Berndt Mueller, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Physics, has been elected as an honorary member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences for his contributions to theoretical nuclear physics. Mueller is internationally known for his work on quark-gluon plasma, the high-energy state of matter believed to have existed just microseconds after the Big Bang. His research has helped shape modern understanding of how the universe evolved from chaos to order, and has played a leading role in major international… read more » about Trinity Physicist Berndt Mueller Elected Honorary Member of Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Department of Statistical Science Chair Amy Herring has been named Dean of Natural Sciences and Professor of Political Science Kerry Haynie has been appointed to a second term as Dean of Social Sciences, Dean Gary Bennett announced Tuesday. In sharing the announcement, Bennett also expressed his gratitude to Susan Alberts, Robert F. Durden Distinguished Professor of Biology, for her several impactful years as Dean of Natural Sciences. Bennett noted that in returning full time to her research, “Susan is… read more » about Herring, Haynie to Lead Natural Sciences, Social Sciences Divisions; Alberts to Return to Research
Anne-Gaëlle Saliot, associate professor of Romance Studies and director of the Center for French and Francophone Studies, has been knighted by the French government as a member of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques. Established by Napoleon in 1808, the Ordre des Palmes Académiques is the oldest non-military French recognition and one of the world's oldest civil awards. The honor of chevalier, or knight, recognizes excellence in research, teaching and the promotion of French language and culture. … read more » about Anne-Gaëlle Saliot Named Knight of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques
Alexander Volfovsky, associate professor of Statistical Science, is the recipient of the 2025 Gertrude M. Cox Award for excellence in applied statistics. Established in 2003 through a joint agreement between the Washington Statistical Society (WSS) and RTI International, the award annually recognizes an early to mid-career statistician who has made significant contributions in survey methodology, experimental design, biostatistics and/or statistical computing. Volfovsky’s research is at the intersection of theory… read more » about Alexander Volfovsky Receives Gertrude M. Cox Award for Excellence in Applied Statistics
“Get off my lawn!” Funny as a meme but maybe scary in real life, this short sentence is synonymous with an elderly man shouting at kids whose bikes have gotten too close to a well-manicured front yard. But it could just as well represent a female bird, aggressively chasing whatever intruder gets too close to her nest. Not any female bird, though. An international team of researchers led by Sara Lipshutz, assistant professor of Biology at Duke University, found that female birds who can only… read more » about Many Paths to an Angry Bird: Uncovering the Roots of Aggressiveness in Female Cavity-Nesting Birds
Herbert Kitschelt, the George V. Allen Distinguished Professor of International Relations, is the 2025 recipient of the Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science, in honor of his groundbreaking research on party systems.Kitschelt is primarily known for his studies on how European multiparty systems are structured. Throughout his career, he has investigated how political parties, in competition with each other and as a result of changing attitudes and behaviors within the electorate, have… read more » about Herbert P. Kitschelt Awarded the 2025 Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science
Duke biology professor Fred Nijhout has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences.Nijhout, the John Franklin Crowell Distinguished Professor of Biology, has been a member of the Duke faculty since 1977. His scholarship focuses on developmental physiology and understanding how complex traits arise through, and are affected by, the interaction of genetic and environmental factors.Much of his research has focused on how butterflies and other insects develop from a larva to a winged adult — how… read more » about Biologist Fred Nijhout Elected to National Academy of Sciences
Duke University awarded its inaugural Judith Decker Prize for excellence in undergraduate teaching this year to three faculty members—Catherine Admay, Dorian Canelas and Karin Shapiro. The prize winners were chosen from 120 faculty candidates identified last spring during an open nomination period where Duke faculty, staff, alums, and current students submitted over 500 nominations.Duke’s Office of Undergraduate Education had student writers interview professors Admay, Canelas and Shapiro and get a take on their teaching… read more » about Three Decker Award Winners on Engaging Students in Lifelong Learning
Trinity faculty member Naiima Khahaifa has been selected as one of 62 scholars — selected from a pool of over 2,300 applicants through a multi-stage peer review process — to receive a fellowship from The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS).As the program’s longest running program, the ACLS Fellowships support outstanding scholarship in the humanities and social sciences. In 2025, the program will award more than $3.5 million in support of outstanding scholarship in the humanities… read more » about Naiima Khahaifa Named Fellow of the American Council of Learned Societies
DURHAM, N.C. – Two Duke faculty are among nearly 250 leaders from academia, the arts, industry, policy, research and science elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, one of the oldest learned societies in the United States.William Darity, Jr. is the Samuel DuBois Cook Professor of Public Policy, African and African American Studies, and Economics and the director of the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke. His research focuses on inequality by race, class and ethnicity, stratification… read more » about Two Duke Faculty Elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Ten exceptional faculty members received the prestigious Bass Chairs, marking their induction into the Bass Society of Fellows. This honor recognizes their contributions to undergraduate teaching and research.The newly named chairs were celebrated during a reception at the Washington Duke Inn, where President Vincent Price, Provost Alec Gallimore and Vice Provost Candis Watts Smith offered remarks. They reflected on the qualities that define Bass Fellows, congratulated the new chairs, and expressed gratitude to the Bass… read more » about Six Trinity Faculty Named 2025 Bass Chairs
In the latest edition of New in Duke Blue, Antwan Lofton, Vice President of Duke Human Resources, interviews Mohamed Noor, Executive Vice Provost for Duke University.Noor discusses his love for biology as a child, where he thinks Duke can continue to improve in order to live out its academic mission, and what led him to seek out a faculty position at Duke in 2005.“I was invited to serve on a PhD students committee here,” Noor said. “Honestly, it was the graduate students that drew me here... I thought wow, these graduate… read more » about New in Duke Blue: A Conversation with Mohamed Noor
The John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute has named Adam Rosenblatt, Professor of the Practice of the International Comparative Studies Program, as the new director of the Duke Human Rights Center (DHRC) at FHI. Rosenblatt, a prominent scholar in the fields of anthropology and death studies, will help expand the interdisciplinary perspective of DHRC’s mission of advancing human rights scholarship and practice.“I started reading Adam’s scholarship when he was a candidate for his position in International Comparative… read more » about Adam Rosenblatt Appointed Director of the Duke Human Rights Center
Jonathan C. Mattingly, Kimberly J. Jenkins Distinguished University Professor of New Technologies in the department of Mathematics, has been selected as a 2025 SIAM Fellow, one of the highest honors of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM). His nomination and selection recognize his fundamental contributions to stochastic analysis and for applying stochastic tools to scientific and societal problems.The SIAM Fellows are nominated in recognition of their outstanding research and service to the community.… read more » about Jonathan C. Mattingly Selected as a 2025 SIAM Fellow
The Graduate School is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2025 Dean's Awards, recognizing excellence in mentoring, teaching, and inclusive initiatives.View the recipients' profiles below, including their thoughts on mentoring and teaching, and accolades shared by their faculty. student, and staff colleagues. read more » about Graduate School Grants 9 Dean's Awards for 2025
Six Duke faculty have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).Fellowship in AAAS is considered one of the most distinct honors in the scientific community.The 2024 fellows class consists of 471 scientists, engineers and innovators across 24 AAAS disciplinary sections who are being recognized for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements. “This year’s class of fellows are the embodiment of scientific excellence and service to our communities,” said Sudip… read more » about Five Trinity Faculty Named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Katherine Brading, D.Phil., is the chair of the Duke Department of Philosophy, in which she is also a professor. Brading received her B.Sc. from King’s College London in 1992, her B.Phil. from the University of Oxford in 1996, and her D.Phil. from the University of Oxford in 2003.Following her D.Phil., Brading moved to the University of Notre Dame (2004-2017), where she received fellowships from the National Science Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies, and served as Director of the History and… read more » about Philosophy's Katherine Brading Receives Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring
Sarah Marion is a Ph.D. candidate in Biology, expected to complete her program in 2025. She received a B.A. in Biology from Brown University in 2012.Prior to beginning her Ph.D. program, Marion held several positions at Duke, including a college advisor in mentoring undergraduate students, a laboratory instructor, a teaching lab manager, and a research associate in evolutionary genetics research. In these roles, she was known for her characteristic enthusiasm and making personal connections to support students in… read more » about Biologist Sarah Marion Receives Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring
Staci D. Bilbo, Ph.D., is the Haley Family Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke. She received her B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1998, her M.A. from Johns Hopkins University in 2000, and her Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 2003.Bilbo began as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Colorado before joining Duke, where she was an assistant professor. She spent eight months as a Visiting Scholar at the University of Cambridge. From 2016 to 2019, Bilbo was Director of Research at the Lurie… read more » about Staci Bilbo Receives Dean's Award for Excellence in Mentoring
Duke University has awarded distinguished professorships to 31 faculty members and will recognize them in a ceremony at the Washington Duke Inn on May 14.“I am very proud to recognize these outstanding faculty colleagues with distinguished professorships,” said President Vincent E. Price. “Through their extraordinary scholarship and teaching, they are advancing solutions, inventions and cures that will uplift humankind and make a lasting difference in the world.”Distinguished professorships honor faculty who are well-… read more » about Six Trinity Faculty Members Among Duke's New Distinguished Professors
Imagine being able to effortlessly monitor wildlife in real time, continuously gathering information about which species live where, how they interact and how environmental changes affect them. In the midst of a biodiversity crisis — where species are disappearing before they’re even discovered — having such a capability would be groundbreaking for science, conservation and policy.Thanks to a newly funded grant from the National Science Foundation and the Academy of Finland, Arts & Sciences Distinguished… read more » about AI-Powered Biodiversity Monitoring: Revolutionizing How We Track Nature’s Hidden Patterns
Last year, Maya Kronfeld had the satisfaction of seeing Nicole Zuraitis’ How Love Begins, on which she played keyboards, win a GRAMMY Award for Best Vocal Jazz Album.Fast forward to Sunday night and the 2025 GRAMMY Awards. Once again, an album featuring Kronfeld as keyboardist – Taylor Eigsti’s Plot Armor – won for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. The recording also features jazz icons Terence Blanchard, Lisa Fischer and many others. Participating in two GRAMMY-winning albums in as many years is… read more » about Literature Professor Has the Grammy Magic for Second Year in a Row
Seven Trinity College of Arts & Sciences faculty members have been awarded funding from the Undergraduate Program Enhancement Fund. Backed by Duke’s Provost’s Office, the fund supports innovative proposals that enhance undergraduate experiential learning.Owen Astrachan, Professor of the Practice of Computer Science, will design a course called AI, Algorithms, and APIs: Great Ideas of Computer Science (Redux). He envisions the course as an alternative introduction to the major, with the goal of making it the one course… read more » about Seven Trinity Faculty Awarded Funding to Enhance Undergraduate Programs
On July 1, Duke will become the new editorial home of Demography, the flagship journal of the Population Association of America, for the next three years. Co-editors leading Demography are Hedy Lee, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Sociology; M. Giovanna Merli, Professor of Public Policy, Sociology and Global Health; and Marcos Rangel, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Economics. A multidisciplinary team of Duke faculty, along with faculty from other top-tier research institutions, will serve as Deputy… read more » about Duke Becomes New Home for "Demography" Journal
Three undergraduate faculty members received the inaugural Judith Deckers Prize for excellence in undergraduate education. This honor recognizes leaders in their fields who have substantial track records of positively affecting student learning and lives. The honorees were celebrated Thursday evening during a reception on Duke’s campus. Provost Alec Gallimore, and Interim Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Candis Watts Smith each gave remarks, congratulating the prize winners and reflecting on their… read more » about Three Undergraduate Faculty Win Inaugural Judith Deckers Teaching Award
Charmaine Royal, the Robert O. Keohane Professor of African & African American Studies, Biology, Global Health and Family Medicine & Community Health was recently selected as one of The Hastings Center 2024 Fellows. The Hastings Center fellows are a distinguished group of around 300 experts whose work has shaped scholarship and public understanding of ethical challenges in health, healthcare, science and technology. These prestigious fellowships reflect influence in advancing ethical scholarship, policy and… read more » about Charmaine Royal Named 2024 Hastings Center Fellow
