University Announces New 2009 Faculty

The hiring of junior and senior faculty members opens up new avenues of scholarship and teaching while supporting existing academic strengths. Even in a time of tight budgets, new faculty members are essential for maintaining the vitality of intellectual life and teaching on campus.

This year, 275 regular-rank faculty members arrived on campus, including 87 tenured and tenure-track faculty members. Trinity College of Arts & Sciences welcomed 42 new arrivals. One came from China with an interest in the Amazon. Another learned her passion for politics on the campaign trail in Arkansas. A third is a Pulitzer Prize winner who is helping to take journalism into the computer age. All followed their own unique paths to Duke.

On this page, Duke Today introduces you to several of the new arrivals. We will add additional profiles throughout the fall semester.

J. Lorand Matory
An Interdisciplinary Approach for AAAS
Cultural anthropologist aims to make department a flagship program for Duke

Michael Zychowicz
In the Right Place At the Right Time
Serendipity led nurse clinician educator to Duke

Andrew Patton
Modeling the Markets
Economist uses math models to describe financial markets

Joseph Blocher
Homecoming for a Legal Scholar
Scholarship examines emerging issues in First and Second Amendment doctrines

Michael Therien
The Interface of Light and Matter
Chemist turns light into a weapon against cancer

Lee Ferguson
Diver, Chemist Joins Pratt, Nicholas Faculties
A chemist's journey into environmental science

Ahmad Hariri
Mapping the Circuitry of the Mind
Neuroscientist explores the individual differences that affect behavior

Sarah Cohen
Master of Information
Sanford professor bring data-gathering skills to journalists

Sunshine Hillygus
Watching 'Dog Whistle Politics'
Political scientist looks for the nuances in public opinion

Bruce Maggs
Supercomputing with Students
Teaching anchors computer scientist's many interests

Engseng Ho
Tracing Transnational Exchanges
Scholar bridges anthropology and history

Gary Bennett
Fulfilling a Grandfather's Dream
Health researcher returns to Duke as an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience

Wenhong Li
Eye on the Amazon
Nicholas professor studies rain forest's fate

Mona Hassan
The History of Emotions and Religious Imaginations
Religion professor explores how the Muslim past shapes imaginations of the future

Duke.edu | Duke Today | News | Map | Contact