Her research focuses on religion in contemporary China, and she has a particular interest in the intersection of religion and social inequality. She has conducted extensive qualitative fieldwork in China, including as a Fulbright fellow in Suzhou in 2015 and 2016). Her teaching interests at Duke Kunshan include sociology, culture and movements, religion, and China studies. Rogers has bachelor's degrees in international studies and Chinese from the University of Mississippi, an M.A. in Chinese from the Ohio State University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Notre Dame.

Her work is at the intersection of environment and biology (particularly physiological ecology) with emphasis on the impacts of climate change and ameliorating the impacts of climate change. Uniquely, she has worked extensively with plants, animals and microbial communities, focusing on semi-arid to hyper-arid environments. For more than a decade, she has been working to understand the physiology and ecology of complex biocrusts in deserts and the bioactive compounds they produce. She is particularly interested in how environmental factors influence compound production and isomer ratios.

Her research focuses on exploring the impact of culture on China's design innovation potential by investigating the structure, operation and evolution of the Chinese creative industry and the overall knowledge economy. She is also interested in entrepreneurship in the creative industry, and how it fits into the overall picture of China's innovation. She is specialized in design thinking as a trans-disciplinary method to drive innovation, creative expression and entrepreneurial success.

His research interests are in political theory and comparative politics. He is currently completing a manuscript on freedom and toleration , as understood in ancient China and early modern Europe. Future projects include a re-examination of the "Asian values" debate and a comparative study of the concept of justice. In addition, he is engaged in research into the history of American politics thought, with a particular focus on issues concerning disagreement, diversity and the reception of non-Western thought within the U.S.

His research focuses on the reward mechanism of feeding behavior and drug addiction. While studying both behaviors he found that feeding could become pathological (addiction) if the right conditions were present.

His research examines early modernity, Christianity and the thought of Niccolo Machiavelli. His teaching interests at Duke Kunshan include U.S. studies, ethics and leadership, institutions and governance, and political science. Parsons has a B.A. in political science from the University of Maine and an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Toronto. Before joining Duke Kunshan, he taught at Carroll College, Montana.

Her primary research interests include second language writing, second language assessment and quantitative research methodology for second language acquisition. She involves innovative teaching methods and authentic use of language in her classroom. Pan has a Ph.D. in second language acquisition from the University of Iowa. Before joining DKU, she taught Chinese as a second language at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, the CIEE Shanghai Learning Center, and the University of Iowa.

He teaches and researches broadly in social movements, U.S. history and politics, and African American history. In particular, his work focuses on the history of African slavery in the Americas, the international movements to abolish African slavery and the intellectual history of pan-Africanism. His research has been funded by such institutions as the American Council of Learned Societies, the Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History and the Schomburg Center for the Study of African American Life and Culture. Olsavsky has a B.A.