Learn about the Nicholas School's academic and administrative leadership.
Lori Bennear, Stanback Dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment
Lori Bennear
Stanback Dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment
Dr. Lori Bennear began a two-year term as Interim Stanback Dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment (NSOE) on July 1, 2023. Dr. Bennear is a Professor of Energy Economics and Policy at NSOE and holds secondary appointments at Duke in the Department of Economics and in the Sanford School of Public Policy. She received her Ph.D. in Public Policy from Harvard University (2004) and also earned an MA in Economics from Yale University (1996) and an AB in Economics and Environmental Studies from Occidental College (1995).
Her research evaluates the effectiveness of environmental policies including information disclosure laws, management-based regulations, liability regimes, and demand-side management programs. She has applied these assessments across many global environmental domains including in the energy, toxicology, and drinking water fields. Her work is interdisciplinary and has resulted in numerous scientific publications in journals ranging from economics to public policy, to law, to general interest science journals. She co-edited a book “Policy Shock: Recalibrating Risk and Regulation after Oil Spills, Nuclear Accidents, and Financial Crisis” with three other Duke faculty members in law and history. The book was published by Cambridge University Press in 2017.
Her scholarship has been recognized for its policy import by several government agencies. Dr. Bennear has been called to serve on National Academies of Sciences consensus committees to improve energy policy focused on offshore oil and gas protocols as well as pipeline safety in high-consequence areas. She has worked, together with Professor Jonathan Wiener of Duke Law School, on projects to improve retrospective reviews of regulatory policies with the Administrative Conference of the United States. She has also informally consulted with EPA offices on the potential for information disclosure programs to enhance the enforcement of environmental regulations.
Before assuming the role of Interim Stanback Dean, Bennear served as Executive Vice Dean at NSOE where she directed all of the School’s internal operations. As Executive Vice Dean, Bennear also administered academic programming at the School in conjunction with NSOE’s Division Chairs. Bennear previously served as NSOE’s Senior Associate Dean for Academic Initiatives, a role in which she managed professional master's and undergraduate degree programs across the School.
Bennear has extensive service within the University community since joining Duke in 2004. Notably, from 2017-2019, she served as Chair of the Duke University Priorities Committee where Bennear led a comprehensive financial review of seven University institutes and three University initiatives as directed by the President. Bennear has further been the Associate Director for Educational Programs at the Duke University Energy Initiative, Faculty Co-Director for the Rethinking Regulation Network at the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke, Faculty Representative for the Duke Alumni Association Board of Directors, and a member of the Duke 2030 Faculty Committee.
Senior Associate Dean for Academic Initiatives | Chair, Energy and EnvironmentProfessor of the Practice of Energy and the Environment
Senior Associate Dean of Research and Doctoral ProgramsProfessor of Environmental ChemistryProfessor in the Division of Environmental Sciences and Policy
Chair, Marine Science & Conservation Division | Director, Duke Marine LabStephen A. Toth Professor of Marine BiologyStephen A. Toth Distinguished Professor of Marine Biology in the Nicholas School of the Environment
Chair, Earth & Climate Sciences DivisionNicholas Chair of Environmental QualityNicholas Distinguished Professor of Environmental Quality
Chair, Environmental Science & Policy DivisionProfessor of Global and Environmental Health
Director of Graduate Studies, University Program in Ecology | Chair, Terrestrial and Freshwater EnvironmentsAssociate Professor of Ecosystem Ecology and Ecohydrology
Director of Graduate Studies, Marine Science & ConservationAssociate Professor of Oceanography
Director of Graduate Studies, Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health ProgramAssociate Research Professor in The Division of Environmental Sciences and Policy
Director of Graduate Studies, Earth & Climate SciencesProfessor of Geomorphology and Coastal Processes
Director of Graduate Studies, University Program in Environmental PolicyProfessor of Environmental Policy and Public PolicyProfessor of Environmental Policy and Public Policy
Director of Graduate Studies, Environment PhD programLee Hill Snowdon Associate Professor of Environmental & Evolutionary GenomicsLee Hill Snowdon Associate Professor
Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and InclusionSenior Lecturer in Environmental Science and Policy
Associate Dean for Experiential Education and Undergraduate ResearchAssistant Professor of the Practice in Experiential Education in the Division of Marine Science and Conservation
Associate Dean for Teaching Innovation | Director, Duke Environmental Leadership (DEL-MEM) ProgramProfessor of the Practice of Marine Conservation Ecology
Director of Undergraduate Studies, ECSAssociate ProfessorAssociate Professor of Geosciences
Director of Undergraduate Studies, ENVThe Elizabeth Brooks Reid and Whitelaw Reid Associate Professor of Population StudiesElizabeth Brooks Reid and Whitelaw Reid Associate Professor
Director of Undergraduate Studies, MSCAssociate Professor of the Practice of Marine Molecular ConservationAssociate Professor of the Practice of Marine Molecular Conservation
Chair, Environmental Economics and Policy | Dan and Bunny Gabel Chair of Environmental Ethics and Sustainable Environmental ManagementDan and Bunny Gabel Associate Professor of the Practice of Environmental Ethics and Sustainable Environmental Management
Co-Chair, Community Engagement and Environmental JusticeAssociate ProfessorAssociate Professor of Hydrology
Chair, International Master of Environmental Policy (iMEP)Adjunct Associate Professor in the Division of Environmental Sciences and Policy
Chair, Ecotoxicology and Environmental HealthAssociate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Chair, Environmental Analytics and ModelingAssistant Professor of the Practice in Energy and Data Analytics
Co-Chair, Community Engagement and Environmental JusticeAssociate Professor of the Practice of Environmental Policy and ManagementAssociate Professor of the Practice of Environmental Policy and Management in the Division of Environmental Science and Policy
Co-Chair, Master of ForestryClarence F. Korstian Professor of Forest Economics and ManagementKorstian Distinguished Professor in Forest Economics and Management in the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences
Chair, Business and EnvironmentLynn Gorguze-Scott Peters Professor of the Practice of Environmental Entrepreneurship & InnovationProfessor of the Practice in Environmental Entrepreneurship
Norman L. Christensen Distinguished Professor of Environmental Sciences
Research Professor in the Division of Environmental Science and Policy
Professor of Soils and Forest EcologyProfessor in the Division of Earth and Climate Science
Director, Duke Wetland and Coasts CenterRachel Carson Distinguished Professor of Marine Conservation BiologyRachel Carson Professor of Marine Conservation Biology
George M. Woodwell Distinguished Professor of Environmental EconomicsGeorge M. Woodwell Distinguished Professor of Environmental Economics
Assistant Dean, Human Resources and Administrative Services
Associate Dean, Marketing & Communications
Associate Dean for Finance
Associate Dean, Development & Alumni Relations
Associate Dean, Student Services
Associate DirectorDuke University Marine Lab