Felipe De Brigard and Polly Ha are two of five Duke University faculty members named Provost Faculty Fellows for the 2026-27 academic year. The selective program aims to introduce Duke faculty members to key leadership roles and responsibilities and areas of strategic focus of the university. Fellows were nominated by their deans and submitted proposals for projects connected to their interests. read more » about Two Trinity Professors Named Provost Faculty Fellows
Ingrid Daubechies, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor Emerita of Mathematics, has been named to the Andrew Carnegie Foundation’s 2026 Class of Great Immigrants, Great Americans, recognizing 25 distinguished naturalized citizens whose contributions have strengthened America. The tribute, launched by Carnegie more than 20 years ago, is celebrated every Fourth of July. Daubechies was born in the small coal-mining town of Houthalen, Belgium. She earned a bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. in physics from the Vrije Universiteit… read more » about Ingrid Daubechies Named to Carnegie Foundation’s ‘Great Immigrants, Great Americans’
Ten faculty in Duke University’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences have been awarded named professorships, effective July 1. These endowed professorships recognize faculty who exemplify leadership and excellence in scholarship and research. The recipients are outstanding educators, mentors, and researchers whose contributions are vital to the College of Arts & Sciences and its academic community. “Named professorships recognize faculty whose scholarship, teaching and leadership have made exceptional… read more » about Ten Trinity Faculty Awarded Named Professorships
As quantum computers grow larger and more powerful, one of the biggest challenges is understanding and choreographing the complex patterns of quantum entanglement that make these technologies possible. Natalie Klco, assistant professor of Physics at Duke University and a member of the Duke Quantum Center, has received a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award to face that challenge by looking through the lens of an unconventional source: the quantum fields that physicists use to describe the fundamental… read more » about Physics Faculty Natalie Klco Receives NSF Early Career Award
The Duke Center for Teaching and Learning is delighted to welcome Bridgette Martin Hard as our inaugural Faculty Director.A Professor of the Practice in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and Director of Undergraduate Studies for Psychology, Bridgette brings a distinguished record of leadership in teaching, mentoring, and faculty development. Her work centers on helping educators strengthen their teaching and mentoring while building communities in which teaching is valued as a meaningful, rewarding, and… read more » about Bridgette Martin Hard Named Inaugural Faculty Director of Duke Center for Teaching and Learning
Tarek Elgindi, Professor of Mathematics, has been awarded a 2026 Guggenheim Fellowship, joining the 101st class of Guggenheim Fellows. The fellowship, established in 1925 by Senator Simon Guggenheim, provides recipients with a stipend to pursue independent work under what the foundation describes as “the freest possible conditions.” Elgindi’s research centers on the Euler equation, a fundamental mathematical model describing the motion of fluids such as air and water. His work explores the complex behavior… read more » about Tarek Elgindi Awarded Guggenheim Fellowship
A research team co-led by Alberto Bartesaghi, associate professor of Computer Science, Biochemistry, and Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been selected to join the Collaborative Research Network (CRN), an international, multidisciplinary, multi-institutional network working to address high-priority research questions about Parkinson's disease, through a $9 million grant awarded by Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP), in partnership with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s… read more » about Duke’s Research Team Joins Global Network to Unravel the Complexity of Parkinson’s Disease
Oak trees are a familiar part of the landscape here in the Triangle, shading us from the heat and peppering Duke’s campus with acorns of different sizes and shapes. But far beyond North Carolina, the mountains of Mexico and Central America harbor one of the richest concentrations of oak diversity anywhere on Earth. A new international study co-authored by Professor of Biology Paul Manos provides the clearest picture yet of how that extraordinary diversity came to be. The… read more » about New Study Traces How Oaks Rapidly Diversified Across the Americas
“People don’t develop political ideologies in a vacuum,” said Hunt Family Assistant Professor of History Cecilia Márquez. “As a historian, I always look to the past to understand how we got here.” The question of how history shapes the political present is at the center of Márquez’s newest research project, which has been awarded a prestigious Carnegie Fellowship. The fellowship will support her work examining the historical roots of Latino participation in right-wing and far-right political movements in the United… read more » about Cecilia Márquez Awarded Carnegie Fellowship
ACM has named Nicki Washington the recipient of the 2025 ACM Frances E. Allen Award for Outstanding Mentoring, one of the computing field’s highest honors for mentorship and leadership. The biennial award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional mentoring while advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in computing. Named for pioneering computer scientist Frances Allen — the first woman to receive the ACM A.M. Turing Award — the award honors leaders whose mentorship has reshaped the field itself. … read more » about Nicki Washington Receives ACM Frances E. Allen Award for Outstanding Mentoring
The Office of the Provost has awarded Intellectual Community Planning Grants to ten projects from Duke faculty members based in eight schools, along with faculty colleagues at UNC-Chapel Hill, NC Central and NC State.These planning grants will be used to cover the cost of meeting venues, external speakers, event materials, books or other meeting costs, and/or exploratory research into potential collaborators.Seed funding supports Duke’s strategic vision of empowering the boldest thinkers to take on pressing challenges and… read more » about Trinity Faculty Collaborations Receive Intellectual Community Planning Grants
Three Duke University faculty have been named 2026 American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS)’s fellows: Mélanie Lamotte, assistant professor of History; Cecilia Márquez, the Hunt Family Assistant Professor of History and Yun Emily Wang, assistant professor of Music. Lamotte, Márquez and Wang are joined by 62 fellows representing a wide range of institutions, disciplines and career stages, including many early-career and non-tenure-track scholars. Each fellowship provides up to $60,000 for six to 12 months of full-… read more » about Three Duke Faculty Awarded ACLS Fellowships
Two Trinity College of Arts & Sciences faculty members, professors of Cultural Anthropology Rebecca L. Stein and Orin Starn, have been named 2026–27 Fellows of the National Humanities Center, one of the nation’s leading institutes for advanced study in the humanities. They are among 29 scholars selected from a pool of 453 applicants representing universities across the United States and Ghana. During their fellowships, Stein and Starn will pursue major research projects while participating in the Center’s… read more » about Two Cultural Anthropologists Named 2026-27 National Humanities Center Fellows
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) recently announced the election of 120 members and 25 international members "in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research."Two Duke faculty join the ranks of this prestigious organization:Robert Calderbank is Charles S. Sydnor Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and professor of mathematics at Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. He is also a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Pratt School of… read more » about Robert Calderbank Elected to The National Academy of Sciences
Duke philosopher David Wong is among 252 leaders in academia, the arts, industry, journalism, philanthropy, policy, research and science elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, one of the oldest learned societies in the United States.Wong is the Susan Fox Beischer and George D. Beischer Trinity College Arts & Sciences Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and an affiliate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society. He is a leading expert researching questions of morality on the personal and… read more » about Duke Philosopher Elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences
What if coordinated AI interventions could heal the internet’s civility problem? A team led by Jun Yang, the Knut Schmidt Nielsen Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, received an honorable mention from the Laude Moonshots competition, along with a $100,000 grant to develop an AI-powered system for improving civic discourse on social media. Yang’s team brings together a multidisciplinary group of Duke faculty. Christopher Bail, Professor of Sociology, and Alexander Volfovsky,… read more » about Duke Team Receives $100,000 Laude Moonshots Award to Make Social Media More Civil
Dan Scolnic, associate professor of Physics, has been named a recipient of the 2026 New Horizons in Physics Prize, awarded by the Breakthrough Prize Foundation. He shares the prize with five collaborators — Dillon Brout, J. Colin Hill, Mathew Madhavacheril, Maria Vincenzi, and W. L. Kimmy Wu — for their advances in cosmic microwave background and supernova cosmology. The New Horizons in Physics Prize is awarded annually by the Breakthrough Prize Foundation — the organization behind the $3 million Breakthrough Prizes,… read more » about Dan Scolnic Receives Breakthrough New Horizons in Physics Prize
Jungsang Kim, the Schiciano Family Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and professor of Physics at Duke University, has received the Changjo Medal of the Order of Science and Technology Merit, the highest class of South Korea’s premier national honor for scientists and engineers.Kim is one of two recipients selected this year for the award, which recognizes contributions to science and technology with national and global impact. The Changjo Medal, whose name translates to “creation,” is the top of… read more » about Physics Professor Jungsang Kim Receives South Korea’s Top Science and Technology Honor
Senior Associate Dean for Research Scott Huettel will serve as Dean of Social Sciences beginning July 1, Dean Gary Bennett announced Thursday. Huettel, a professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and former chair of the department, will step into this role after serving as Trinity’s inaugural Senior Associate Dean for Research and follows Kerry Haynie, who has led the Social Sciences Division as dean for the past four years. Scott Huettel will serve as Dean of… read more » about Huettel to Lead Social Sciences Division
Simon Miles has been named by Duke University as a Bass Chair in recognition of his excellence in undergraduate teaching and research.Miles will be the Kevin D. Gorter Associate Professor of Public Policy, effective July 1 for a five-year term. He will become a lifetime member of the Bass Society of Fellows. Bass Chair recipients, including Miles, were honored at a Duke University reception for Bass Chairs on April 15. The Bass program, established through a gift to Duke in 1996 from Anne T. and Richard M.… read more » about Simon Miles Selected by University as Bass Chair
The CUNY Graduate Center has announced the winners of its 2026 Alumni Awards recognizing graduates whose distinguished work spans research, education, public service, health and the arts. Ryan Donovan, assistant professor of Theater Studies, is one of the seven awardees. Together, this year’s honorees embody the Graduate Center’s commitment to research for the public good. Their work has shaped fields, informed practice, expanded access to knowledge and care, and strengthened institutions in New York and around the… read more » about Ryan Donovan Receives CUNY Alumni Award
Cristina Salvador, Susan W. Beltz and A. Morris Williams, Jr. Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, has been awarded the Rising Star award from the Association for Psychological Science.The Association for Psychological Science (APS) is an international nonprofit organization promoting protection and advancements in psychological research, teachings and human welfare. Founded in 2009, the Rising Star award recognizes early-career researchers across the globe whose innovative work advances the field and signals… read more » about Cristina Salvador Named Association for Psychological Science Rising Star
Jian Pei, an Arthur S. Pearse Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, has been selected to receive the 2026 PAKDD Distinguished Research Contributions Award. The Pacific-Asia Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (PAKDD) is a prestigious and highly selective conference that includes high-profile keynote and invited talks as well as peer-reviewed full research papers. Pei will present his research, Data Mining in the Age of AI: What Endures, What Changes, and What Matters Next, in… read more » about Duke Computer Science Professor Jian Pei Receives PAKDD Distinguished Research Award
Ten63 Therapeutics, a biotechnology company with strong Duke University roots, has secured major new investment to advance its artificial intelligence-driven approach to drug discovery. The company recently announced a strategic financing round that brings its total funding to more than $45 million, with support from major investors including the Gates Foundation and the Chugai Venture Fund. Ten63 was founded by Duke professor Bruce Donald and his former Ph.D. students, Marcel Frenkel (now CEO) and Mark Hallen (now CTO… read more » about Duke-Founded AI Drug Discovery Company Secures Major New Funding
On the third floor of the Allen Building, tucked into a corner room with a beautiful view of Abele Quad, you’ll find the office of Professor of English Victor Strandberg. Covering the walls of his office is an extensive, carefully curated collage of influential figures and moments from history, collected over his more than 90 years of life.Some images are from his 60-year tenure as an English professor at Duke University. Others represent personal points of interest. From images of the first moon landing to newspaper… read more » about After 60 years of stories, English Professor Victor Strandberg closes out his chapter at Duke
Duke University has awarded distinguished professorships to 38 faculty and will recognize them in a ceremony at the Washington Duke Inn on May 18.“I am delighted to recognize these faculty members with distinguished professorships,” said President Vincent E. Price. “Their work reflects a deep commitment to excellence in research and education, advancing new ideas and discoveries that benefit society and inspire future generations.”Distinguished professorships honor faculty who are well-established members of the Duke… read more » about Seven Trinity Faculty Members Among Duke's New Distinguished Professors
Herman Pontzer, professor of Evolutionary Anthropology, has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the most distinguished honors in the scientific community. Pontzer’s research explores the physiology of humans and apes to better understand how ecology, lifestyle, diet and evolutionary history shape metabolism and health. His work also examines how ecological and evolutionary forces influence musculoskeletal design and patterns of physical activity.… read more » about Duke Professor Herman Pontzer Elected AAAS Fellow
Beverly McIver, an emerita professor of the practice in Duke’s Department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies, has received The Order of the Long Leaf Pine award.It is the highest award for state service given by the office of the governor. McIver, an acclaimed contemporary artist, was one of a dozen recipients of the award from Gov. Josh Stein Tuesday afternoon.The award is given “to persons for exemplary service to the State of North Carolina and their communities that is above and beyond the call of duty and which has… read more » about Professor Beverly McIver Receives Top State Honor
Thomas Newpher, associate professor of the practice of Psychology and Neuroscience, has been newly elected as a Councilor for Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience (FUN).FUN is an international organization supporting neuroscience research and education at the undergraduate level. They work to support more than 400 members who teach, mentor, and conduct research with undergraduates across a variety of institutions. Their mission is to support neuroscience faculty, enhance undergraduate participation in… read more » about Thomas Newpher Elected as Councilor for Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience
Digital communications pioneer recognized for foundational contributions to technologies enabling billions of devices from early modems to modern smartphones. read more » about Duke’s Robert Calderbank Receives Marconi Prize