Discover highlights from FY 2025 in this digital report. Covering July 2024 to June 2025, the report features actionable research, engagement with decision‑makers on emerging issues and hands‑on learning experiences that equip Duke students to lead.

During the annual U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Brazil, Climate TRACE released a new tool that identifies potential solutions to reduce emissions at every major source of greenhouse gas pollution worldwide. Duke's Energy Data Analytics Lab contributed estimates of how much emissions could be reduced by retrofitting buildings with high-efficiency technologies for space heating, water heating and food preparation.

This summer, students in Duke University’s Climate+ program used data science techniques to research climate challenges and potential solutions. They studied topics like extreme heat stress, flood hazards and forest biodiversity. More than 30 students participated in eight project teams.

Faculty and staff across all Duke University schools are invited to submit proposals for 2026 Data+ and Climate+ projects.

The richness of Duke’s intellectual communities and its deep commitment to interdisciplinarity are major draws for leading scholars, including Marc Jeuland and Kyle Bradbury, whose reach on campus includes appointments with the Nicholas Institute. 

The Energy Data Analytics Lab, led by Kyle Bradbury, tracks buildings sector emissions data as member of Climate TRACE, a global coalition of universities, scientists, and AI experts mapping human-produced emissions around the world. The lab's most recent work enhanced the best-available spatial resolution of buildings climate data from 11 to 1 k², leading to better detailed and more accurate emissions estimates, reports The Chronicle.

Federal funding for clean energy projects faces an uncertain future, potentially upending workforce training programs at many community colleges, writes Work Shift. A federal electric vehicle infrastructure program, which earmarked up to $1 billion for Southeastern states and was highlighted in a report authored by Nicholas Institute expert Trey Gowdy, is among those paused by an executive order calling for a 90-day review to ensure that clean energy projects are aligned with the Trump administration’s energy policy.

The Energy Data Analytics Lab is helping strengthen Climate TRACE, a non-profit coalition that provides the world’s largest inventory of greenhouse gas emissions.

Looking for a summer project? Undergraduate and graduate students are invited to apply for summer 2025 Climate+ research projects.

The Climate+ projects are part of the broader Data+ program and offered by the Nicholas Institute in partnership with the Rhodes Information Initiative at Duke. All Plus Programs run 10 weeks over the summer and are composed of small project teams working on real world solutions using data science, programming, coding, and analysis. 

At COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan Climate TRACE co-founders Al Gore and Gavin McCormick presented the latest Climate TRACE emissions inventory. For the first time, this inventory provides monthly emissions data for every country and every major individual source of emissions in the world. As part of the coalition, Duke University experts are helping to provide valuable data to the inventory.

Over the last decade, Data+ has supported hundreds of Duke students participating in data-driven, interdisciplinary projects, giving real-world experience before they even leave campus. Dozens of those students have joined Climate+, spinoff of Data+ aligned with the Duke Climate Commitment and directed by the Nicholas Institute's Kyle Bradbury.

This summer, students in Duke University’s Climate+ program used data science techniques to research climate challenges and potential solutions. They studied topics like saltwater intrusion, energy materials, rainfall predictions and links between climate and health. More than 30 students participated on eight project teams.

Are you a Duke University alum with plans (or potential plans) to attend Climate Week NYC (September 22-29) or the UNFCCC’s Conference of Parties (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan (November 11-22)? Duke University experts will again take part in these important convenings alongside climate thought leaders and decision-makers from across the world—and we are eager to connect with Duke alumni who will also be joining.

The 2023 Energy Data Analytics Symposium brought together more than 100 participants from academia, industry, government and nongovernmental organizations at Duke University in October 2023 to explore how artificial intelligence and other data science tools can help make energy systems more accessible, affordable, reliable and environmentally sustainable.

The Climate TRACE coalition has created the world's largest inventory of greenhouse gas emissions using satellite remote sensing data and machine learning algorithms to identify and estimate emissions sources. Kyle Bradbury, director of Duke's Energy Data Analytics Lab, spoke with Green Building Advisor about Climate TRACE's efforts to develop high-resolution modeling for emissions from buildings.