New $30 million award from The Duke Endowment to elevate computing and A.I. at Duke

The Elevating Duke Computing program will fund the hiring and start-up costs for one senior, luminary faculty member and four to seven mid-career faculty over the next five years. The effort is part of the university’s larger Duke Science and Technology initiative focused on bolstering the sciences and accelerating innovation at Duke by attracting, supporting and retaining top faculty.

“Advances in computing are critical to solving today’s most complex and challenging problems, across all sectors,” said Duke President Vincent E. Price. “This award from The Duke Endowment will support the university’s work to drive knowledge and discovery and empower the next generation of leaders in computing.”

The first hires will find their homes in Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and the Pratt School of Engineering, the schools with the greatest concentration of computing research at Duke—specifically in the departments of Computer Science in Trinity and Electrical and Computer Engineering in Pratt.

“In an increasingly complex world, tomorrow’s problem solvers will need computational, data and technology skills to succeed,” said Provost Alec D. Gallimore, who will lead the five-year hiring effort. “Major academic institutions around the world are preparing for a dynamic frontier in computing. This award from The Duke Endowment will help Duke mobilize our ecosystem of collaboration across disciplines to lead in the next frontier of computing.”

Over the past six years, in partnership with The Duke Endowment, the university launched Duke’s Science and Technology initiative. This large-scale effort is helping expand and energize science and technology education and research across the university, including via partnerships with Duke Health. Examples of innovative research driven by Duke faculty members include the development of an app that accurately screens children for autism, improved eye-tracking technologies that reduce the collection of personal data, autonomous robots for surgery, cutting-edge developments in quantum computing and A.I. tools to fight drug-resistant disease.

“This gift comes at an inflection point in our efforts to expand the impact of computing at Duke,” said Dave Kennedy, vice president for Duke Alumni Engagement and Development. “It is a huge vote of confidence in our bold new way of imagining what computing can become, and we hope this wonderful gift will inspire more donors to support these efforts.”

Hiring an academic luminary not only raises Duke’s profile in competitive areas like computing, but enables the creation of new coursework, research opportunities, increased grant funding, and new corporate partnerships. It also will leverage hiring of additional faculty talent attracted by the opportunity to work with a world-class scholar.

“This new cluster of faculty hires will accelerate breakthroughs in computing, expand the application of these advances to new domains and enhance computing education at all levels at Duke,” said Gary Bennett, dean of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences.

“The Duke Endowment is thrilled to partner with Duke to facilitate a new era of innovation and scholarship,“ said Charles C. Lucas III, chair of The Duke Endowment Board of Trustees. “Not only will this expand critical computing learning opportunities for students, but it will also propel Duke’s competitiveness and its ability to support and sustain new discovery.”

Based in Charlotte and established in 1924 by industrialist and philanthropist James B. Duke, The Duke Endowment is a private foundation that strengthens communities in North Carolina and South Carolina by nurturing children, promoting health, educating minds and enriching spirits. Since its founding, it has distributed more than $4.8 billion in grants. The Endowment shares a name with Duke University and Duke Energy, but all are separate organizations.