Umang Dhingra, a psychology and sociology major, was selected for a Jacqueline Morris Fellowship Award for Research on Child and Family Policy from the Center for Child and Family Policy. The fellowship comes with a $1,000 stipend to support her research work. read more about Umang Dhingra Selected for Jacqueline Morris Fellowship Award »
“I study what makes or breaks science,” said Daniel Scott Smith, assistant professor of Sociology. Smith studies the social foundations of science, focusing on peer review — the evaluation process of a scientific paper before it's accepted for publication in a journal. Is this research new? Is it accurate? Does it make a valuable contribution to the literature? Does it generate new ideas and open new paths of research? These are all questions one might ask when evaluating new science for… read more about Daniel Scott Smith Studies the Scientific Peer Review Process »
“I come from a household background that is not very typical in China: My mom earns much more income than my dad, which is the opposite of the conventional cultural norms,” said Wenhao Jiang. The new assistant professor of Sociology now studies inequality, mostly along the lines of gender, in the U.S. labor market. Jiang’s research focuses on the devaluation of jobs that have become more feminized (i.e., increasingly performed by women), and on the cultural mechanisms at play. “When there's an increasing… read more about Wenhao Jiang Studies the Devaluation of “Women’s Jobs” »
Pamlico County in eastern North Carolina has no hospital, no urgent care, and no medical specialists. To investigate ways to improve health access in this rural area, sociology and global health major Grace Wang worked with the Pamlico County Health Department during summer 2025. Wang helped design and implement a survey to collect data on the effectiveness and sustainability of telehealth services. She also interviewed patients to better understand how rural community members handle… read more about Grace Wang Studies Healthcare Access in Rural North Carolina »
Tyson Brown, a professor of sociology and associate professor in medicine, has been appointed director of the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University effective July 1, Provost Alec D. Gallimore announced.Brown succeeds the Cook Center’s founding director, William A. (“Sandy”) Darity Jr., the Samuel DuBois Cook Distinguished Professor of Public Policy and professor of African & African American studies and economics.Established in 2015, the Cook Center is a scholarly collaborative that studies the… read more about Tyson Brown Named Director of Cook Center »
The richness of Duke’s intellectual communities and its deep commitment to interdisciplinarity are major draws for top scholars who are leaders in their fields. To help recruit these academic stars, Duke leveraged the university-wide institutes, initiatives and centers (UICs) to create the Provost’s School-UIC Joint Hiring Program and to offer starting support from UICs. Donors’ generous gifts helped make these programs possible.Duke was able to recruit more than 40 faculty members through these mechanisms between 2006 and… read more about Nine Reasons Stellar Interdisciplinary Faculty Choose Duke »
The Office of the Provost and The Graduate School have selected three proposals to establish new Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Collaboratives (IGECs). Made possible by a generous grant from The Duke Endowment, these IGECs will launch in Fall 2026 and offer graduate students unique opportunities to tackle complex societal challenges alongside peers and faculty from across campus.Through seminars, working groups and projects, students will receive applied training and gain exposure to emerging issues at the… read more about Equipping Graduate Students to Tackle Emerging Challenges »
Trinity College of Arts and Sciences recently celebrated the achievements of three 2025 Ph.D. graduates selected as the first recipients of the Trinity Distinguished Dissertation Award. Nominated by their programs and representing each of Trinity’s three divisions — Natural Sciences, Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences — the recipients demonstrated remarkable academic excellence in their fields. This award honors not only their dissertation work but also their contributions to fostering a positive and enriching graduate… read more about Trinity Recognizes Excellence in Ph.D. Research »
The following is a partial list of national, university, school and departmental awards presented to the members of the Class of 2025. In some awards where there are multiple winners, only members of the Class of 2025 are included. read more about Department Honors and Laurels for the Class of 2025 »
Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD), the international sociology honor society, began in 1920 to “acknowledge and promote excellence in the scholarship in the study of sociology.” In 1967, AKD became a certified member of the Association of College Honor Societies. Over the past 100 years, universities have established almost 700 AKD chapters. We welcome and honor the newest inductees to Duke’s chapterAlexa CarrEugene ChoMargaret ColeJaqueline GoveaAriel HekierKia MarshallHillary OkpeseyiElle PiperAudrey… read more about Duke Sociology Welcomes the 2025 AKD Inductees »
Viktoria Wulff-Andersen is a graduating senior with a major in Political Science, minor in Sociology and a certificate in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. She has served as a Trinity Ambassador for Political Science. Trinity Ambassadors are student volunteers, nominated by their departments, to serve in this unique and important role.We asked a few of the ambassadors from the Class of 2025 to share their favorite memories from Duke. The below interview has been slightly edited for clarity.What was one of the most… read more about Notes From the Class of 2025: Learning Through "Life Stories" »
The Winfred Quinton Holton Prize committee, consisting of Dr. Sam Miglarese, Dr. Tori Lodewick, and Dr. Susan R. Wynn, selected Kelly Araujo's paper, Power Behind Bars: Exploring Social Hierarchies in Men’s Prisons with Educational Programs, as the winner of this year's award. Kelly is a Public Policy and Sociology major, with a minor in education. Kelly's project earned Top Honors, the highest award category, and as a result, she will receive $1,000 in recognition of her innovative research. read more about Kelly Araujo Wins Winfred Quinton Holton Prize for Educational Research »
WomenNC has selected Ava Meigs, medical sociology minor, as a 2025-26 WomenNC Scholar. This competitive program trains college students to conduct research and formulate policies that improve the lives of NC women and girls. Meigs’ research project will explore unequal access to maternal healthcare in Durham. The year-long experience will culminate in a research presentation at the Spring 2026 UN Commission on the Status of Women. read more about Ava Meigs Selected as a Member of 2025-26 Cohort of WomenNC Scholars »
As Duke approaches the end of the semester, many seniors are preparing for graduation. For sociology major Julian Seinfeld, these last few weeks have also been about something else: finishing a research project that brings together his academic interests and long-standing passion for basketball.Since January, Julian has been working on an independent study with Dr. Jen’nan Read, Chair of the Sociology Department. His project looks at how agents and administrators evaluate NBA players and whether current… read more about Evaluating the Evaluators: Julian Seinfeld’s Study of NBA Draft Outcomes »
The Spring Research Symposium is an annual event where the sociology honors students, with support from honors director Hedwig (Hedy) Lee and other faculty members, present their research to the wider community. Various faculty, students, friends and family came out to support each of our students during their poster presentations and reception.Poster Presentations:Kelly Araujo: "Power Behind Bars: Exploring Social Hierarchies in Men’s Prisons with Educational Programs Men’s Prisons with… read more about Spring 2025 Research Symposium »
Each year, Duke University awards Benenson Awards in the Arts, which provide funding for arts-centered projects proposed by undergraduates, including graduating seniors. This year, the Student Arts Award Committee awarded prizes to fifteen students for creative projects spanning film, theater, creative writing, music, dance, and visual art. read more about Announcing the 2025 Benenson Award Winners »
In the short term, President Trump’s tariffs could mean more-expensive iPhones. The longer-term goal is to reshore high-tech manufacturing to the U.S., including Apple’s cash cow.“The army of millions and millions of human beings, screwing in little screws to make iPhones—that kind of thing is going to come to America,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CBS’s “Face the Nation” over the weekend. “It’s going to be automated,” he added.Except iPhones contain a patchwork of sophisticated parts, sourced from many countries… read more about An American-Made iPhone: Just Expensive or Completely Impossible? Duke Emeritus Professor Explains. »
In this series of four stories, we are highlighting students whose “Why I Learn Languages” essays have been selected as winners of the Trinity Language Council’s 2024 Best Essay competition. Charlotte Yew Huixin is a sophomore majoring in Sociology and Public Policy, with a minor in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (AMES) focused on Korean. Read and let Yew tell you, in her own words, how learning languages helped unveil layers of affection in her… read more about In Their Own Words: Languages Unveil Layers of Affection »
Duke University PhD student Isabella Bouklas is driven by a commitment to uncover the structures shaping inequality in our world. Through her research on structural racism, health disparities, and spatial inequality, she is asking the hard questions that matter.Her dedication to these issues has earned her two prestigious fellowships:The von der Heyden Global Fellowship from the John Hope Franklin CenterThe Summer Research Fellowship for Research on Racism and Inequities… read more about Izzy Bouklas selected for von der Heyden Global Fellowship and Summer Research Fellowship »
Warren Lowell has accepted a tenure-track, Assistant Professor position at Vanderbilt University in the Department of Human and Organizational Development. Warren is currently a PhD candidate in Duke’s joint-degree program in Sociology and Public Policy, and he will graduate in May. He is an urban sociologist and population scientist whose work focuses on housing policy, internal migration, and child wellbeing. His doctoral work has been supported by the Russell Sage Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, and the W.T. Grant… read more about Warren Lowell Accepts Tenure-Track, Assistant Professor Position »
Ahead of the launch of Trinity’s new curriculum, the Department of Sociology is aligning its course offerings with the evolving needs of today’s Duke students. Department faculty have been examining their course offerings with a keen eye toward incorporating innovative teaching practices that blend practical skills with experiential learning and real-world applications. Undergraduate students have been directly involved in many of the implemented improvements, providing faculty with input and ideas.“Duke is… read more about Breathing Fresh Innovation into Sociology Courses »