Karsh STEM Scholars & Mentors

Developing new AI and sensing tools and infrastructure for multi-modal biomedical data integration to drive precision/personalized methods for early detection, intervention, and prevention of disease.

Our research focuses on the evolution of behavior across weird and wonderfully diverse species of birds. This work bridges “muddy boots” experimental fieldwork with a variety of molecular and computational approaches in genetics, genomics, neuroscience, and endocrinology. We have several research foci:  

1. Female perspectives in biology. Cultural biases shape our predictions for how and why animals behave the way they do, and female animals have historically been neglected in biological research. We study the evolution of female competition across diverse avian species, ranging from social polyandry to monogamy in shorebirds and songbirds. Critically, hypotheses derived from studying males (i.e. testosterone focus) do not explain interspecific variation in female aggression. We use population genomic and transcriptomic data to evaluate the proximate causes and ultimate consequences of female competition.  

2. Global change biology. In the age of the Anthropocene, animals are facing evolutionary unprecedented environmental changes. Sensory pollutants like anthropogenic noise and artificial light at night can alter animal physiology, behavior, and ecology on a rapid timescale. Behavior flexibility and adaptation may lead the way in helping animals respond to novel challenges. We investigate why some individuals and species may be better prepared to face global change.  

Dr. Joanna Bertram is an assistant professor in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Duke University, where she leads research in medical robotics. Her work focuses on advancing the design, modeling, and control of robotic systems for medical applications.

At Duke, Dr. Bertram strives to foster an interdisciplinary approach to medical robotics by collaborating with the university's world-class clinical and academic communities to develop innovative, life-saving robotic systems.

Before joining Duke, Dr. Bertram earned her Ph.D. in Robotics from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she conducted groundbreaking research in the Medical Robotics and Automation (RoboMed) Laboratory. Her work included the design and control of steerable needles and the development of a robotic guidewire with integrated shape and force sensing, measuring less than 1mm in diameter. She also holds an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering.

Dr. Bertram’s research contributions have been published in top-tier journals and conferences, including IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L), IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics (T-MRB), IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics (TMECH), and the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA).

Her lab invites motivated students and researchers to join in pioneering the next generation of medical robotic technologies.

Christopher Douglas' research and teaching in MEMS concentrate on thermo-fluid mechanics and nonlinear dynamics. He develops theoretical and numerical methods to analyze, understand, and engineer the behavior of high-dimensional nonlinear systems where fluid motion couples with thermal, chemical, acoustic, elastic, and other physical effects. These complex problems arise in engineering applications like turbines, rockets, and other propulsion and energy systems; in natural phenomena ranging from weather systems to supernovae; and in medical procedures such as laser lithotripsy. His broader research interests include energy conversion and pollutant emissions abatement, with particular attention to alternative energy carriers like hydrogen and ammonia.

Sound propagates very efficiently through sea water, and marine mammals take advantage of this medium to communicate and explore their environment. My research is focused on the link between acoustic and motor behavior in marine mammals, primarily cetaceans and manatees, specifically, how they use sound in ecological processes. The cetaceans, or whales and dolphins, are divided into two main groups, the toothed whales (odontocetes) and the baleen whales (mysticetes). One of my specific areas of research is the use of echolocation and foraging behavior in one of the odontocetes, the bottlenose dolphin. Another focus of my current research is the effect(s) of anthropogenic noise on marine mammals.

Thomas' research interests focus on population health and development. His work delves inside the black box of the family to provide empirical evidence on how resources are allocated within families in very low resource environments and highlights the role of female empowerment in improving the well-being of the next generation.

Understanding the mechanisms that explain why healthier people are richer is a theme that runs through much of his research. He implemented a large-scale randomized intervention in Indonesia and established the causal impact of poor nutrition on economic prosperity among adults.
Related research examines the impact of unanticipated financial shocks in Indonesia, Russia and the United States on health and well-being. The immediate and longer-term impact of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami on a broad array of indicators of well-being are explored to identify the behaviors and coping mechanisms that are most effective in the aftermath of a devastating disaster.



Thomas has invested heavily in the design and implementation of large-scale population-based longitudinal surveys that contribute to the information infrastructure for scientific research. This includes co-directing waves of the Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS) and Mexican Family Life Survey (MxFLS). His work has emphasized measurement of health using biomarkers, innovative measurement of economic status and preferences and the importance of minimizing attrition in longitudinal
surveys. This includes following migrants who were interviewed in Mexico and have subsequently been interviewed in both the U.S. and Mexico to
better understand the causes and consequences of international migration.

Thomas' research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, MacArthur Foundation and the World Bank. His work has been published in such journals as the American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy, Economic Journal, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Demography, Population Studies and the American Journal of Public Health. He was elected Vice President of the Population Association of America and has served on its Board of Directors. He is an elected Fellow of the Bureau for Research on the Economic Analysis of Development (BREAD) and has served as its President. He directs the Development Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He has served on the Board of Scientific Counselors at the National Center for Health Statistics and on the Committee on Population at the National Academy of Sciences. He has been a co-editor of the Journal of Development Economics, the Journal of Human Resources and Economic Development and Cultural Change. He is on the editorial board of the American Economic Journal-Applied Economics and the Economics of Human Biology.

My program of research explores how the relationship between cognition and language changes over time and the types of input (e.g., gestures, bilingualism) that influence this relationship. In general, my research addresses three key theoretical questions. First, how does cognition influence language early in development? In particular, I am interested in how infants and toddlers’ developing cognitive and perceptual skills lay the foundation for early word learning and how this changes as a function of input and experience. Secondly, how does language come to influence cognition in children and adults? In this line of research, I am interested in determining how various types of linguistic and cultural experiences affect the cognitive abilities of monolinguals and bilinguals throughout development. Finally, how does the use of gesture influence the relationship between cognition and language? This area of research focuses on the relationship between early gesture use and later language development and how this relationship is influenced by socio-cultural factors, such as race and socioeconomic status.

Christopher Douglas' research and teaching in MEMS concentrate on thermo-fluid mechanics and nonlinear dynamics. He develops theoretical and numerical methods to analyze, understand, and engineer the behavior of high-dimensional nonlinear systems where fluid motion couples with thermal, chemical, acoustic, elastic, and other physical effects. These complex problems arise in engineering applications like turbines, rockets, and other propulsion and energy systems; in natural phenomena ranging from weather systems to supernovae; and in medical procedures such as laser lithotripsy. His broader research interests include energy conversion and pollutant emissions abatement, with particular attention to alternative energy carriers like hydrogen and ammonia.

I'm an econometrician working on causal inference and machine learning. My current focus is on the analysis of spatial data.