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This list of Duke University people includes alumni, faculty, presidents, and major philanthropists of Duke University, which includes three undergraduate and ten graduate schools. The undergraduate schools include Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, Pratt School of Engineering, Sanford School of Public Policy, and Duke Kunshan University. The university's graduate and professional schools include the graduate school, the Pratt School of Engineering, the Nicholas School of the Environment, the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, the Fuqua School of Business, the School of Law, the Divinity School, the Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke Kunshan University, and Duke–NUS Medical School.

right|thumb|[[James B. Duke established a $40 million trust fund, The Duke Endowment, in 1924, propelling the university to officially change its name in honor of his family's philanthropy.]]

International academic prizes

Nobel laureates

thumb|right|[[Robert Lefkowitz, James B. Duke Professor of Medicine and professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry at Duke and the 2012 Nobel laureate in Chemistry]]

As of 2024, 16 Nobel laureates have been affiliated with Duke University. The following list includes only those who have graduated from Duke or spent at least one year as a postdoctoral researcher/medical resident/visiting professor or two years as a faculty member at Duke.

Turing Award laureates

In the absence of a Nobel Prize in Computer science, the Turing Award generally is recognized as the highest honor in the subject and the "Nobel Prize of computing." As of 2015, three Turing Award laureates have been affiliated with Duke University.

  • Frederick P. Brooks (A.B. 1953), software engineer and computer scientist, known for managing the development of IBM's System/360 family of computers; National Medal of Technology and Innovation laureate in 1985, IEEE John von Neumann Medal laureate in 1993 and Turing Award laureate in 1999
  • Edmund M. Clarke (M.A. 1968; faculty, 1976–1978), computer scientist; academic; developed model checking; Turing Award laureate in 2007
  • John Cocke (B.S. 1945, Ph.D. 1956), considered the "father" of the RISC computer architecture, Turing Award laureate in 1987, National Medal of Technology and Innovation laureate in 1991 and National Medal of Science in 1994

Alumni

<gallery class="center" classes="center" mode="nolines" caption="Selected Duke alumni:">

File:Ricardo Lagos despedida (cropped).jpg|Chilean President Ricardo Lagos, Ph.D. 1966

File:Nixon 30-0316a.jpg|U.S. President Richard Nixon, J.D. 1937

File:General Martin E. Dempsey, CJCS, official portrait 2012.jpg|Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey, M.A. 1984

File:Elizabeth Dole official photo.jpg|U.S. Senator and cabinet secretary Elizabeth Dole, A.B. 1958

File:Kreps-juanita-morris.png|U.S. Secretary of Commerce Juanita Kreps, Ph.D. 1948

File:Kenneth W. Starr.jpg|U.S. Solicitor General Kenneth Starr, J.D. 1973

File:Ron Paul, official Congressional photo portrait, 2007.jpg|U.S. Congressman Ron Paul, M.D. 1961

File:Nick Rahall.jpg|U.S. Congressman Nick Rahall, A.B. 1971

File:ADM Frank L. Bowman (covered 2).jpg|Admiral Frank Bowman, B.S. 1966

File:Eric Shinseki official Veterans Affairs portrait.jpg|U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, A.M. 1976

File:Melinda Gates, Davos 2009.jpg|Philanthropist Melinda Gates, A.B. 1986, M.B.A. 1987

File:David M. Rubenstein.jpg|Financier and philanthropist David Rubenstein, A.B. 1970

File:Tim Cook 2009 cropped.jpg|Apple CEO Tim Cook, M.B.A. 1988

File:Sylvia Earle-nur08002.jpg|Marine biologist Sylvia Earle, Ph.D. 1966

File:Brady astronaut.jpg|Astronaut Charles E. Brady Jr., M.D. 1975

File:Jared Harris 2014.jpg|Actor Jared Harris, B.F.A. 1984

File:KenJeongMar10.jpg|Actor and comedian Ken Jeong, B.S. 1990

File:Charlie Rose - David Shankbone.jpg|Television journalist Charlie Rose, A.B. 1964, J.D. 1968

File:Grant Hill 2007-12-08.jpg|Two-time NCAA Champion, seven-time NBA All-Star Grant Hill, B.A. 1994

File:Christian Laettner at Yahoo event.jpg|Two-time NCAA Champion, NBA All-Star Christian Laettner, B.A. 1992

File:Sonny Jurgensen.jpg|Five-time Pro Bowler, Super Bowl Champion Sonny Jurgensen

File:Dick Groat 1960.png|Eight-time MLB All-Star, two-time World Series Champion Dick Groat

</gallery>

:Note: individuals who belong in multiple sections appear in the most relevant section.

Heads of state

Cabinet members and White House staff

Members of Congress

U.S. senators

U.S. representatives

Governors

Diplomats

Military

Law

Judges

Attorneys

Public policy

Mayors

State officials

Foreign officials

Foreign royalty and nobility

  • Hashim bin Al Hussein (X), prince of Jordan
  • Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani (B.A. 2005), 14th child of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former emir of Qatar
  • Sheikha Hind bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, daughter of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani
  • Prince Charles-Henri de Lobkowicz (B.A.), third son of Prince Edouard de Lobkowicz and Princess Marie-Françoise of Bourbon-Parma

Other

Business

Education

University presidents and administrators

Professors and academics

History

  • William Baskerville Hamilton
  • Kenneth Margerison

Medicine, science and technology

Literature

Fine arts

Religion

  • Jamal Harrison Bryant (MDiv), senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church
  • Kathy Rudy (MDiv, PhD), women's studies scholar and theologian

Entertainment

Journalism and media

Philanthropy

  • Sally Dalton Robinson, philanthropist and board member of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, and the McColl Center for Art + Innovation

Athletics

:See also men's basketball players, women's basketball players, and football players.

American football

Baseball

Basketball

Golf

Other

Faculty

Current

thumb|right|[[Walter E. Dellinger III]]

thumb|right|[[Henry Petroski]]

thumb|right|[[Erwin Chemerinsky]]

Former

thumb|[[David Gergen]]

thumb|[[Henry Louis Gates]]

Men's basketball head coaches

thumb|right|[[Mike Krzyzewski]]

Football head coaches

Duke University presidents

<!-- Deleted image removed: thumb|350px|right|Terry Sanford, Duke's sixth president -->

{| border="0" style="width:40%;"

|-

!President

!Tenure

|-

|Brantley York||1838–1842

|-

|Braxton Craven||1842–1863

|-

|William Trigg Gannaway*||1864–1865

|-

| style="text-align:left;" colspan="2"|<small>*Appointed president pro tempore during the break in Craven's presidency</small>

|-

|Braxton Craven||1866–1882

|-

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|University officially established as Duke University in 1924

|-

|William Preston Few||1924–1940

|-

|Terry Sanford||1969–1985

|-

|H. Keith H. Brodie||1985–1993

|-

|Nannerl O. Keohane||1993–2004

|-

|Richard H. Brodhead||2004–2017

|-

|Vincent E. Price||2017–present

|}

Major philanthropists

Donors who have contributed at least $20 million to the university, or founding donors:

{| border="0" style="width:100%;"

|-

!Donor

!Total amount

!Year

!Purpose

|-

|The Duke Endowment ||$1.5+ billion (in 2026 dollars)|| 1924–<br />2026 || The Duke Endowment is a private foundation endowed by James B. Duke to support education, health, religious and civic life in the Carolinas. Its principal recipient is Duke University. As of 2026, the largest single grant is $100 million in honor of the university's centennial.

|-

|James B. Duke || $40 million<br />($1.41 billion in 2026 dollars) || 1924 || For West Campus and Duke Forest land, construction, operations and endowment

|-

|Gates Foundation || $270+ million || 2002–2026 || Selected grants include $46.5 million for AIDS research, $32 million for HIV prevention, $30 million for a new science facility, $25 million for an endowment campaign, $20 million for the Duke Global Health Initiative, $15 million for DukeEngage, a civic engagement program, $13 million supporting development in Africa, and $10 million for student financial aid. The full list of grants is available at the Gates Foundation website.

|-

|Lord Corporation || $261 million || 2019 || Unrestricted

|-

|Peter and Ginny Nicholas || $115+ million || 1999–<br />2023 || $20 million for the School of the Environment and Earth Sciences; $70 million pledged in 2003 for the School of the Environment fully paid by 2022; $25 million pledged in 2023

|-

|David Rubenstein || $100+ million || 2002–2017 || More than $100 million in total, including $25 million towards a new performing arts center, $20 million for undergraduate scholarships, $13.6 million to Duke Libraries, $20.75 million to the Sanford School of Public Policy, $10 million to Duke athletics

|-

|Bruce and Martha Karsh || $85 million || 2005–2011 || For student financial aid

|-

| Anne and Robert Bass ||$70 million|| 1996–2013 || $20 million for the FOCUS program and various endowed chairs, $50 million for interdisciplinary research

|-

|Edmund T. Pratt Jr.|| $35 million ($70 million in 2026 dollars) || 1999 || To endow the School of Engineering

|-

|Disque Deane|| $20 million<br />($58 million in 2026 dollars) || 1986 || To "establish a research institute on the human future"

|-

| J. Michael and Christine Pearson ||$52.5 million|| 2014 || $30 million to the Pratt School of Engineering to advance engineering and science education, $15 million to the School of Nursing and $7.5 million to the Fuqua School of Business

|-

|Bill and Melinda Gates || $20 million ($40 million in 2026 dollars) || 1998 || For undergraduate scholarships

|-

|Pierre Lamond

|$30 million

|2026

|For the department of electrical and computer science

|-

|Dr. Steven and Rebecca Scott || $30 million || 2012–2013 || $20 million for Duke Sports Medicine and $10 million for Duke athletics

|-

|Dudley Rauch

|$30 million

|2021

|For medical student scholarships

|-

|Mary Duke Biddle Foundation

|~$28 million

|1956–present

|The Foundation's charter requires it to distribute at least half of its funds to Duke University. The Foundation distributed "nearly $44 million in grants" from 1956-2016, meaning almost $22 million went to Duke. Annual IRS reports available from 2017 to 2024 show additional total annual giving of $11.89 million, or $5.945 million to Duke, with a 2024 remaining endowment of $43 million. None of these numbers have been adjusted for inflation.

|-

|Jack O. Bovender Jr.

|$27.5 million

|2006–2014

|$10 million for Trinity College, $10 million for the Fuqua School of Business Health Sector Management Program, and $5 million for School of Nursing, $1.5 million for a professorship at Duke Divinity School, and $1 million for a scholarship for minority students in the Health Sector Management Program

|-

|Robert Margolis

|$26.5 million

|2015–2023

|For the Margolis Center for Health Policy

|-

|Michael J. and Patty Fitzpatrick || $25 million || 2000 || For a center for advanced photonics and communications

|-

|Ned and Karen Gilhuly

|$23.75 million

|2022

|To support Duke's Science and Technology Initiative

|-

|William and Sue Gross || $23 million || 2005 || $15 million for undergraduate scholarships, $5 million for medical students' scholarships, and $3 million to support faculty members of the Fuqua School of Business

|-

|Grainger family

|$20 million

|2019

|To the Nicholas School of the Environment

|-

| Washington Duke|| $385,000<br />($14 million in 2026 dollars) || 1892 || For original endowment and construction

|-

| Julian S. Carr || N/A || 1892 || Donated site of East Campus

|}

Fictional alumni

In film

  • In The Man in the Moon takes place as Maureen Trant, played by Emily Warfield, is preparing to attend Duke in the fall. Emma Seneshen, a character who appears briefly during the film's opening, is also mentioned to be a Duke student.
  • In How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Benjamin Barry (portrayed by Matthew McConaughey) is shown to be a Duke alumnus.

In television

  • In JAG, USMC Lt. Colonel Sarah MacKenzie (portrayed by Catherine Bell) graduated from Duke University School of Law.
  • In Your Friends & Neighbors, Jules Sperling (portrayed by Jennifer Mudge) commits to Duke via Early Decision.
  • In The Newsroom, Sloan Sabbath (portrayed by Olivia Munn) is mentioned to have two Ph.D.s from Duke.
  • In The White Lotus, main characters Timothy and Saxon Ratliff (portrayed by Patrick Schwarzenegger) are Duke alumni. Duke is frequently mentioned in the show's third season.
  • In One Tree Hill, Nathan Scott (portrayed by James Lafferty) receives a scholarship to play basketball at Duke, though his offer is rescinded when he is caught point shaving.
  • In The West Wing, Sam Seaborn (portrayed by Rob Lowe, whose son attended Duke in real life) graduated from Duke University School of Law.

References

  • Duke University