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2021–2022

Annual Report

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2021–2022

Annual Report

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Contents

Letter From the Vice President

By the Numbers

Faculty Recognition

New Leadership

Awarded Funding

Commercialized Research

State-of-the-Art Spaces

Duke Science and Technology Initiative

2nd Annual Duke Research Week

Letter From the Vice President

I am pleased to share Duke Research & Innovation’s achievements from the past year in our 2021-22 annual report. It fills me with pride to see our faculty and students at the forefront of research discovery with the support of their research staff partners, who provide a strong foundation for research activities.

As recipients of federal and state funds in support of our research, we continue our longstanding commitment to pursuing knowledge in service to society. We are particularly proud of our Duke research community for having surpassed $1.2 billion in research expenditures with more than $780 million in federal spending and $307 million from non-federal sources — even during the post-pandemic era. In addition, we have seen a significant increase in the number of patents granted to our faculty and the launch of several new startups based on University research.

Looking to the future, we remain committed to supporting the research and innovation efforts of our faculty and students, and to leveraging our strengths to make a positive impact on the world around us.

Thank you for a great year and your support of the Duke Research & Innovation enterprise.

Sincerely,

Jenny Lodge

Jennifer Lodge, Ph.D.

Vice President for Research & Innovation

Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology

Headshot of Vice President for Research and Innovation Jennifer Lodge in lab

By the Numbers

Expenditures

Duke University surpassed $1.2 billion in research expenditures in fiscal year 2021-22 with more than $780 million in federal spending and $307 million from non-federal sources.

$1.2B Total Research Expenditures

$780M Federally Sponsored Research

$50M in Support of NC Businesses

Data provided by the NSF FY 2021 Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey.

Data provided by the NSF FY 2021 Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey.

FY 2022 data provided by the Duke Office of Post Award Administration.

Translation & Commercialization

Duke’s Office for Translation & Commercialization (OTC) helped launch 14 new startups and received more than $95 million in revenue from its licensees related to product revenues and company acquisitions. Many of Duke’s startups have stayed in North Carolina over the years, with nearly 65% of the new startups formed this year headquartered in North Carolina.

316 New Invention Disclosures

14 New Startups

116 Issued U.S. Patents

FY 2022 data provided by the Duke Office for Translation & Commercialization.

FY 2022 data provided by the Duke Office for Translation & Commercialization.

FY 2022 data provided by the Duke Office for Translation & Commercialization.

Faculty Researchers

2,580
Grants

105 Awards & Honors

11,134
Publications

FY 2022 data provided by Scholars@Duke.

FY 2022 data provided by Scholars@Duke.

FY 2022 data provided by Scholars@Duke.

Faculty Recognition

National Academies

National Academy of Sciences logo
Headshot of neuroscientist Stephen Lisberger

Neuroscientist

Stephen Lisberger, Ph.D.

George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor for Research in Neurobiology

Headshot of anthropologist Anne Pusey

Anthropologist

Anne Pusey, Ph.D.

James B. Duke Distinguished Professor Emerita of Evolutionary Anthropology

Headshot of physicist Kate Scholberg

Physicist

Kate Scholberg, Ph.D.

Arts & Sciences Distinguished Professor of Physics

National Academy of Medicine logo
Headshot of neuroscientist Kafui Dzirasa, Ph.D., M.D.

Neuroscientist

Kafui Dzirasa, Ph.D., M.D.

K. Ranga Rama Krishnan Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

National Academy of Engineering logo
Headshot of electrical engineer Guillermo Sapiro

Electrical Engineer

Guillermo Sapiro, Ph.D.

James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering

Howard Hughes Medical Institute logo

Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Neuroscientist Kafui Dzirasa, Ph.D., M.D., and cell biologist Cagla Eroglu, Ph.D., will each receive roughly $9 million of research support over a seven-year term.

Headshot of neuroscientist Kafui Dzirasa, Ph.D., M.D.
Headshot of cell biologist Cagla Eroglu

Neuroscientist

Kafui Dzirasa, Ph.D., M.D.

K. Ranga Rama Krishnan Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Cell Biologist

Cagla Eroglu, Ph.D.

Professor of Cell Biology and Neurobiology

American Association for the Advancement of Science logo

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Headshot of geochemist Paul A. Baker

Geochemist

Paul A. Baker, Ph.D.

Professor of Geochemistry

Headshot of mathematician Robert Bryant

Mathematician

Robert Bryant, Ph.D.

Phillip Griffiths Professor of Mathematics

Headshot of marine geologist Emily Klein

Marine Geologist

Emily M. Klein, Ph.D.

Professor of Earth & Ocean Sciences

Headshot of environmental policy expert Lydia Olander

Environmental Policy Expert

Lydia Olander, Ph.D.

Adjunct Professor of Environmental Sciences & Policy

Headshot of biologist Tai-ping Sun

Biologist

Tai-ping Sun, Ph.D.

Professor of Biology

American Academy of Arts and Sciences logo

American Academy of Arts & Sciences

Headshot of computer scientist Robert Calderbank

Computer Scientist

Robert Calderbank, Ph.D.

Charles S. Sydnor Distinguished Professor of Computer Science

Headshot of psychologist Avshalom Caspi

Psychologist

Avshalom Caspi, Ph.D.

Edward M. Arnett Distinguished Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience

Headshot of neuroscientist Josh Huang

Neuroscientist

Josh Huang, Ph.D.

Duke School of Medicine Distinguished Professor in Neuroscience

Headshot of psychologist Terrie Moffitt

Psychologist

Terrie E. Moffitt, Ph.D.

Nannerl O. Keohane University Distinguished Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience

New Leadership

Headshot of Jennifer Lodge

Jennifer Lodge

Jennifer Lodge, Ph.D., a microbiologist and vice chancellor for research at Washington University in St. Louis, was appointed Duke’s new vice president for Research & Innovation. As the university’s chief research and innovation officer, Lodge leads oversight of Duke’s $1.2 billion annual research portfolio, including grants administration, ethical practices and commercialization.

Headshot of Jerome P. Lynch

Jerome P. Lynch

Jerome P. Lynch, Ph.D., became the Vinik Dean of Engineering.

Headshot of Chris Beyer

Chris Beyrer

Chris Beyrer, M.D., M.P.H., was named director of the Duke Global Health Institute.

Headshot of Vincent Guilamo-Ramos

Vincent Guilamo-Ramos

Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, Ph.D., M.P.H., became the dean of Nursing.

Headshot of Mohamed Noor

Mohamed Noor

Mohamed A.F. Noor, Ph.D., was named interim dean of Trinity Arts & Sciences.

Awarded Funding

Duke investigators brought in some major awards during the fiscal year.

Duke Human Vaccine Institute

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID): $365 million, seven-year contract to produce investigational vaccines and treatments for HIV and other viruses. $17.5 million over three years to develop a ‘pan-coronavirus’ vaccine. $27 million, five-year grant to establish the Duke Center for HIV Structural Biology.

Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center

National Institutes of Health (NIH): $14.8 million five-year grant to Duke and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Multidisciplinary University Research Initiatives

Department of Defense: $7.5 million for identifying and synthesizing new materials with intensive computation. $7.5 million to develop a ‘super camera’ that captures just about every type of information light can carry in a single shot.

UCLA-Duke National Center for Child Traumatic Stress

U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): $20 million, five-year grant for raising access and care standards for children and families that have experienced trauma.

Duke Science and Technology

The fundraising campaign for the Duke Science and Technology (DST) initiative kicked off with a second $50 million investment from the Duke Endowment to accelerate and expand faculty recruitment in science, medicine, technology, engineering and mathematics. Duke Trustee Ned Gilhuly ‘82 and his wife Karen added a $23.75 million gift to the effort. Trustee Eddy Cue ’86 and his wife Paula ‘86 contributed $10 million to retain four early-career, diverse faculty hires in computer science and computer engineering.

Commercialized Research

Commercial entities spun out of Duke’s efforts continued to grow at a steady pace and racked up some significant milestones in the fiscal year.

Realtime Robotics logo

completed a $31.4 million Series-A funding round, which included the Duke Angel Network. The company was co-founded by Electrical and Computer Engineer Daniel Sorin to transform automation with flexible robot control capabilities, built on its innovative, real-time collision-free motion planning technology.

Tyrata logo

a tire sensor and data management Duke start-up, entered into a partnership with Bridgestone Americas. This strategic investment accelerates Bridgestone’s efforts to deploy advanced mobility solutions that improve fleet safety, efficiency and sustainability and provides Tyrata with additional investment. The company’s IntelliTread® technology monitors, tracks and predicts tire tread life in real-time.

Precision Biosciences logo

a gene editing Duke start-up established in 2006 that has already spun off a daughter company, announced a partnership with Novartis in June 2022 to use Precision’s gene editing technology for treatment of sickle cell disease. The Durham-based company received an upfront payment of $75M in equity investment and cash, along with up to $1.4B in potential milestones.

Xilis logo

a precision oncology company launched by Duke medicine and engineering faculty in 2019, announced the close of a $70 million Series-A financing round in July 2021. Their MicroOganoSphere™ technology holds promise for both cancer therapy and drug discovery. The company was featured in Forbes and was highlighted by Nasdaq on its tower in Times Square.

restor3d logo

a Durham-based biomedical engineering spinout using 3D printing and artificial intelligence to create personalized medical devices, raised $23 million in an April 2022 funding round, having merged with ankle replacement firm Kinos Medical in 2021.

Pattern Health logo

a local software development company, signed two new licenses, marking its eleventh license with Duke. One license is to further develop the Duke Cancer Network’s chemotherapy templates – forms used by clinical oncologists and which conform to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) standard. The other license is for a collection of chest pain assessment tools developed by Interventional Cardiologist James Tcheng, M.D., and team, which include a new highly-sensitive lab test with a validated clinical algorithm to more accurately diagnose acute coronary syndrome in ED patients presenting with chest pain.

Kymeta logo

a privately held maker of flat panel antennas based on Duke’s metamaterials research, closed an equity funding round of $84 million in March 2022. The investment will be used to expand Kymeta’s manufacturing and research and development.

Evolv Technology, IonQ, and 374Water logos

Evolv Technology, IonQ, & 374Water

three Duke spinouts, became publicly traded companies during the fiscal year. Evolv Technology, a security technology company that grew out of Duke’s pioneering work on metamaterials, was listed on the Nasdaq in July 2021, having received a valuation of $1.7 billion from a special purpose acquisition company partnership. IonQ, a trapped-ion quantum computing company co-founded by two Duke faculty, was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in October, 2021, having garnered $636 million in gross proceeds from a special purpose acquisition by dMY Technology Group. 374Water, a five-year-old cleantech company focused on a Duke-developed technology for water purification, joined the NASDAQ in June 2022 and recorded their first sale of a supercritical water oxidation system in Orange County, California.

Echodyne logo

a radar platform company based on Duke’s metamaterials research, closed a $135 million funding round in June 2022. Earlier in the fiscal year, the 125-employee firm also secured a five-year, $20 million contract from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for border monitoring technology.

Learn more about Duke Translation & Commercialization 2021–2022 achievements

State-of-the-Art Spaces

Duke’s research infrastructure grew in significant ways.

Aerial view of Wilkinson Building with Duke Chapel in background

Duke Engineering’s Wilkinson Building is a 150,000-square-foot teaching and research space, focused on collaborations in health, computing and the environment.

Duke RTP Campus tower

The Duke Human Vaccine Institute moved into new leased space called Duke Research and Discovery @RTP, 273,000 square feet formerly occupied by GlaxoSmithKline.

Duke Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences 8,500-square-foot clinical research facility

Duke Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences opened an 8,500-square-foot clinical research facility on the third floor of North Pavilion.

Duke Science and Technology Initiative

Solutions to the world’s pressing problems are waiting to be discovered.

Seed Grant Programs

Launched in April 2022, two new Duke Science and Technology (DST) seed grant programs were developed in partnership with the Office for Research & Innovation to enhance the research and scholarship of Duke’s early- to mid-career faculty and to support collaborative interdisciplinary projects across campus, School of Nursing, and School of Medicine.

DST Spark Emblem

DST Spark

Nine early- to mid-career faculty from across campus and the School of Medicine were recognized and awarded funding for pursuing new directions and ideas to enhance novel research and scholarship at Duke.

DST Launch Emblem

DST Launch

Comprising eight teams from across campus and the School of Medicine, 20 faculty were recognized and awarded funding for high-impact interdisciplinary projects.

New DST Scholars

Headshot of Emma Chory, Ph.D.

Emma J. Chory, Ph.D.

Biomedical Engineering

Research: Directed Evolution of Biosynthetic Pathways in Order To Synthesize Novel Peptide Therapeutics for a Range of Diseases

Headshot of Miaofang Chi, Ph.D.

Miaofang Chi, Ph.D.

Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science

Research: Electron Microscopy and Energy Materials

Pardis Emami-Naeini, Ph.D.

Pardis Emami-Naeini, Ph.D.

Computer Science

Research: Security, Privacy, and Human-Computer Interaction

Rana K. Gupta, Ph.D.

Rana K. Gupta, Ph.D.

Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Nutrition

Research: Adipocytes, Mammalian Cell Differentiation, and Tissue Remodeling

Seok-Yong Lee, Ph.D.

Seok-Yong Lee, Ph.D.

Biochemistry

Research: Membrane Transport Proteins, Calcium Permeation in Somatosensation, Drug and Metabolite Transport, and Polysaccharide Transport in Microbial Cell Wall Synthesis

Headshot of Christ Richmond, Ph.D.

Christ D. Richmond, Ph.D.

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Research: Statistical Signal Processing, Detection/Estimation, and Information Theory

Headshot of Divine Kumah, Ph.D.

Divine Kumah, Ph.D.

Physics

Research: Electronic Materials, Thin Films, Interfaces, Synchrotron X-ray Scattering and Spectroscopy

Headshot of Laura Dalton, Ph.D.

Laura Elizabeth Dalton, Ph.D.

Civil & Environmental Engineering

Research: Mass Transport Through Porous Materials (Concrete Durability)

Headshot of Sharon Gerecht, Ph.D.

Sharon Gerecht, Ph.D.

Biomedical Engineering

Research: Stem Cells, Biomaterials, and Regenerative Medicine

Shuo Han, Ph.D.

Shuo Han, Ph.D.

Biochemistry

Research: Human Gut Microbiota and Host Aging

Trudy G. Oliver, Ph.D.

Trudy G. Oliver, Ph.D.

Pharmacology & Cancer Biology

Research: Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) and Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SqCC)

Headshot of Tania Roy, Ph.D.

Tania Roy, Ph.D.

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Research: Device Physics and Nanotechnology

Headshot of Leanne Gilbertson, Ph.D.

Leanne Gilbertson, Ph.D.

Civil & Environmental Engineering

Research: Environmental Engineering, Life Cycle Assessment, Sustainable Material Design, and Sustainable Nanotechnology

2nd Annual Duke Research Week

Over 2,800 attendees celebrated research at Duke.

Jennifer Lodge, Ph.D. welcoming attendees virtually

After soaring across West Campus in a video, attendees were welcomed in a virtual lobby by Vice President for Research & Innovation Jennifer Lodge, Ph.D., and Duke University School of Medicine Dean Mary Klotman, M.D.

Duke Research Week 2022 was an exceptional opportunity to gather virtually and celebrate Duke faculty and trainees’ novel research accomplishments. The week-long celebration kicked off January 31 and featured 19 research topics from across the university and School of Medicine. With 100 speakers and more than 2,800 members of the Duke community, its neighbors, and industry partners in attendance, this year’s event was the largest to date.

Professor Bonnie L. Bassler, Provost Sally Kornbluth, Dean Valerie Ashby, and Professor Ingrid Daubechies meeting virtually via Zoom

Professor Bonnie L. Bassler, Provost Sally Kornbluth, Dean Valerie Ashby, and Professor Ingrid Daubechies during the Daubechies Lecture 2022 on Wednesday, February 2.

19 Research Topics Featured

Daily lectures, presentations, and discussions included in-depth looks into how researchers are advancing neuroscience and brain science, the convergence of disciplines necessary to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change, and what conducting research during COVID-19 was like with predictions for social policy research in a post-COVID-19 era.

Huda Yahya Zoghbi, M.D., Dean Mary Klotman, M.D., and Robert J. Lefkowitz, M.D. on meeting virtually via Zoom

Huda Yahya Zoghbi, M.D., Dean Mary Klotman, M.D., and Robert J. Lefkowitz, M.D. during the Robert J. Lefkowitz, M.D., Distinguished Lecture on Monday, January 31.