormick School of Engineering Teacher of the Year, and she is an honorary member of the national undergraduate neuroscience society, Nu Rho Psi. Hartmann holds a BS in applied engineering physics from Cornell and a PhD in integrative neuroscience from Caltech. She completed her postdoctoral work at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.