Marc Sommer Named to Lead Duke Institute for Brain Sciences

Duke University faculty member Marc A. Sommer, professor of biomedical engineering, has been chosen to serve as director of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences (DIBS).

Part of the Duke community since 2010, Sommer earned his Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has served as director of undergraduate studies for the Department of Biomedical Engineering and holds additional appointments in the Department of Neurobiology and the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience.

Sommer begins serving as director on January 1, following the interim directorship of Alison Adcock, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.

“As director, Marc Sommer will play a key role in identifying opportunities for Duke to extend its impact in the brain sciences, through both pathbreaking research and the very best education,” said Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies Edward Balleisen. DIBS is among 11 university institutes, initiatives and centers that complement and amplify the widespread interdisciplinarity found in every school at Duke.

“Marc will build on Alison Adcock’s superb leadership and numerous accomplishments as interim director of DIBS since 2021, for which we are deeply grateful” noted Colin Duckett, executive vice dean of the School of Medicine. “One key example is her successful work to lay the foundation for the new neuroimaging center, which will be tremendously important for education and research in the neurosciences.” In 2024, Duke began the design phase for a new cognitive neuroimaging research facility that will expand the university’s research capabilities, accelerate breakthroughs and foster transformative experiences for students.

Sommer’s research is focused on the study of circuits for cognition using a combination of neurophysiology and biomedical engineering. His goal is to answer a fundamental question in neuroscience: How do the diverse parts of the brain interact to achieve visual perception and behavior? To do this, his laboratory integrates approaches across disciplines, including behavioral analyses, neural recordings, invasive and noninvasive neurostimulation, viral and genetic methods, and computational modeling.

Widely recognized for his innovative scholarship and commitment to educating the next generation, Sommer is the recipient of two Capers and Marion McDonald Awards — one for teaching and research and the other for mentoring and advising — and a Bass Fellowship for excellence in research and undergraduate teaching.

His current grants come from the National Eye Institute, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the BRAIN Initiative and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.

“DIBS has been important to my laboratory throughout my time at Duke,” Sommer said, “so I am excited for the chance to give back to DIBS. I see the directorship as a service role to discover what the brain sciences community needs and guide DIBS toward the most effective ways to help. I look forward to working with everyone to grow the vitality of DIBS for enhancing research, education and outreach.”

“I am grateful to Cameron McIntyre for leading the search committee, and to Alison Adcock for so skillfully guiding DIBS through the pandemic and into Duke’s second century,” said Provost Alec Gallimore. “I look forward to Marc Sommer’s pivotal engagement, along with deans and department chairs, in shaping Duke’s priorities in neuroscience.” Mary Klotman, MD, executive vice president for health affairs of Duke University, dean of the School of Medicine, and chief academic officer of Duke Health, added that “neuroscience is going to be a vital component of Duke’s scientific enterprise over the next decade, and Marc will play a key role in further strengthening our neuroscience community.”

The Duke Institute for Brain Sciences’ mission is to promote interdisciplinary brain science and translate discoveries into solutions for health and society. A network of more than 200 faculty members represents a wide range of departments from our three largest academic units — Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Medicine and the Pratt School of Engineering. DIBS runs the Cognitive Neuroscience Admitting Program, the Cognitive Neuroscience Graduate Certificate, the Bass Connections Brain & Society Theme, the Cognitive Neuroscience & the Law Focus Cluster, the Cognitive Neuroscience Research Internships and the Summer Neuroscience Program.