The Cook Center will offer a variety of seed grants, fellowships, working groups, and other activities designed to engage scholars, students, and community partners in advancing its mission. Please check this page regularly for updates on new opportunities as they become available.

Mentoring and Training Fellows Programs

A cornerstone of the Cook Center’s mission is cultivating a pipeline of scholars and practitioners who understand the complex forces undergirding social systems through a set of multi-level fellowships for faculty, postdoctoral associates, graduate students, post-baccalaureates, and undergraduate researchers. 

Cook-NEON Teaching Fellows Program

Duke’s partnership with the National Education Opportunity Network (NEON) is a dynamic model that brings no‑cost, credit‑bearing Duke courses to Title I high school students nationwide. Launched at Duke in 2026 and rapidly growing, the program enrolls more than 200 high school students in each course, offering subjects ranging from sociology and biology to psychology and beyond.
 
Teaching Fellows and Lead Teaching Fellows help deliver engaging virtual instruction, guide students through college‑level coursework, and build a supportive learning community—giving Duke students the chance to develop their teaching skills, gain mentorship experience, and contribute to expanding university access and building students’ academic confidence.
 

Seed Grants

Seed grants will be offered to support interdisciplinary, multi-career-stage research teams involving faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and students. Seed grant proposals will be solicited across the Center’s core pillars. These awards will catalyze research that advances actionable knowledge and strengthens Duke’s capacity to partner with communities across the Carolinas and beyond.