Below you will find the dissertation titles, departments, and advisers for 2023–2024 Ph.D. graduates, separated by graduation date. If you notice information that needs to be updated, please email Scott Behm at scott.behm@duke.edu.
Mohammed Syed Ali
“Knowledge and Conversion in the Making of Western History, a Philosophical Investigation.”
History
Prasenjit Duara, Advisor(s).
Jacqueline Mercier Allain
““Make Me Live Long Enough to See Such Things”: Citizenship, Labor, and Population Politics in the Nineteenth-Century French Caribbean.”
History
Laurent Dubois and Barry Gaspar, Advisor(s).
Chunjing Bao
“The Mast Cell-Neuronal Axis in Anaphylaxis.”
Pathology
Soman Abraham, Advisor(s).
Alina Jade Barnett
“Interpretable Machine Learning with Medical Applications.”
Computer Science
Cynthia Rudin, Advisor(s).
Lysle Thomas Boller
“Essays on International Tax and Firm Behavior.”
Economics
Allan Collard-Wexler, Advisor(s).
Isabel Louise Bradley
“Mapping Manioc: Grounded Relations in the Caribbean.”
Romance Studies
Laurent Dubois and Deborah Jenson, Advisor(s).
Samuel Mark Brotkin
“Describing Working Alliance Longitudinally in a Peer Support Intervention for Adolescents and Young Adults with Chronic Illness.”
Psychology and Neuroscience
Melanie J. Bonner, Advisor(s).
David Anthony Buch
“Bayesian Nonparametric Methods for Epidemiology and Clustering.”
Statistical Science
David Dunson, Advisor(s).
Gregory Patrick Burke
“Information Intermediation in Opaque Markets: Evidence from Equity Crowdfunding Analyst Reports.”
Business Administration
William Mayew, Advisor(s).
Sasha Burwell
“Synaptic Control of Dopamine as a Driver of Reward Learning.”
Neurobiology
Michael Tadross and Rich Mooney, Advisor(s).
Erin E. Campbell
“The Influence of Early Sensory and Linguistic Experience on Lexical Development.”
Psychology and Neuroscience
Elika Bergelson, Advisor(s).
Shounak Chattopadhyay
“Incorporating Scalability and Structural Constraints in Bayesian Modeling.”
Statistical Science
David Dunson, Advisor(s).
Ruoyu Chen
“A Combined Experimental and Modeling Approach Unraveling the Mechanics Behind Drying-induced Fractures in Soils.”
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Manolis Veveakis, Advisor(s).
Jie Cheng
“Structural Investigation of Bacterial Pathogenesis and Host Immune Response.”
Biochemistry
Pei Zhou, Advisor(s).
Brandie Quarles Chidyagwai
“Demographic Consequences of Dispersal Through Space and Time.”
Biology
Kathleen Donohue, Advisor(s).
Colleen Skyler Cochrane
“Structure-Activity Relationship (SAR) of Novel Antibiotics Targeting LpxH and LpxC in Lipid A Biosynthesis.”
Chemistry
Pei Zhou, Advisor(s).
Jessica Nicole Coleman
“Development and Piloting of a Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Gynecologic Cancer Survivors Undergoing Pelvic Exams.”
Psychology and Neuroscience
Rebecca Shelby and Eve Puffer, Advisor(s).
James Avery Coppock
“Development of Imaging-Based Models for Analyzing the Spatiotemporal Function of Intervertebral Discs.”
Biomedical Engineering
Louis DeFrate, Advisor(s).
Riley Joseph Deutsch
“A Multiplexed, Multi-scale Optical Imaging Platform to Quantify Tumor Metabolic Heterogeneity.”
Biomedical Engineering
Nimmi Ramanujam, Advisor(s).
Pritam Dey
“Some Advances in Statistical Modeling of Brain Structural Connectomes.”
Statistical Science
David Dunson, Advisor(s).
Gianluca Di Muro
“Innovations in Decompression Sickness Prediction and Adaptive Ascent Algorithms.”
Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Laurens Howle, Advisor(s).
Enmao Diao
“Efficient and Collaborative Methods for Distributed Machine Learning.”
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Vahid Tarokh, Advisor(s).
Stephen Lee Downing
“Abstract Music for an Imaginary Film: Nos. 1-9 for Two Pianos and Two Percussion, and Composing Memory: Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Unremembered.”
Music
John Supko, Advisor(s).
Rebecca Ellen Dudley
“The Use of U.S. Diplomatic Foreign Policy for Conflict Resolution.”
Political Science
Kyle Beardsley, Advisor(s).
Aaron Christopher Ebert
“The Second Sin: A Study of the Vice of Envy in the Thought of St. Augustine.”
Religion
J. Warren Smith, Advisor(s).
Amanda Fusa Ennis
“I. Development of Sulfonyl Piperazine LpxH Inhibitors Against Multi-Drug Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria II. Exploration Towards New TRPM8 Agonists for Dry Eye Disease.”
Chemistry
Jiyong Hong, Advisor(s).
Savannah Ruth Erwin
“Developing a Sustainable Model of Text-Delivered Peer Support for Undergraduate Mental Health.”
Psychology and Neuroscience
Nancy L. Zucker, Advisor(s).
Yu Feng
“Robust Information Storage and Consolidation in Attractor Neural Networks.”
Physics
Nicolas Brunel, Advisor(s).
August Hope Frechette
“Pore-Scale Flow Mechanisms and the Hydrodynamic Porosity of Porous Media in Surface Water Treatment and Groundwater Remediation.”
Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Nico Hotz and Zbigniew Kabala, Advisor(s).
Anna Louise Gilpin
“Self-Healing Hyaluronic Acid as a Viscosupplement and Biomolecule Carrier to Mitigate Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis.”
Biomedical Engineering
Shyni Varghese, Advisor(s).
Nikos Gkiokas
“The Afterlives of Archaic Greek Kouroi: An Archaeology of a Greek Sculptural Type.”
Art, Art History, and Visual Studies
Sheila Dillon, Advisor(s).
Daniela Goya Tocchetto
“Racial Hierarchy-based Discrimination in a Multiracial Power Structure.”
Business Administration
Aaron Kay, Advisor(s).
Jesse Nelson Granger
“Behavioral and Geophysical Factors Influencing Success in Long Distance Navigation.”
Biology
Sonke Johnsen, Advisor(s).
Catherine Aspden Grodensky
“A Study of Plea Bargaining, Political Power, and Case Outcomes in Local Criminal Courts.”
Public Policy
Kristin Goss, Advisor(s).
Xiaoshu Gui
“Compliance Under Pressure: Strategic Bureaucratic Control and Policy Implementation in China.”
Political Science
Melanie Manion, Advisor(s).
Kristen Elizabeth Hagan
“Advancing Compact, Multiplexed, and Wavefront-Controlled Designs for Coherent Optical Systems.”
Biomedical Engineering
Joseph Izatt, Advisor(s).
Xu Han
“Electrical and Optical Control of Bacterial Membrane Potential and Growth.”
Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Christine Payne, Advisor(s).
Aili Hao
“Structural Studies of Bacterial Cell Wall Synthesis and Remodeling.”
Biochemistry
Seok-Yong Lee, Advisor(s).
Kendrick Dewayne Hardison
“Essays on the Application of Game Theory in International Relations and Law.”
Political Science
Bahar Leventoglu, Advisor(s).
Daniel Clark Hlavaty
“Exploring the Canonical and Non-Canonical Functions of Desmosomes.”
Cell Biology
Terry Lechler, Advisor(s).
Karn Imwattana
“Introgression, Population Structure, and Systematics of the Sphagnum capillifolium Complex.”
Biology
A. Jonathan Shaw, Advisor(s).
Lindsay Taylor Ives
“Understanding Psychosocial Treatment Non-Response in Children with Functional Abdominal Pain.”
Psychology and Neuroscience
Nancy L. Zucker, Advisor(s).
Jayanth Jawahar
“Genetic Analysis of Fitness Determinants in Phocaeicola vulgatus.”
Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
John Rawls, Advisor(s).
Nicholas David Jones
“Revolution and the City: Marxist Anthropologies in the Interwar Realist Novel.”
Carolina Duke Program in German Studies
Richard Langston, Advisor(s).
Alexander Edward Karsten
“The Theognidea in Reperformance: A Rhetorical Rereading.”
Classical Studies
José González, Advisor(s).
Cecelia Kelly
“Interactions Between the Microbiota and Host Transcription Factor HNF4A in the Intestinal Epithelium Regulate Intestinal Inflammation Throughout the Lifespan.”
Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
John Rawls, Advisor(s).
Christopher Lewis Kilner
“The Impacts of Disruptive Environmental Change on Vital Microbial Ecosystems.”
Ecology
Jean Gibert, Advisor(s).
Dillon Elizabeth King
“Sex Differences in Mitochondrial Function and Susceptibility: Mechanisms of Establishment and Evolutionary Origins.”
Environment
Joel Meyer and Susan Murphy, Advisor(s).
Sinja Küppers
“Marginalized Voices and Nontraditional Pathways in Higher Education in the Late Roman Empire.”
Classical Studies
William Johnson, Advisor(s).
Oluwadamilola Oluwatoyin Lawal
“Uncovering the Role of Astrocyte-Secreted Thrombospondins and Their Neuronal Receptor α2δ-1 in Goal-Directed Actions.”
Neurobiology
Cagla Eroglu, Advisor(s).
Gabriella Anne Levy
“Variation in Individuals' Responses to Violence Against Civilians.”
Political Science
Kyle Beardsley and Livia Schubiger, Advisor(s).
Undraa Lhamsuren
“The Colors of My Skin. The Making of Black German Identity.”
Carolina Duke Program in German Studies
Priscilla Layne, Advisor(s).
Jennifer Ying Li
“Synaptic Mechanisms Underlying Sensory Processing in Visual Cortex.”
Neurobiology
Lindsey Glickfeld, Advisor(s).
Mochi Liao
“Toward Optimal Rainfall – Hydrologic Correction of Precipitation to Close the Water Budget in Headwater Basins.”
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Ana Barros, Advisor(s).
Chen-An Lin
“Wait-Time Based Pricing for Queueing Systems: Optimality, Mechanism Design, and Strategic Delay.”
Business Administration
Kevin Shang and Peng Sun, Advisor(s).
Zoe Nathania Loh
“Nuclear PTEN Regulates Thymidylate Biosynthesis and Cellular Sensitivity to Antifolate Treatment.”
Pathology
Ming Chen, Advisor(s).
Amanda Caroline Lohmann
“Ecosystem Impacts of Variable Recruitment in Antarctic Krill Investigated with Long-term Monitoring and Archived ADCP Backscatter Data.”
Ecology
Douglas Nowacek, Advisor(s).
Vladimir Lukin
“Soviet Computers, Communist Robots: Cultural Epistemologies of Digital Media.”
Literature
Mark Hansen, Advisor(s).
Yu Ma
“Essays on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations.”
Environmental Policy
Christopher Timmins, Advisor(s).
Marayna Elisabeth Banea Martinez
“Three Papers on Public Schools and Political Participation Among Americans of Color.”
Public Policy
Nicholas Carnes and D. Sunshine Hillygus, Advisor(s).
Kaitlin Kiernan McConnell
“Metabolic Mechanisms of Nutritionally Regulated Hormone Signaling on T Helper Cell Function.”
Immunology
Nancie J. MacIver, Advisor(s).
Ariana Mihai
“E Protein Regulation of the T Cell Receptor Alpha – T Cell Receptor Delta Locus.”
Immunology
Michael Krangel, Advisor(s).
Charles Eli Nathan
“The Good Old Days: The Concept of the Golden Age in Greek Political Thought.”
Political Science
Michael Gillespie, Advisor(s).
Mark William Nemecek
“Transfer Learning in Value-based Methods with Successor Features.”
Computer Science
Ronald Parr, Advisor(s).
Hunter Newman
“Adenosine Delivery to Mitigate Bone Disorders.”
Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Shyni Varghese, Advisor(s).
Thai Son Nguyen
“Effective Field Theory Studies of Few-nucleon Systems: Fundamental Symmetry Violation, Electromagnetic Interactions, and Direct Detection of Dark Matter.”
Physics
Roxanne Springer, Advisor(s).
Songkhun Nillasithanukroh
“The Demand for Businessperson Politicians: How Do Businesspeople Win Electoral Nominations and Votes?.”
Political Science
Edmund Malesky, Advisor(s).
Claire Elaine Otero
“The Role of Maternal Antibodies in Prevention of Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection.”
Pathology
Sallie Permar and Herman Staats, Advisor(s).
Caitlin Elizabeth Gorse Paisley
“Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Retinal Astrocyte Death During Development.”
Neurobiology
Jeremy Kay, Advisor(s).
Kay Palopoli-Trojani
“Quantifying Biomarkers for Brain Disease State Monitoring and Intervention.”
Biomedical Engineering
Warren Grill, Advisor(s).
Divya Pande
“Advanced Metamaterials for Beamforming and Physical Layer Processing.”
Electrical and Computer Engineering
David Smith, Advisor(s).
Ekta Jayantilal Patel
“Managing (Unconventional) Water: Essays on Expert Knowledge, Media Framings, and Stakeholder Debates.”
Environmental Policy
Erika Weinthal, Advisor(s).
Shweta Jayant Patwa
“Synthesizing Linked Data and Detecting Per-Query Gaps Under Differential Privacy.”
Computer Science
Ashwin Machanavajjhala, Advisor(s).
Angela Marie Pisoni
“Evaluating State-Based Network Dynamics in Anhedonia.”
Psychology and Neuroscience
Moira J. Smoski, Advisor(s).
Karsten Mikhail Poulsen
“Characterizing and Predicting the Interaction of Proteins with Nanoparticles.”
Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Christine Payne, Advisor(s).
Vijyendra Ramesh
“Postmitotic Dynamics in Chromatin Modification and Regulatory Topology Underlie Cerebellar Granule Maturation.”
Molecular Cancer Biology
Anne West, Advisor(s).
Yinhao Ren
“Read Like a Radiologist: Cancer Detection Using Multi-view Correspondence in Digital Breast Tomosynthesis.”
Biomedical Engineering
Joseph Lo, Advisor(s).
Griffin Steven Riddler
“Rulers and Producers: How State Interventions Shape the Political Economy of Production.”
Political Science
Melanie Manion and Edmund Malesky, Advisor(s).
Daniel L. Rodriguez
“A Multilevel High-throughput Sequencing Approach for Identifying Microbial Community Interactions and Informing Precision Microbiome Engineering.”
Biomedical Engineering
Claudia Gunsch, Advisor(s).
Amanda Noelle Rossillo
“A 3D Geometric Morphometric Investigation of Relatedness in the Modern Human, Chimpanzee, and Homo naledi Postcranial Skeleton.”
Evolutionary Anthropology
Steven Churchill, Advisor(s).
Viola Luolan Rothschild
“Refocusing on Repression: Institutions of Everyday Social Control in China.”
Political Science
Melanie Manion, Advisor(s).
Sayan Roychowdhury
“Investigating the Influence of Red Blood Cell Interactions on Large-Scale Cancer Cell Transport: Bridging the Gap through Advances in Computational Techniques.”
Biomedical Engineering
Amanda Randles, Advisor(s).
Catherine Lane Scher
“The Effects of Global Change on Avian Biodiversity.”
Ecology
James Clark, Advisor(s).
Elizabeth Brooke Schrader Polczer
““Those Who Love Me Will Keep My Word”: Narrative Variants in New Testament Gospel Stories.”
Religion
Jennifer Knust, Advisor(s).
Stephanie Alexandra Pahl Schuette
“Identifying Modifiable Factors Associated with Psychological Health in Women Experiencing Infertility.”
Psychology and Neuroscience
Moira J. Smoski, Advisor(s).
Kavinayan Pillaiar Sivakumar
“Adaptive Planning in Changing Policies and Environments.”
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Michael Zavlanos, Advisor(s).
Nathan L. Smith
“The Structure of Aesthetic Experience.”
Literature
Fredric Jameson, Advisor(s).
Nicholas Mark Smolenski
“Sounding Reconstruction at St Paul's Cathedral, 1660–1714.”
Music
Roseen Giles, Advisor(s).
Xirui Song
“RNA Aptamers that Internalize into Cancer Cells for Drug Delivery.”
Pharmacology and Cancer Biology
Bruce Sullenger, Advisor(s).
Brian Daniel Spisiak
“Isaiah Berlin's Liberal Humanism.”
Political Science
Michael Gillespie, Advisor(s).
Lyla June Stanland
“EBV-Associated Gastric Cancer: From Initial Infection to Unique Therapeutic Approaches.”
Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Micah Luftig, Advisor(s).
Alexander John Steiger
“Algorithms for Rectangular Robot Motion Planning.”
Computer Science
Pankaj Agarwal, Advisor(s).
Tao Tang
“Three Essays of Bayesian Inference on Dynamical System, Continuous Time Markov Chain, and Low Dimensional Structure.”
Mathematics
David Dunson, Advisor(s).
Yuqi Tang
“Multi-spectral Deep Tissue Quantitative Photoacoustic Imaging.”
Biomedical Engineering
Junjie Yao, Advisor(s).
Erin C. Taylor
“Algorithms for Clustering, Partitioning, and Planning.”
Computer Science
Pankaj Agarwal, Advisor(s).
Audrey Nicole Thellman
“Seasons in the Stream: River Ecosystem Phenology in a Changing Climate.”
Ecology
Emily Bernhardt, Advisor(s).
Priscilla Teresa Torres
“Community Dispute Resolution and International Peacebuilding: Competitors or Complementary Actors? Evidence from Liberia.”
Political Science
Kyle Beardsley, Advisor(s).
Austin Jacob Wadle
“Microbe-Mineral Interactions: Mercury Homogenization, Bacterial Colloid Surface Acidity, and Protocol Transfeminism..”
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Heileen Hsu-Kim, Advisor(s).
Chenghong Wang
“Encrypted Data Management Systems with Tunable Privacy.”
Computer Science
Ashwin Machanavajjhala and Kartik Nayak, Advisor(s).
Rui Wang
“Efficient Low-Resource Training with Pre-Trained Deep Neural Networks.”
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Ricardo Henao, Advisor(s).
Tianlin Wang
“Structure and Electronic Properties of Quaternary Chalcogenide Semiconductors from First Principles.”
Materials Science and Engineering
Volker Blum, Advisor(s).
Pei-Yu Wei
“Strategic Third-Party Actors in Economic Sanctions.”
Political Science
David Siegel, Advisor(s).
Janai R. Williams-Doria
“The Neuroprotective Effects of Exercise Against Menopause Induced Alterations in Alzheimer’s Disease Neuropathogenesis.”
Psychology and Neuroscience
Christina Williams and Staci Bilbo, Advisor(s).
Nathaniel Curran Wilson
“Plasmonics for On-Chip Photodetectors and Light Sources.”
Physics
Maiken Mikkelsen, Advisor(s).
Dana Louise Wright
“Insights Into the Migratory Patterns and Seasonal Distribution of One of the World’s Rarest Whales, the North Pacific Right Whale.”
Marine Science and Conservation
Andrew Read, Advisor(s).
Shiqi Xu
“Computational Bio-Optical Imaging with Novel Sensor Arrays.”
Biomedical Engineering
Roarke Horstmeyer, Advisor(s).
Tian Yang
“Reprogramming Enzyme Specificity through Multi-substrate Co-evolution.”
Biomedical Engineering
Michael Lynch, Advisor(s).
Xiaoxuan Yang
“Improving the Efficiency and Robustness of In-Memory Computing in Emerging Technologies.”
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Hai Li and Yiran Chen, Advisor(s).
Yunqi Yang
“Programmable Synthesis and Supramolecular Self-assembly of Stable DNA Nanoparticles.”
Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Stefan Zauscher, Advisor(s).