News

Duke and the Biology Department have recognized a number of Biology students for their accomplishments during their student career: Ariana Eily was one of eight graduate students given the Forever Duke Student Leadership Award from the Duke Alumni Association, recognizing service "going above and beyond to give back to the Duke community during their time on campus." BioMajor Sydney Grob published an article in Duke Today about her experience as a team member on the Bass Connections project "Expressive Writing for… read more about Biology Student Accomplishments »

The Biology Department is pleased to announce that Pelin Volkan has been promoted to the rank of Associate Professor with tenure, and Sheila Patek to the rank of full Professor. Both these appointments will take effect on July 1.  In addition, Professor Emily Bernhardt has been named James B. Duke Professor of Biology.  Congratulations to all! read more about Faculty Accomplishments »

Assistant Professor Gustavo Silva has joined with other junior faculty to establish the Duke Black Think Tank (BTT), with a view to supporting Black faculty, reaching out to Black students and staff, and fostering a more inclusive environment at Duke.  Gustavo and his colleagues hope to encourage multidisciplinary collaborations uniting BTT faculty.  The first project is "Bahia, Brazil and the US South: Race, Genetics, and Culture in the African Diaspora," whose goal is "to illuminate how two racially and… read more about Gustavo Silva Co-founds Duke Black Think Tank »

Duke professors Susan Alberts and Sue Jinks-Robertson have been elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, which is widely considered one of the highest honors a scientist can receive. They are among 100 newly elected members and 25 foreign associates who are recognized for their achievements in original research -- 40 percent of whom are women, the most ever elected in any one year to date. Alberts studies how animal behavior evolved in mammals, with a focus on the social behavior, demography and genetics of… read more about Two Duke Faculty Elected to National Academy of Sciences »

At its 2019 Annual Meeting, held April 27 - 30, the National Academy of Sciences elected Professor Susan Alberts to membership. Well done, Susan!  The Biology Department offers its heartiest congratulations. Susan is one of 100 new members and 25 foreign associates. The National Academy of Sciences is a private, non-profit society of distinguished scholars, established by an Act of Congress in 1863. The NAS is charged with providing independent, objective advice to the nation on matters related to… read more about Susan Alberts Elected to National Academy of Sciences »

Congratulations to Professor Mark Rausher, who has been elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.  The Academy was founded in 1780 with Benjamin Franklin and George Washington among its charter members.  The many purposes defined by its Charter include promoting knowledge of the natural history of the country and the use of its natural resources, medical discoveries, philosophical enquiries and experiments, improvements in agriculture; "and, in fine to cultivate… read more about Mark Rausher Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences »

Several current and incoming Biology graduate students have competed for Graduate Research Fellowships from the National Science Foundation.  Five students won Fellowships and three received Honorable Mentions.  Our winners were continuing student Hannah Devens (Wray Lab) and Jason Dinh (Patek Lab), and incoming students Blake Fauskee (Pryer Lab), Jake Nash (Vilgalys Lab), and Anita Simha (Wright Lab).  We congratulate them and wish them continued success in their graduate studies.  Honorable… read more about BioGrads Compete for Fellowships »

Our heartiest congratulations go to Mohamed Noor for winning the Stephen Jay Gould Prize, awarded annually by the Society for the Study of Evolution "to recognize individuals whose sustained and exemplary efforts have advanced public understanding of evolutionary science and its importance …."  The award recognizes Mohamed's work in a MOOC (Massive Online Open Course), "An Introduction to Genetics and Evolution," and his recent book, Live Long and Evolve: What Star Trek … read more about Mohamed Noor Wins Stephen J. Gould Prize »

Assistant Professor Jean Philippe Gibert has been awarded a Jasper Loftus-Hills Young Investigator Award by the American Society of Naturalists.  The award was established in 1984 to recognize outstanding and promising work by investigators who received their doctorates in the three years preceding the application deadline or who are in their final year of graduate school.  According to the notice, "The committee was tremendously impressed both with your integrative research accomplishments to date, and… read more about JP Gibert Wins Jasper Loftus-Hills Award »

Nina Sherwood will join faculty from other departments, as well as staff, administrators, and students, in a working group to explore ways that science, technology, engineering, mathematics, arts, and humanities (broadly referred to as STEAM) interface with one another.  The "Exploring STEAM (Science, Arts, and Humanities) at Duke" group hopes to catalogue current interdisciplinary work and stimulate future research, coursework, and public engagement.  The project will be funded by seed money… read more about Nina Sherwood Participates in Intellectual Community Grant »

Laura Kelley and colleagues from the Sherwood Lab show that invasive cells adapt their invasion program in the absence of matrix metalloproteinase enzymes, explaining the failure of cancer clinical trials targeting these enzymes.  Described by Prof. Sherwood as "very cool," the reults "could lead to better ways to prevent metastasis, the spread of the disease responsible for 90 percent of cancer deaths" (Science Daily, 24 January 2019).  Congrats, Sherwood Lab for showing how basic science… read more about New Paper from Sherwood Lab On Effects of MMP Enzymes on Cell Invasion »

The Ph.D. Program in Biology has been selected to receive the 2019 Dean’s Award for Inclusive Excellence in Graduate Education. The Program was selected from a highly competitive pool of nominees for its "consistent and intentional creation of an environment that demonstrates and is dedicated to exemplary inclusiveness and diversity in graduate education." BioGrad Lauren Carley, a member of the Biology Graduate Student Diversity Committee, prepared and submitted the application. The Award brings with it $5,000 for… read more about Doctoral Program Wins the 2019 Dean’s Award for Inclusive Excellence! »

Francois Lutzoni, together with Jolanta Miadlikowska, David Swofford, and colleagues at other institutions, has published an important paper on the interconnections of fungi and plants in evolutionary history.  (Lutzoni et al. 2018. Contemporaneous radiations of fungi and plants linked to symbiosis. Nature Communications 9:5451.)  Lutzoni's study brought together 14 researchers with varying expertise to infer the global phylogenies and dates of major evolutionary events for the two… read more about Lutzoni et al. Publish on Evolution of Plants and Fungi »

UPGG student Niba Nirmal has recently received two honors: she was named a 2020 Yale Ciencia Scholar, and she was featured in the Volunteer Spotlight of the Hub Farm Annual Report. The Yale Ciencia Academy for Career Development is a one-year program helping graduate students connect with mentors, network, develop career skills, and contribute through science outreach.  It includes video chats with role models, peer discussions, workshops and attendance at the AAAS meeting.  Only 40 students are selected… read more about Niba Nirmal Appointed Yale Ciencia Scholar »

Prof. Greg Wray is one of six Duke faculty to be named a lifetime Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.  The Association recognizes Fellows "for their extraordinary achievements across disciplines."  Wray was honored by the Division of Biological Sciences for contributing to the understanding of evolution and mechanisms of development, using sea urchins and primates as model systems.  Congratulations Greg! read more about AAAS Names Greg Wray a Fellow »

The Department of Biology proudly congratulates Kushal Kadakia on the receipt of a Rhodes Scholarship, which fully funds a degree at Oxford University.  Kadakia is a double major in Biology and Public Policy, and led the successful campaign to make Duke Campus smoke-free.  He has done research in health and innovation policy, as well as scientific research in cardiology and radiation oncology.  He plans to study medicine and public policy, with the goal of making health care accessible to… read more about BioMajor Kushal Kadakia Wins Rhodes Scholarship »

Congratulations to Sarah Longo, who has been named the Outstanding Postdoc at Duke for 2018! Sarah was nominated by her mentor, Sheila Patek, who wrote, "Sarah has developed a novel and exciting postdoctoral research project that involves real-time analysis of elastic energy release and measurements of the power density of biological systems, such as trap-jaw ants and snapping shrimp. . . . She is curious about [other lab members'] projects, looks at details, and then dives in to help. . . . She has such… read more about Sarah Longo is the 2018 Outstanding Postdoc at Duke »

The Department of Biology at Duke University invites applications for two tenure-track faculty positions at the Assistant / Associate Professor level, to start in July or August 2019. Candidates addressing fundamental questions in the broad area of developmental, cell, and molecular biology (DCMB) are encouraged to apply. Please see the full advertisement and instructions on our Jobs page:  https://biology.duke.edu/news-events/jobs or at  Academic Jobs Online https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/… read more about Tenure-Track Faculty Position in DCMB Available »

Biograd Ariana Eily (Pryer Lab) has received the 2018 Edgar T. Wherry Award from the Pteridological Section of the Botanical Society of America.  The prize is given for the best paper presented during the contributed papers session of the Pteridological Section of the Botanical Society of America.  Congratulations Ariana! Wherry was an American botanist and mineralogist, and president of the American Fern Society from 1934–1939. He published several guides on eastern North American ferns, and donated the… read more about Ariana Eily Receives Edgar T. Wherry Award »

"The Art of a Scientist," a new exhibit of scientific images and responses by local artists, is currently open at the Rubenstein Arts Center.  The works on display show how scientists and artists use similar processes while developing a visual work—and how both can create learning and pure pleasure for the viewer.  The exhibit was organized by the Science Communication team of DukeINSPIRE:  Casey Lindberg (Toxicology), Hanna Devens (Cell and Molecular Biology), and BioGrad Ariana… read more about Science and Art: Not So Different After All »

Every year the Biology Department recognizes graduate students who achieved excellence in their role as Teaching Assistants.  The award is given to two students who have "achieved a high standard of classroom teaching based on faculty and student evaluations and made an effort to seek out professional development opportunities to improve their teaching." The 2018 winners of the Biology Graduate Teaching Award are Ariana Eily and Aastha Garde. Congratualations to both! read more about Eily and Garde Win Biology Graduate Teaching Awards »

Students at WISER Girls high school in rural Kenya (www.wisergirls.org), founded by Prof Sherryl Broverman, celebrate the graduation of the 5th class of girls. Although their area has the lowest high school completion rates for girls, 90% of girls from WISER continue to college and university. The Women's Institute for Secondary Education and Research works with girls to transcend poverty, HIV/AIDS, and gender-based violence.  They accomplish this by providing quality education to girls, offering… read more about Graduation Day at WISER Girls Secondary School »

Do shrimp have color vision? How could we possibly know? Recent Ph.D. graduates Patrick Green (Patek Lab) and Eleanor Caves (Johnsen Lab) are showing the way in a Data Expedition – a new way to introduce undergrads to coding and data analysis. They have presented their Project on the Color Vision of Shrimp in two courses, Sensory Biology and Animal Physiology, using a dataset from Caves’ dissertation.  Caves lectures on the ecology of shrimp, and then Green gives instruction in the coding language R while Caves helps… read more about A Tradition of Excellence »

DGS Assistant Anne Lacey has received one of the first Pillars of Excellence Awards from Dean Valerie Ashby.  These awards were created in 2017 to honor "non-teaching staff making significant contributions to the excellence of the school through their commitment to service, initiative, outstanding leadership, increased efficiency, enthusiasm, collaboration, mentoring, and diversity."  A chorus of Biology Graduate Faculty hastened to second the award.  Congratulations, Anne! read more about Anne Lacey Receives Pillar of Excellence Award »

Graduating senior Pranalee Patel, a Biology and Global Health major, has been chosen to present a poster on her independent study research at the 2018 meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research. Her research, performed in the Cell Death Laboratory and mentored by Dr. Gayathi Devri, is titled "Targeting ribonucleotide reductase M2 using didox causes inhibition of estrogen receptor-negative, inflammatory breast cancer cell proliferation and tumor emboli formation in culture." Pranalee also received the… read more about Biomajor Pranalee Pratel Presents at AACR Meeting »

Hearty congratulations to Professor Fred Nijhout on being elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences! Fred is one of 213 new members, along with President Obama, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and Tom Hanks. The Academy was founded in 1780 by John Adams, Samuel Adams, James Bowdoin, John Hancock and others. As one of the nation’s oldest learned societies and independent policy research centers, the Academy convenes leaders from the academic, business, and government sectors to address… read more about Nijhout Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences »

Justin Wright, along with collaborator Jason Fridley of Syracuse University, has published a study of various factors affecting the re-growth of forests in cleared fields ("Temperature Accelerates the Rate Fields Become Forests," Jason Fridley and Justin Wright. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, April 16, 2018). The researchers found that temperature was most responsible for the faster growth of young trees in more southerly sites. As the forest regrows, it absorbs more carbon dioxide than… read more about Justin Wright Publishes in PNAS »