$10 million Marcil-Monahan gift will establish new Duke brain science initiative

A $10 million gift to Duke University from Trustee Sharon Marcil ’88, P’23 and her husband, Tom Monahan P’23, has established an initiative to recruit a new group of brain science scholars. The Marcil-Monahan Family Initiative on Translational Brain Science aims to leverage the scholars’ combined expertise to cement the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience as a national leader in connecting discoveries about the brain and behavior to innovations in health, education, and clinical practice.

Duke will recruit a senior faculty member to lead the initiative, followed by two junior professors, adding a permanent translational research core to an already superb psychology and neuroscience department. In addition to the three endowed professorships, the founding gift also provides a faculty support fund for start-up and operational needs such as laboratory equipment, research infrastructure, graduate students, and postdocs. The initiative strengthens one of Duke’s signature interdisciplinary research areas at a pivotal moment—one in which faculty hiring is difficult to accomplish without private philanthropy.

“I am deeply grateful to Sharon and Tom for their transformative generosity, which will accelerate breakthroughs in brain science and help translate those advances for the public good,” said Duke University President Vincent E. Price. “The Marcil-Monahan Family Initiative on Translational Brain Science will help ensure that Duke remains a leader in research that delivers meaningful impact for generations to come.”

The investment by Marcil and Monahan, who are also the parents of a Duke alumna, enlists and catalyzes a set of individually excellent researchers into a community dedicated to a common goal of driving the field forward. It fills a critical gap by strengthening the connection between neuroscience discovery and clinical application, embedding translational neuroscience directly within Duke’s training and research ecosystem.

“Despite considerable effort, we still have substantial work to do: both in fully understanding the brain, and in translating that understanding into solutions for society’s most pressing mental health challenges,” said Gary Bennett, dean of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. “This initiative extends excellence already underway in Duke’s brain science community and situates it within a broader university ecosystem positioned to convert insight into impact.”

The move to enhance the psychology and neuroscience department’s translational strength is also expected to greatly accelerate a planned Master in Psychology and Neuroscience program. Collaborations with the biomedical engineering department at the Pratt School of Engineering and health business experts in The Fuqua School of Business will also become stronger because of this infusion of resources.

“We’re pleased to partner with Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and the psychology and neuroscience department to move their exceptional scholarship into practice more quickly,” said Marcil. “It’s our hope that our support will help create a seamless bridge between laboratory science and patient care.”

“We are excited to help Duke advance and unlock brain science for the public good,” said Monahan. “We believe that this investment will make an impact in the long term because, in addition to their groundbreaking research, the faculty is skilled at training and inspiring the next generation of innovators.”

The Marcil-Monahan Family Initiative is expected to have educational impacts well beyond the faculty by expanding opportunities for research by graduate students and undergraduates. With its heightened profile, Duke can now attract a new generation of scholars to work alongside our leaders in neuroscience, psychology, and clinical science.