Bass Society of Fellows Awards Its 2024 Chairs

Alec Gallimore, Aarthi Vadde, Craig Rawlings, Vincent Price
Duke Provost Alec Gallimore and Duke President Vincent Price with two of the faculty named 2024 Bass chairs, Aarthi Vaddi and Craig Rawlings

Four exceptional faculty members received the prestigious Bass Chairs, marking their induction into the Bass Society of Fellows. This honor recognizes their contributions to undergraduate teaching and research. 

The new chairs were celebrated Wednesday evening during a reception at Duke Gardens. President Vincent Price, Provost Alec Gallimore, and Vice Provost Candis Watts Smith each gave remarks, reflecting on the traits of Bass Fellows, congratulating the new chairs, and expressing gratitude to the Bass Family.

Established in 1996 through a generous donation of $10 million from Anne T. and Robert Bass, the Bass Society of Fellows serves to recognize and support outstanding faculty. Members of the society receive financial support to hold a named chair for a five-year term, along with lifelong recognition as fellows. Throughout the year, fellows come together to exchange innovative ideas and experiences, with a particular emphasis on enhancing faculty-student engagement.

The newly named Bass Chairs are:

Pratt School of Engineering

Henry Pfister, Jeffrey N. Vinik Chair is a Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department with a secondary appointment in Mathematics. Professor Pfister brings a contagious enthusiasm to his teaching, advising and research. He ensures that students receive his utmost attention and energy, which is evident in student comments and his own initiatives within the department. Professor Pfister developed new courses and curricular pathways for undergraduates interested in machine learning and established a Minor in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. His exceptional scholarship record includes an NSF Career Award in 2008.

Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

Emily Derbyshire, Eads Family Chair is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry with a secondary appointment in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology. Professor Derbyshire consistently receives exceptional teaching nominations from the undergraduate and graduate courses she teaches. She has rapidly achieved widespread recognition as the world leader in applying the techniques of small molecule organic chemistry to uncover the molecular basis of the liver stage of malaria infection and develop new therapeutics to address this major global health challenge.

Craig Rawlings, Fuchsberg-Levine Family Chair is an Associate Professor of Sociology with research focusing on the connections between social networks and culture. Professor Rawlings’ courses have frequently been cited in various honor rolls as determined by student evaluations, with his introductory course included in the top 5% of teaching evaluations at Duke. When offered the opportunity to step back from teaching to prepare for his third-year review, he respectfully declined because “teaching undergraduate students is one of my favorite parts of being at Duke.” Beyond caring deeply about undergraduate learning and education at Duke, he has an impressive record of distinguished scholarship that earned him early tenure and promotion in 2022.

Aarthi Vadde, E. Blake Byrne Chair is an Associate Professor in the English department where she currently serves as the Director of Undergraduate Studies. She combines a deep commitment to undergraduate teaching while maintaining an extraordinarily active and influential scholarly agenda. She is instrumental in bringing crucial new subject matter to Duke undergraduates through developing courses and programming that focus on the relationship of literature to emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and internet platforms. Professor Vadde consistently brings an imaginative and forward-looking approach to course design, curricular development and mentoring students.