Research
Duke Civil and Environmental Engineering research focuses on the broad themes of creating healthy, safe environments and engineering complex earth, water and built systems. Collaborating across disciplines and around the world, we apply engineering methods to solve global challenges posed by growing human needs and activities and uncertain environmental forces, with the goal of creating a healthier, safer and more sustainable world.
Duke CEE Research Areas
Computational Mechanics & Scientific Computing
Our researchers develop efficient, precise computational algorithms to solve problems related to complex mechanical systems, with applications from flood forecasting to energy extraction to synthetic tissue design.
Environmental Health Engineering
We study the connections between human and environmental health to understand risks and build resilience in both living populations and global ecosystems.
Geomechanics & Geophysics for Energy and the Environment
Our researchers work to address issues related to underground engineering, exploration, resource use and environmental hazards.
Hydrology & Fluid Dynamics
Our research efforts in this area focus on pressing problems in environmental fluid dynamics, hydrology and water resources, with impacts on human health, ecosystems and climate.
Risk & Resilient Systems
Our researchers are finding new and better ways of estimating and quantifying the dynamics, uncertainty and risks prevalent in diverse engineered and natural systems.
Duke CEE Research Facts
- #15 in faculty scholarly productivity among U.S. engineering schools in civil engineering, and #18 in environmental engineering (Academic Analytics 2017 - published June 2019)
- $4.3 million in new research awards, fiscal 2019
- More than half of Duke civil and environmental engineering undergraduates engage in hands-on research
Major Centers & Initiatives
CEE faculty lead or participate in these Duke-based externally funded research centers and training initiatives:
