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Since its founding in 2014, the Cook Center has built a strong record of advancing interdisciplinary research, expanding educational opportunities, developing the next generation of equity-focused scholars, and engaging partners within Duke and beyond.
In 2025, the Duke Cook Center for Social Equity gained new leadership and was relocated to Duke’s academic core within the Office of Interdisciplinary Programs. The Center remains deeply committed to Dr. Cook’s legacy and work to build a more equitable and just society. The Cook Center advances understanding of inequality by producing rigorous, interdisciplinary research that examines its causes, consequences, and potential solutions. The Center extends this impact through education, mentorship, and meaningful engagement with partners. By preparing students at multiple stages to study and address inequality and connecting researchers with communities, organizations, and other stakeholders, the Cook Center creates opportunities to exchange knowledge, inform action, and translate research into lasting social impact.
Highlights from the Past Year
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Research Teams
Launching vertical research teams in each of our core pillars: Educational and Economic Opportunity, Health Equity and Carceral Justice
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Summer Research
Engaging 20 scholars on seven vertically-integrated summer research teams led by six faculty members
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High School Courses
Teaching credit-bearing Duke courses to more than 500 students in Title 1 high schools across the US through the Duke + NEON partnership.
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Research Funding
Partnering with the Duke Center for Community-Engaged Scholarship, we awarded three seed grants supporting collaborative research on housing affordability to support research collaborations involving Duke faculty, students and community partners.
"Have a vision of excellence, dream of success and work like hell.”
— Dr. Samuel DuBois Cook