Volker Blum
volker.blum@duke.eduAssociate Dean for Research, Rooney Family Associate Professor of MEMS
Pre-Research Support
Pursuing Discoveries That Will Define the Field
Duke makes substantial investments in projects that leverage its strengths—in biomedical engineering, materials discovery, quantum computing and more.
Beyond the Horizon Initiative
Interdisciplinary teams propose these projects. The proposals describe high-risk, high-reward projects with potential for deeply transformative societal impact.
Projects that demonstrate promise after an initial investment may receive continuing funding.
2025 Update
From among six in the inaugural round, two projects received continuation funding for a second year. Three new proposals have been awarded initial Year 1 investment.
Ashutosh Chilkoti, Ph.D.
Alan L. Kaganov Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Taming AI’s Outsized AppetiteRenewed for Year 2
AI applications demand enormous amounts of energy and water. A new collaboration aims to make circuitry more compact and sustainable.
Tania Roy, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Yiran Chen, Ph.D.
John Cocke Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Aaron Franklin, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Addy Professor of ECE
Advancing Sodium Solid-State BatteriesReceived Initial Year 1 Funding
This project seeks a fundamental understanding of sodium-ion batteries—with a vision of making them the preferred power source of the future.
Olivier Delaire
Associate Professor of the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Miaofang Chi, Ph.D.
Professor in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Johann Guilleminot, Ph.D.
Paul Ruffin Scarborough Associate Professor of Engineering
Engineering Sustainable Materials Through Cross-Scaling DesignReceived Initial Year 1 Funding
A Duke research team is seeking across the scale, from molecular to macro, to develop sustainable materials for infrastructure, energy and resource health.
Heileen Hsu-Kim
Director of Graduate Studies, Professor in the Department of CEE
Volker Blum
Associate Dean for Research, Rooney Family Associate Professor of MEMS
Laura Dalton, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Michela Geri
Assistant Professor in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Leanne M Gilbertson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Hossein (Amir) Salahshoor
Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Shyni Varghese
Laszlo Ormandy Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Manolis Veveakis
Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Stefan Zauscher, Ph.D.
Director of Graduate Studies and Professor in the Thomas Lord Department of MEMS
Lighting a Dark Fiber Network For Hybrid Quantum-Classical Experimental ResearchReceived Initial Year 1 Funding
A team with representation from the Duke Quantum Center, Duke ECE and Duke Physics looks to scale up quantum computing power.
Tingjun Chen
Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
John Board Jr., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Jungsang Kim, Ph.D.
Schiciano Family Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
