Dan Scolnic Named Presidential Fellow

The program provides a faculty member a year-long opportunity to experience firsthand the workings of university administration

Dan Scolnic

Dan Scolnic, associate professor of physics in Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, has been selected to serve as Duke’s presidential fellow for the 2025-2026 academic year. The Presidential Fellowship program was established by President Vincent Price with the objective of providing a faculty member a year-long opportunity to experience firsthand the workings of university administration.

Scolnic joined Duke’s faculty in 2019 and is considered one of the nation’s leading scholars in the field of cosmology. His research team is charting the expansion of the universe by using observational tools to measure the light emitted from supernovas, which are exploding stars. Scolnic is also a member of the Duke Cosmology Group, which was established to study the nature of dark energy and dark matter.

His interest in science traces back to his teenage years, when he began reading works like Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. That began a lifelong pursuit of knowledge and the answers to some of the universe’s biggest questions. 

Curiosity and a self-described “need just to understand anything I’m a part of,” has fueled Scolnic’s motivation to learn more about university administration.

In addition to his faculty role, Scolnic has also completed a self-initiated internship with Duke’s finance team, an experience he sought out because of his desire to better understand the economics of a research institution.

With the presidential fellowship, Scolnic is particularly interested in observing the senior-level decision-making process as the university navigates an evolving landscape for higher education.

“I am interested in being in that process of how a university justifies its value, because I am a true believer in its value,” added Scolnic.

As a presidential fellow, Scolnic will regularly engage with a range of senior administrators, including through one-on-one meetings with Price. Presidential fellows also participate in meetings of the Board of Trustees, the university’s Senior Leadership Group, the President’s Cabinet, and certain presidential and provostial committees. 

“I am delighted that Dan Scolnic will serve as our next presidential fellow,” Price said. “I look forward to working with him and engaging with the perspectives and ideas he will bring to our work.” 

In the fall, Scolnic will have short rotations in various academic and administrative units and schools across campus. Next spring, he will organize a special project designed to support a university priority.

Previous Presidential Fellows include Tyson Brown (professor of sociology and medicine), Adrienne Stiff-Roberts (professor of electrical and computer engineering), Deondra Rose (professor of public policy) and Iris Padilla (associate clinical professor in the School of Nursing and chief nursing strategic business operations officer at Duke University Health System).