Christine K. Payne

Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Yoh Family Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Christine K. Payne Profile Photo
Christine K. Payne Profile Photo

Research Interests

Molecular mechanisms by which cells interact with nanomaterials with applications in nanomedicine and environmental exposure

Bio

Christine Payne is the Yoh Family Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Duke University. Her research focuses on understanding how cells interact with nanomaterials. This includes fundamental questions of nanoparticle transport within cells, as well as applied research to understand the pulmonary response to the inhalation of nanoparticles in a manufacturing setting. Her team uses an interdisciplinary approach that includes elements of materials science, chemistry, biophysics, and lab automation. She teaches classes on the quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics of materials including a class on the “Materials Science of Science Fiction.” She earned a S.B. in Chemistry from the University of Chicago (1998) and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley (2003). Prof. Payne spent 2003-2006 as an NIH NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University. Prof. Payne has received many honors including an NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (2009) and a DARPA Young Faculty Award (2011). She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.  

Education

  • B.S. The University of Chicago, 1998
  • Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, 2003

Positions

  • Yoh Family Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
  • Professor in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
  • Professor of Chemistry

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

  • Jefferson Science Fellows Program - Science, Technology, Engineering and Medical Science. National Academies of Science, Engineering & Medicine. 2023
  • Fellow. Royal Society of Chemistry. 2020

Courses Taught

  • ME 592: Research Independent Study in Mechanical Engineering or Material Science
  • ME 555: Advanced Topics in Mechanical Engineering
  • ME 490: Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering
  • ME 412: Modern Materials
  • ME 391: Undergraduate Projects in Mechanical Engineering

Publications

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