Chris Hinkle, professor of electrical engineering at the University of Notre Dame, has been appointed chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering, effective July 1, 2026.
“Chris Hinkle’s leadership of large-scale research projects and dedication to student success make him the ideal choice to lead Electrical Engineering,” said Patricia J. Culligan, the Matthew H. McCloskey Dean of the College of Engineering. “He is well-positioned to succeed Greg Snider, whose tenure saw remarkable growth in enrollment, research, and faculty recruitment.”
Hinkle’s research focuses on materials science and next-generation semiconductors, particularly the discovery of ultra-thin materials that maximize electricity flow in computer chips.
His lab designs high-performing nanoelectronic systems, using machine learning to predict the behavior of new materials—a process that dramatically accelerates the rate of discovery. Once a high-potential material is identified, his lab creates it using advanced deposition systems, building materials in a vacuum one atom at a time.
Hinkle’s teaching spans a range of topics in electrical engineering and materials science with a particular focus on semiconductor devices and electronic materials. His classroom instruction is complemented by his dedicated mentorship of undergraduates, graduate students, and early-career faculty.
He has held major leadership roles in IEEE conferences, served as a panel reviewer for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Department of Energy (DOE), and has spent over 15 years chairing or serving on committees for graduate student recruitment and education.
He received his doctorate in physics in 2005 from North Carolina State University and joined the Notre Dame faculty in 2018, after serving on the faculty at the University of Texas at Dallas.
—Karla Cruise, Notre Dame Engineering. Photo by Wes Evard, Notre Dame Engineering.