Building Science in Downtown Durham: Catching Up With Christopher Newgard in Working@Duke’s 20th Year

Christopher Newgard helped grow a research institute that employs more than 200, strengthening Duke’s ties to Durham

Christopher Newgard holds a Working@Duke issue with his photo on the cover
Christopher Newgard, Director of the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, has led his lab from Durham's Carmichael Building since 2013. Photo by Travis Stanley

This story is part of the celebration of the Working@Duke print publication's first 20 years. Since its first issue in 2006, the publication has grown into a dynamic digital source for employee news, storytelling, video and social media. Through 2026, check for more stories.

Eight years ago, Christopher Newgard climbed up a long, narrow ladder to squeeze through a tunnel, clamber through a trap door and step onto the roof of Durham’s Carmichael Building. Once there, he stood before the Durham skyline for an image that appeared on the cover of December 2018/January 2019 issue of Working@Duke.

“It was fun and a little bit of an adventure,” said Newgard, Director of the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, of his trek to the rooftop.

The former tobacco warehouse that Newgard stood atop has housed his institute’s laboratories and offices since 2013. In 2018, the staff and faculty at the institute were part of roughly 4,000 Duke staff and faculty who worked in about 1.4 million square feet of leased space in Durham. 

Duke has been committed to partnering with Durham create a vibrant city core that can help draw students, staff and faculty from across the country. In buildings throughout downtown, Duke employees’ offices are alongside workers from other companies.

The cover of the December 2018/January 2019 issue of Working@Duke
Christopher Newgard poses atop the Carmichael Building for the cover of Working@Duke's December 2018/January 2019 issue.

Working@Duke, which is celebrating its 20th year in 2026, has chronicled Duke’s presence in Durham over the years.

When Newgard was featured in Working@Duke, what was happening in his life?

When Newgard and the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute were featured in Working@Duke, about 150 Duke faculty and staff worked in the Carmichael Building, working on research programs addressing chronic and pandemic human diseases and conditions.

Newgard’s lab had moved from a prior lease space in north Durham, helping to build Duke’s presence downtown. As the lab helped support Durham, it thrived, earning National Institutes of Health grants for national consortium studies such as the Molecular Transducers of the Benefits of Physical Activity (MoTrPAC), studying the intricacies of how exercise improves health and prevents disease, and Nutrition for Precision Health, studying the impact of diet on molecular responses to meals of different composition.

“We came here in 2013 and Duke did a wonderful thing in taking this old tobacco warehouse and totally renovating and refurbishing it to provide us with beautiful, modern research labs,” Newgard said. “And we continue to enjoy being here and being very, very productive.”

Why was it important for Newgard to share his story?

Newgard was featured in the magazine to illustrate innovation and research space as part of the Bull City’s downtown revival. Twice as big as its previous home, the new space featured cutting-edge technology and room for the institute’s faculty and staff to innovate and collaborate. With options for dining, culture and camaraderie, the downtown location is as much a selling point as the science.

“We’ve had many well-known scientists from outside of Duke visit us and go ‘Whoa!’” Newgard said at the time. “If we had an unlimited recruiting budget, several would come back in a heartbeat.”

Now, whenever faculty or speakers from other universities visit, Newgard still encourages eating dinner out at one of the dozens of nearby Durham restaurants. Highlighting the interplay between Duke and the lively city where Newgard’s institute is headquartered is a key part of what makes it so special.  

Christopher Newgard holds Working@Duke magazine
Christopher Newgard says his lab in the Carmichael Building is a "very active, very engaged enterprise." Photo by Travis Stanley

“We'll have a seminar at 4 o'clock and at 5:30, we walk to one of dozens of really interesting, fun places to eat and have a nice evening,” Newgard said. “That sort of interplay between a friendly and dynamic and our building is very much appreciated and still a very positive feature.”

What changed in his life since he was featured in Working@Duke?

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are still felt in offices throughout the country, but the presence of Newgard’s Durham lab has grown. The Duke Molecular Physiology Institute now employs about 210 staff and faculty.

“The units that are down here are active and vital,” Newgard said. “We really love being part of the downtown community.”

Duke’s HomeGrown initiative, launched earlier in 2026, will invest $203 million over three years to expand economic opportunities for the residents of Durham and the Triangle, and highlights Duke’s commitment to the area.

“It's a vibrant very active, very engaged enterprise,” Newgard said. “Overall, the quality of science and the people that we have here and the cohesive ‘help each other’ culture, I'm very proud of it.”

What has kept Newgard at Duke?

Newgard has been at Duke for 24 years – not counting when he was an undergraduate student from 1974-78. He stays because he’s doing the work he loves with some of the best people.

That includes leadership such as Duke School of Medicine Dean Mary Klotman and including former deans Sandy Williams and Nancy Andrews.

“Their senior leadership, all three of them, has been key,” Newgard said. “They've really been supportive and allowed us to build according to our vision, which if you go around the country and ask people that are in my kind of position, that's not always the case. Not everybody feels like they have great partnership with the dean's office.”

Plus, the people in his lab “care about the culture, they care about each other,” Newgard said.

“I’m really thankful and grateful for that,” he said.

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