The faculty, students, and alumni driving Duke innovation.
The faculty, students, and alumni driving Duke innovation.
The faculty, students, and alumni driving Duke innovation.

Innovators
View MoreZack Weaver and Victoria Goldenshtein, the first PhD students in Duke's Tadross Lab, co-founded the Research Triangle Park chapter of Nucleate in 2021 to support early-stage life-science entrepreneurs; the chapter remains active in 2026 with ongoing programming and industry partnerships.
Innovators
View MoreDuke PhD graduate Ammara Aqeel adapted ecological DNA metabarcoding to track children's diets from stool samples, won $6,500 in a Duke accelerator, and filed an invention disclosure for a diet-tracking tool aimed at dietitians before completing her degree in May 2025.

Innovators
View MoreFive Duke School of Medicine faculty have each been awarded $120,000 per year for three years through the 2026 Physician-Scientist Strong Start program, the first cohort funded under the Nanaline H. Duke Fund's expanded $11.45 million commitment.

Innovators
View MoreJ. Lloyd Michener, MD, a Duke University School of Medicine professor emeritus who chaired the Department of Family Medicine & Community Health for 22 years, has established the Michener Family Community Health Fund with a personal gift to deepen partnerships between Duke Health and the Durham community.
©2026 Duke Innovation Digest
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©2026 Duke Innovation Digest
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©2026 Duke Innovation Digest
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