Rate My Professor Mohamed Noor

Mohamed Noor is Professor of Biology at Duke University, currently serving as Executive Vice Provost since July 2024. He previously held positions as Interim Vice Provost for Academic Affairs from February 2023 through June 2024, Interim Dean of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences from July 2022 through January 2023, Dean of Natural Sciences within Trinity College from 2019 to 2023, and Chair of the Department of Biology from 2013 to 2017. Noor joined the Duke Department of Biology in 2005 and was appointed Professor in 2008. He also serves as an Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society since 2017 and Bass Fellow since 2016. Noor earned a B.S. in Biology from the College of William and Mary in 1992 and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1996.

Noor's research centers on evolutionary genetics, exploring genetic changes that contribute to the formation of new species, the role of genetic recombination in speciation and molecular evolution, and the persistence of fitness-related variation and lethal-causing gene variants in natural populations. His approaches encompass classical genetics, molecular genetics, genomic and bioinformatic analyses, primarily with Drosophila species, along with occasional studies on animal behavior in relation to speciation. He has developed educational resources in genetics and evolution for K-12 and college audiences. Noor has led major professional organizations as president of the American Genetic Association and the Society for the Study of Evolution, and served on the board of directors for the Genetics Society of America. His editorial contributions include positions with American Naturalist, Evolution, Genetics, and PLoS Biology. Among his honors are the Darwin-Wallace Medal from the Linnean Society of London, Bass Society of Fellows’ Earl D. McLean Professorship, Outstanding Postdoc Mentor Award, Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award, David and Janet Vaughan Brooks Teaching Award, Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring from the Graduate School, and Gordon G. Hammes Faculty Teaching Award from the Duke University School of Medicine. Key publications include “Transposable elements contribute substantially to naturally occurring genetic lethality in Drosophila melanogaster” (PLoS Biology, 2026), “Interrogating the Roles of Mutation-Selection Balance, Heterozygote Advantage, and Linked Selection in Maintaining Recessive Lethal Variation in Natural Populations” (Annual Review of Animal Biosciences, 2023), and “Thinking outside Earth’s box—how might heredity and evolution differ on other worlds?” (Evolution Education and Outreach, 2022).