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Sheila N Patek
Mrs. Alexander Hehmeyer Professor
The primary goal of research in the Patek laboratory is to examine the dynamic interplay between evolutionary processes and the mechanics of organisms.
Appointments and Affiliations
- Mrs. Alexander Hehmeyer Professor
- Professor of Biology
Contact Information
- Office Location: 014 Bio Sci Bldg, Durham, NC 27708
- Office Phone: (919) 613-8306
- Email Address: snp2@duke.edu
- Websites:
Education
- Ph.D. Duke University, 2001
Awards, Honors, and Distinctions
- Guggenheim Award. John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. 2015
- Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program. National Science Foundation. 2013
- Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program. National Science Foundation. 2012
- Christopher Clavius, S.J. Award . Sigma Xi, St. Joseph’s University. 2009
- George A Bartholomew Award. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. 2008
- Radcliffe Institute Fellowship. Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. 2008
- Brilliant 10 Award. Popular Science Magazine. 2004
Courses Taught
- BIOLOGY 293: Research Independent Study
- BIOLOGY 329D: Principles of Animal Physiology
- BIOLOGY 329L: Principles of Animal Physiology
- BIOLOGY 429S: How Organisms Move
- BIOLOGY 493: Research Independent Study
- BIOLOGY 590S: Seminar (Topics)
- EGR 393: Research Projects in Engineering
In the News
- Blink and You’ll Miss These Plants Shooting Their Seeds (Aug 23, 2023 | Duke Today)
- Undergraduate Research: Moving from Absorbing Knowledge to Creating It (Dec 9, 2022 | Trinity College of Arts and Sciences)
- A Better Way to Find Student Research (Feb 1, 2022 | Duke Research Blog)
- Baby Mantis Shrimp Don’t Pull Their Punches (Apr 29, 2021)
- Tiny Crustacean Redefines Ultra-Fast Movement (Feb 8, 2021)
- Five New Bass Professors Named for Excellence in Teaching and Research (Apr 23, 2020)
- Leaping Larvae! How Do They Even Do That Without Legs? (Aug 8, 2019)
- Why a Robot Can't Yet Outjump a Flea (Apr 26, 2018)
- Mantis Shrimp Size Each Other Up Before Ceding a Fight (Jan 17, 2018)
- Why Do Research for the Sake of Knowing? (May 31, 2016 | Duke Today)
- Sheila Patek: Why research for the pure sake of knowing is enough (May 26, 2016 | PBS NewsHour)
- Professor Patek Goes to Washington, Talks Up Research (Apr 15, 2016)
- Here’s what happened when a group of scientists went to confront their congressional tormentors (Apr 15, 2016 | The Huffington Post)
- The Benefits of 'Strange Science' (Apr 5, 2016 | Duke Magazine)
- Is Mantis Shrimp Research a Waste of Money? How 'Wastebook' Misses the Big Picture (Dec 7, 2015 | Duke Research Blog)
- Fisticuffs Among the Mantis Shrimp (Sep 23, 2015 | Duke Research Blog)
- Mantis shrimps avoid deadly fights by pummeling each other (Sep 23, 2015 | The Atlantic)
- The ant that blasts itself out of danger with its face (Aug 7, 2015 | Wired)
- Sheila Patek: Ant-Man's real-life rivals (Jul 17, 2015 | National Geographic)
- How mantis shrimps spar (Jun 18, 2015 | Science News)
- How Mantis Shrimp Evolved Many Shapes with Same Powerful Punch (Feb 27, 2015)
Representative Publications
- Jorge, JF; Bergbreiter, S; Patek, SN, Pendulum-based measurements reveal impact dynamics at the scale of a trap-jaw ant., The Journal of Experimental Biology, vol 224 no. Pt 5 (2021) [10.1242/jeb.232157] [abs].
- Longo, SJ; Ray, W; Farley, GM; Harrison, J; Jorge, J; Kaji, T; Palmer, AR; Patek, SN, Snaps of a tiny amphipod push the boundary of ultrafast, repeatable movement., Current Biology : Cb, vol 31 no. 3 (2021), pp. R116-R117 [10.1016/j.cub.2020.12.025] [abs].