Thomas Newpher, associate professor of the practice of Psychology and Neuroscience, has been newly elected as the 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
Dorsa Amir, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, was recently announced as a recipient of the 2026 APS Janet Taylor Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Contributions by the Association for Psychological Scientists (APS). First awarded in 2010 and named after APS’s first president, the Spence Award honors particularly creative and promising APS members who embody the future of the field. This year, it recognizes six psychological scientists conducting cutting-edge research on topics ranging from… read more » about Dorsa Amir Receives 2026 Janet Taylor Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Contributions
Cynthia Rudin has been named a Fellow of the world's preeminent computing society — the Association for Computing Machinery — for her contributions to and leadership in interpretable machine learning and societal applications.The Gilbert, Louis, and Edward Lehrman Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, Rudin “represent the top one percent of professionals in our association,” explained ACM President Yannis Ioannidis. Rudin’s research focuses on interpretable machine learning and its applications — … read more » about Association for Computing Machinery Selects Cynthia Rudin for Outstanding Achievement
Michael Troxel, associate professor of Physics and co-director of the SPACE Initiative at Duke, was recently awarded the NASA Exceptional Public Achievement Medal for his leadership in coordinating and delivering the OpenUniverse 2024 Roman/Rubin image simulations campaign. OpenUniverse simulation of what NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope could see when it launches by May 2027. (Photo courtesy of C. Hirata, K. Cao and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center) The… read more » about Michael Troxel Awarded NASA’s Exceptional Public Achievement Medal
An international team of researchers with the Dark Energy Survey (DES) has released one of the most precise new measurements yet of how the universe expands over time. The results, based on hundreds of millions of galaxies, help scientists test the leading model of cosmology and probe the mysterious force known as dark energy that appears to be driving cosmic acceleration.Among the scientists shaping this latest analysis are Duke researchers, led by Associate Professor of Physics Michael Troxel, whose group has… read more » about Duke Scientists Help Sharpen the Picture of a Changing Universe
Doug Boyer, associate professor of Evolutionary Anthropology, received the American Association of Biological Anthropologists (AABA) Mid-Career Research Award, which honors mid-career scholars whose work has significantly advanced biological anthropology. Boyer’s research focuses on primate evolution and its environmental context, combining fossil discovery, analytical methods and a commitment to open and inclusive data sharing that has reshaped how comparative biological data are used worldwide. Boyer has been… read more » about Doug Boyer Wins American Association of Biological Anthropologists Mid-Career Research Award
Emily Derbyshire, Eads Family Professor of Chemistry, has been elected a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. Fellows of the Academy, the honorific leadership group and scientific think tank within the American Society for Microbiology, are elected annually through a highly selective, peer-review process based on their records of scientific achievement and original contributions that have advanced microbiology. Over the last 50 years, more than 2,700 distinguished… read more » about Emily Derbyshire Elected to American Academy of Microbiology
Pardis Emami-Naeini is the winner of the Foresight Institute’s 2025 Norm Hardy Prize. Emami-Naeini, director of Duke’s InSPIre Lab and an assistant professor of Computer Science, was recognized for developing a layered cybersecurity label for smart home devices.Consumers increasingly purchase smart home technologies without a clear understanding of how their data is managed or protected. Emami-Naeini’s research shows that when security and privacy information is presented clearly and accessibly, people are more… read more » about Pardis Emami-Naeini Announced as 2025 Norm Hardy Prize Winner for Advances in Usable Security
Simon Partner, an APSI core faculty member and professor of history at Duke, is the winner of the third Modern Japan History Association book prize for his 2024 publication, “Koume's World: The Life and Work of a Samurai Woman Before and After the Meiji Restoration.”The Modern Japan History Association is a professional association of scholars interested in modern Japan and Japanese history whose mission is to support the creation and dissemination of knowledge about modern Japan and its history by encouraging collaboration… read more » about Simon Partner Wins Modern Japan History Association Book Prize, Launches Substack
Three Duke scholars were honored with prizes from the Southeast Regional Conference of the Association for Asian Studies (SEC-AAS). The SEC-AAS is a non-political, non-profit scholarly organization dedicated to promoting the study of Asian in the southeastern region of the United States. The 2026 graduate paper prize went to second-year East Asian Studies MA student Daniel Zhang, whose article "Shaping Minds Through Play" uses a curated museum exhibition framework to demonstrate how the traditional Japanese… read more » about Three Duke Scholars Win Awards From Southeast Regional Conference of the Association for Asian Studies
The Judith Deckers Prize honors three Duke faculty members for their excellence in undergraduate education. This award recognizes leaders in their fields who have substantial track records of positively affecting student learning and lives. The three faculty receiving the 2025 Judith Deckers Prize are Lisa Huettel of Pratt, Deondra Rose of Sanford and Sarah Schott of Trinity. read more » about Three Faculty Honored with Judith Deckers Prize, Duke’s Undergraduate Teaching Award
Yan Liu, Associate Professor of the Practice in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (AMES) and Director of the Chinese Language Program has received the 2025 Klett Award for Sustainable Development Education in the World Language Classroom from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). The award honors Liu’s innovative work embedding themes of global sustainability, intercultural understanding, and social responsibility into language education. Through courses such as China and the… read more » about Yan Liu Receives Award for Sustainable Development Education in the World Language Classroom
Shaundra Daily was recognized for her contributions to computing education, and Nicki Washington was recognized for contributions to broadening participation in computing. read more » about Nicki Washington and Shaundra Daily Named Distinguished Members of Association for Computing Machinery
An interdisciplinary team of Duke faculty is among the international recipients of a new grant from the Schmidt Sciences Humanities and Artificial Intelligence Virtual Institute (HAVI), a program designed to bridge the gap between AI technology and humanistic inquiry. Led by Martin Fischer, Research Professor of Chemistry and Physics; Shira Faigenbaum-Golovin, Assistant Professor of Mathematics from Bar-Ilan University (formerly of Duke); and John K. Delaney, from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the project… read more » about Duke Researchers Awarded Grant to Reveal Hidden Histories of Artworks Through AI and Imaging
The Modern Language Association of America is awarding its 28th annual Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Publication Award for a Manuscript in Italian Literary Studies to Kate Driscoll, assistant professor of Romance Studies. Her manuscript, "Tasso and Women Readers: Literary Hospitality in Early Modern Italy," will be published by Cambridge University Press.The award is one of 23 that will be presented on January 9, 2026 during the association’s annual convention, to be held in Toronto. The members of the selection committee were… read more » about Kate Driscoll Receives Scaglione Publication Award for a Manuscript in Italian Literary Studies
In recognition of his outstanding scholarly achievement, Peter S. Arcidiacono was invested as a member of the American Academy of Sciences and Letters at an annual ceremony on November 12 in Washington, DC.Arcidiacono is the William Henry Glasson Distinguished Professor of Economics. He specializes in applied microeconomics, applied economics and labor economics, with particular focus on education and discrimination. His work, which has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver… read more » about Economics Scholar Honored by American Academy of Sciences and Letters
Every year, the research intelligence company Clarivate publishes a list of Highly Cited Researchers. These researchers have multiple publications which rank in the top 1% by citation in their fields and are further selected for exemplifying excellence and integrity in their work.The Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list was recently released, and 29 Duke scholars were featured on the list of 6,868 researchers. These leading researchers hail from across Duke University, Duke Health and Duke-NUS Medical School… read more » about Trinity Scholars Featured in the Highly Cited Researchers 2025 List
Calvin R. Howell, Professor of Physics, was awarded the 2025 Francis Slack Award at this year’s Southeastern Section of the American Physical Society (SESAPS) Annual Meeting. The award, presented by the American Physical Society (APS), honors "Excellence in Service to Physics in the Southeast.”Professor Howell’s research is in the area of experimental nuclear physics with emphasis on the quantum chromodynamics (QCD) description of low-energy nuclear phenomena, including structure properties of nucleons and… read more » about Calvin Howell Receives 2025 Francis Slack Award from the American Physical Society
Mike West, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Statistical Science, was the recipient of the 2025 Jerome Sacks Award for Cross-Disciplinary Research. The award was presented by the National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS) at the Joint Statistics Meetings held in Nashville, TN. This prestigious award recognizes “sustained, high-quality cross-disciplinary research involving the statistical sciences.”The award is especially meaningful at Duke, where both Jerry Sacks and Mike West left a lasting mark on the Department… read more » about Mike West Wins 2025 Jerome Sacks Award for Cross-Disciplinary Research
Ingrid Daubechies, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor Emerita of Mathematics, was honored Thursday, Sept. 25, as a 2025 Citation Laureate, a global recognition of research excellence presented by Clarivate Plc. Daubechies, who received the National Medal of Science earlier this year, is among 22 researchers worldwide to be recognized by Clarivate, a global provider of transformative intelligence, with the honor this year. Since the program’s inception, 83 Citation Laureates have gone on to receive Nobel Prizes.… read more » about Ingrid Daubechies Earns Global Recognition as 2025 Citation Laureate
Four faculty in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences were recently recognized by the Arts & Sciences Council for outstanding achievements in undergraduate teaching.Each year, the Council’s Committee on Undergraduate Teaching honors outstanding faculty for their commitment to their students, for engaging them deeply in research and scholarship, for their continued development as innovative teachers and mentors, and more.Members of the council — in collaboration with the dean's office — select… read more » about Four Trinity Faculty Receive 2025 Undergraduate Teaching Awards
Faculty member Tamika Nunley has won the Journal of Women's History Article Prize for 2025 for her work, “The Intellectual World of Phillis Wheatley and the Politics of Genius” which appeared in the journal's Spring 2024 issue (Volume 36, Number 1). The William & Sue Gross Professor of History and Bass Chair, Nunley is a celebrated historian of African American women’s history and the history of slavery. Her award-winning article examines the life and work of enslaved African American poet Phillis Wheatley and her… read more » about Tamika Nunley Wins 2025 Journal of Women's History Article Prize
Assistant Professor of History Mélanie Lamotte has been awarded the French Colonial Historical Society’s 2025 Best Article Prize for “Beyond the Atlantic: Unifying Racial Policies across the Early French Empire,” which appeared in the William & Mary Quarterly Vol. 81, no. 1 (Jan. 2024): 3-36. In the citation for the award, the French Colonial Historical Society notes that Lamotte’s article “ambitiously bridges the stories and historiographies of France’s colonies in North America and the Caribbean with those in the… read more » about Mélanie Lamotte Wins French Colonial Historical Society’s Best Article Prize
Thavolia Glymph, Peabody Family Distinguished Professor of History, was honored with the Distinguished Service to Labor and Working-Class History Award from the Labor and Working-Class History Association (LAWCHA) at its annual meeting in June. She is also the recipient of the 2025 Raymond Gavins Distinguished Faculty Award from the Samuel DuBois Cook Society at Duke University. Glymph has served as President of the American Historical Association (2024), President of the Southern Historical Association (2019-2020… read more » about Thavolia Glymph Wins 2025 Distinguished Service to Labor and Working-Class History Award
Five Duke scholars have been selected for fellowships in the 2025-26 “Institute for Faculty Voice and Collaborative Leadership,” organized by the Ivy+ Faculty Advancement Network. Nominated by their deans, they will join a cohort of faculty members from other Ivy+ institutions to develop and apply new approaches to strengthen their leadership strategies in the current academic landscape. read more » about Two Trinity Faculty Chosen for Ivy+ Institute on Leadership in the Current Academic Landscape
Dan Scolnic, associate professor of physics in Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, has been selected to serve as Duke’s presidential fellow for the 2025-2026 academic year. The Presidential Fellowship program was established by President Vincent Price with the objective of providing a faculty member a year-long opportunity to experience firsthand the workings of university administration.Scolnic joined Duke’s faculty in 2019 and is considered one of the nation’s leading scholars in the field of cosmology. His research… read more » about Dan Scolnic Named Presidential Fellow
Four Duke professors from three schools have received the 2025-26 Thomas Langford Lectureship Award.Provost Alec Gallimore, in consultation with the Committee on Appointments, Promotion and Tenure, selected the recipients of this annual award from among all recently promoted or hired faculty members.This distinguished lecture series honors Tommy Langford, who served Duke for 41 years as Divinity School professor, dean and provost. He embodied the highest university values of scholarship, teaching, collegiality and the… read more » about Four Duke Scholars Honored With Langford Lectureship Award