Signature Research Topics

Creating a healthier, safer and more sustainable world

Duke CEE’s research efforts focus on complex earth, water and built systems. With collaborators around the globe, we apply engineering methods to find solutions to significant challenges—with the goal of a healthier, safer and more sustainable world.

#19

U.S. civil engineering faculty scholarly productivity

Academic Analytics, v.2021

#20

U.S. environmental engineering faculty scholarly productivity

Academic Analytics, v.2021

$12M

in new research awards

fiscal year 2024

Major Research Areas

Dolbow lab research image

Computational Mechanics & Scientific Computing

Developing precise algorithms to study and solve complex problems governed by the laws of mechanics.

CEINT mesocosm facility

Environmental Health Engineering

Studying connections between human health and ecosystem health, to understand risks and to build resilience in both.

Geomechanics & Geophysics for Energy and the Environment

Exploring issues in underground engineering, resource use and environmental hazards.

NASA satellite view of clouds over North America

Hydrology & Fluid Dynamics

Focused on fundamental problems and critical challenges in fluid dynamics and water resources.

beach homes in the ocean at high tide in North Carolina

Risk & Resilient Systems

Seeking new and better ways to estimate and quantify the dynamics and uncertainty in engineered and natural systems.

Major Centers & Initiatives

Latest Research News

11/18 Pratt School of Engineering

Building Air Quality Management Capacities Worldwide

A group of researchers with air quality projects across six continents funded by the U.S. Department of State recently gathered at Duke University to build capacity and collaboration