Data on Data

Fast facts about data science initiatives @ Duke, from faculty expansion to educational impact

$9.75 million in philanthropic support

for the Information Initiative at Duke (iiD) will boost the work of a landmark cross-campus effort harnessing massive amounts of information to tackle society’s biggest challenges.

Launched in 2013, iiD brings together faculty and students from Duke Engineering, math, social sciences, medicine and beyond to make sense of “Big Data”­—information characterized by tremendous volume, variety and rapid change—to address a broad range of issues facing our world. The gifts from an anonymous donor, plus challenge funds from philanthropists Anne T. and Robert M. Bass through Duke’s interdisciplinary Bass Connections program, will endow new professorships, graduate fellowships in engineering, and educational programs on data-driven problem-solving, both in the classroom and in the field.

Gold Award Winner

Duke’s Data+ program took home gold in the 2016 Reimagine Education global competition recognizing “projects that enhance learning and employability and are both innovative and scalable.”

61 Undergraduates & 28 Graduate Students

teamed up with faculty to conduct 25 real-world, data-driven research projects through Duke’s Data+ program in 2016

27 graduate students have led 15 Data Expeditions

in undergraduate courses—from analyzing international carbon dioxide emissions to applying linear algebra to autism detection in infants. Learn more about Data Expeditions

30+ partners

from industry, government, and nonprofits have collaborated with the Information Initiative at Duke on research, workshops, internships and other hands-on learning for students

250,000+ active learners

enrolled in Duke’s “Data Analytic Techniques for Business” online course sequence via Coursera

New engineering faculty hires planned in the data sciences

Duke Engineering is expanding its faculty expertise in the data sciences. Currently we are recruiting:

• 1 Professor of the Practice in Data Science
• 1 Rhodes Family Professor with expertise in information, computing and data science to advance interdisciplinary learning for the information age

Learn more & read about Duke Engineering’s commitment to diversity in hiring »

“I think the emergence of information and big data will be as transformational for our economy as the Industrial Revolution was during its time.”

Michael Rhodes E’87
Member, Duke Engineering Board of Visitors

Michael and Maureen Rhodes gave $1.667 million (matched through Duke’s Bass Connections program) to create the new Rhodes Family Professorship at Duke Engineering.