Hiring of Climate Faculty Spreads Across Entire Campus

Eleven searches currently underway for climate-related teaching and research

Aerial shot west campus

The key word is "commitment."

Duke's climate and sustainability efforts are more than a pledge, they're about action, and part of the campus-wide commitment now is to make climate awareness and the search for solutions a focus of research and a part of every educational experience.

Toward that end, Duke is now recruiting for 11 climate-related faculty across several colleges.

The school of medicine is seeking one person for population health sciences who studies climate and health. The school of nursing is looking for one person in planetary health. The Sanford school of policy seeks two climate policy experts. Trinity college of arts and sciences is looking for three climate-focused faculty in biology and two in the humanities. The Duke Global Health Institute is seeking an expert on climate change and global health with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa. And the Nicholas School of the Environment is looking for a climate economist.

“Duke’s approach to our Climate Commitment is to activate our greatest resource — our people — and model the role that higher education can play in addressing the climate challenge," said Toddi Steelman, vice president and vice provost for climate and sustainability. "It is truly inspiring to see the extent to which our Deans are supporting these efforts so we can add to the already incredible faculty doing this crucial work."

“The excitement about our faculty recruitment in climate-related areas across Duke is palpable," said Manoj Mohanan, interim dean of the Sanford School of Public Policy. "Thanks to the efforts of the Duke’s Climate Commitment, the ongoing recruitment efforts in all of our schools will greatly benefit from increased coordination and opportunities for new faculty to collaborate as we grow rapidly in our climate strengths,” Mohanan said.

The hiring underway this year complements faculty recruitment since the Climate Commitment was announced in 2022.