Seven New Projects Build Intellectual Communities Among Duke Faculty

The Provost’s Office has awarded Intellectual Community Planning Grants to seven projects led by Duke faculty members. These collaborative projects include faculty from eight schools and two institutes, several staff members, and partners at NC Central University, NC State and UNC–Chapel Hill.

Duke supports its extraordinary faculty by providing them with resources to conduct cutting-edge research and innovative teaching. Fostering collaboration around new and emerging areas of interest, Intellectual Community Planning Grants can be used to cover the cost of meeting venues, external speakers, event materials, books or other meeting costs, and/or exploratory research (as by a student research assistant) into potential collaborators.

2023 Intellectual Community Planning Grants

Battle of the Blues: A Critical Study of Big-Time College Sport

Lead: Tracie Canada, Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology

Bringing concerted intellectual resources and expertise to the challenges facing college athletics and athletes in the years to come

Core Duke Members: Jennifer C. Nash, Jean Fox O’Barr Professor of Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies; H. Timothy Lovelace, Jr., Professor of Law and History; Orin Starn, Professor of Cultural Anthropology and History; Charles T. Clotfelter, Z. Smith Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Public Policy Studies

Core Partners: Jay M. Smith, Professor of History, UNC; Matthew Andrews, Teaching Associate Professor of History, UNC; Erianne A. Weight, Professor of Sport Administration, UNC; Jonathan Weiler, Teaching Professor of Global Studies, UNC

Building Community in Robotics and Automation in Medicine

Lead: Siobhan Oca, Assistant Professor of the Practice of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science

Fostering research collaboration, curricula development and a sense of community in medical robotics and automation

Core Members: Leila Bridgeman, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science; Daniel Buckland, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine; Boyuan Chen, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science; Patrick Codd, Associate Professor of Neurosurgery; Xiaoyue Ni, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science; Brian Mann, Professor of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science; Weston Ross, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery

Climate Change, Food Systems and Sustainability

Lead: Norbert Wilson, Professor of Food, Economics & Community

Creating and sustaining a community of scholarship at the intersection of climate, food systems and sustainability

Core Duke Members: Elizabeth Albright, Associate Professor of the Practice of Science and Policy Methods; Sarah Bermeo, Associate Professor of Public Policy; Saskia Cornes, Assistant Professor of the Practice, Franklin Humanities Institute; Gavan Fitzsimons, Edward & Rose Donnell Distinguished Professor; Lisa Gennetian, Pritzker Professor of Early Learning Policy Studies; Akhenaton-Andrew D. Jones, Assistant Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering; Ryke Longest, Clinical Professor of Law; Brian McAdoo, Associate Professor of Earth & Ocean Sciences; Jarvis C. McInnis, Cordelia & William Laverack Family Assistant Professor of English; Lee Miller, Lecturing Fellow of Law; Michelle Nowlin, Clinical Professor of Law; Martin D. Smith, George M. Woodwell Distinguished Professor of Environmental Economics; Erika Weinthal, Professor of Environmental Policy & Public Policy; Norman Wirzba, Gilbert T. Rowe Distinguished Professor of Christian Theology

Forging Cross-Campus Connections to Reduce Plastic Pollution: Duke University’s Plastic Pollution Working Group

Co-Leads: Meagan Dunphy-Daly, Lecturing Fellow of Marine Science & Conservation; Michelle Nowlin, Clinical Professor of Law; Daniel Rittschof, Norman L. Christensen Distinguished Professor of Environmental Sciences; Jason Somarelli, Assistant Professor of Medicine; John Virdin, Assistant Professor of the Practice of Marine Science & Conservation

Creating a convening space for Duke students, staff and faculty to collaborate and share their work related to plastic pollution in order to develop and inform policy and management solutions

Also: Zoie Diana, Ph.D. Student and Lead, Plastic Pollution Working Group; Jenna Seagle, M.E.M. Student and Program Manager, Plastic Pollution Working Group

Islamic Studies Community

Lead: Omid Safi, Professor of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies

Convening students, faculty and staff interested in the academic study of Islam to help foster a stronger sense of intellectual community among our members across Duke and potentially beyond

Core Duke Members: Ellen McLarney, Associate Professor of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies (AMES); Didem Havlioglu, Associate Professor of the Practice, AMES; Mohamed Ben Hammed, Postdoctoral Associate, AMES; Shai Ginsburg, Associate Professor of AMES; miriam cooke, Braxton Craven Distinguished Professor Emerita of Arab Cultures; Sean Swanick, Librarian for Middle East, North Africa & Islamic Studies; Mohsen Kadivar, Research Professor of Religious Studies; Bruce Lawrence, Nancy & Jeffrey Marcus Humanities Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Religion; Mehdi “Mark” Emamian, Research & Development Engineer III, Physics; Hadeel Hamoud, Interim Student Development Coordinator, Center for Muslim Life

Multisectoral Collaboration to Support the Provision of Global Public Goods

Lead: Gavin Yamey, Hymowitz Family Professor of the Practice of Global Health

Developing a research and policy agenda on multisectoral collaboration to support global public goods, such as pandemic preparedness and climate mitigation

Core Duke Members: Osondu Ogbuoji, Assistant Research Professor of Global Health; David McAdams, Professor of Business Administration

Core Partners: Erin Sills, Conger Professor of Natural Resources, NC State; Olga Hawn, Associate Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, UNC

Triangle Race, Ethnicity and Politics Incubator

Lead: Candis Watts Smith, Associate Professor of Political Science

Leveraging scholars’ collective strengths on four dimensions: professional relationships and community building; development of a data repository; teaching collaborations; collaboration in research and grants

Core Duke Member: Paula D. McClain, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Political Science

Core Partners: Frank Baumgartner, Richard J. Richardson Distinguished Professor of Political Science, UNC; Isaac Unah, Associate Professor of Political Science, UNC; Gladys Mitchell-Walthour, Dan Blue Endowed Chair of Political Science, NC Central University

Learn More

• See last year’s Intellectual Community Planning Grants recipients.
• Propose a project or course on a topic contextualizing Duke’s centennial.
• Browse other funding opportunities for faculty.