Provost Honors Four Faculty Members With Langford Lectureship Award

Four Duke scholars, selected from among all recently promoted or hired faculty, have received the 2026-27 Thomas Langford Lectureship Award.

This distinguished lecture series honors Tommy Langford, who served Duke for 41 years as Divinity School professor, dean and provost. He embodied the highest university values of scholarship, teaching, collegiality and the promotion of faculty excellence and community.

Provost Alec Gallimore, in consultation with the Committee on Appointments, Promotion and Tenure, chose the recipients based on the appeal of their research to an interdisciplinary faculty audience, as well as their embodiment of Langford’s dedication to teaching, research and service. 

Each awardee will present a lunchtime lecture that is open to Duke faculty members who register for the event.

2026-27 Thomas Langford Lectureship Award Recipients

Jessilyn Dunn, Theodore Kennedy Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Associate Professor of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics

Dunn’s research focuses on the intersection of AI and medicine. She is developing new AI and sensing tools to drive precise and personalized methods for early detection, intervention and prevention of disease. She is also interested in the development of biomedical datasets for AI modeling and digital biomarkers to guide personalized, just-in-time therapies. Dunn is a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award.

Iman Marvian, Associate Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Physics

Marvian’s main research interest is quantum information and computation theory. He has worked on a wide range of topics in this field, including quantum algorithms, quantum circuits, symmetry-protected topological order and quantum thermodynamics. A recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, Marvian is a member of the Duke Quantum Center.

Jorge Morales, Associate Professor of Philosophy

Morales directs the Subjectivity Lab, an interdisciplinary research group of postdoctoral researchers, graduate and undergraduate students studying how the mind creates the visual world — what people see, don’t see and imagine. The goal of his research is to understand the subjective character of the mind and improve how people study it scientifically. New to Duke, Morales was formerly an assistant professor at Northeastern University. 

Melissa Emery Thompson, Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology 

Thompson specializes in great ape behavior and biology. Her research examines the interactions of ecology, health, reproduction and behavior. Thompson’s work identifies sources of variation in life history within and between species to understand the changes that have taken place during the evolution of humans. She was named an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow.

Last Year’s Recipients