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Sonke Johnsen

Ida Stephens Owens Distinguished Professor
Biology
Duke Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708-0338
301 Bio Sci Bldg, Durham, NC 27708

Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations


Ida Stephens Owens Distinguished Professor · 2024 - Present Biology, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Biology · 2012 - Present Biology, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Associate Chair of the Department of Biology · 2026 - Present Biology, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor in the Division of Marine Science and Conservation · 2022 - Present Marine Science and Conservation, Nicholas School of the Environment
Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences · 2008 - Present Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, University Institutes and Centers
Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society · 2017 - Present Duke Science & Society, University Initiatives & Academic Support Units

Recent News Items


Published June 16, 2025
Summer Reading: Duke Authors’ Hot New Books
Published February 24, 2025
The Biology Professor on an Unusual Career Path in ‘Freedom to Fail’ Series
Published December 1, 2024
To Build Better Fiber Optic Cables, Ask a Clam

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Recent Scholarly Works


Global adaptation to climate change in the twilight zone revealed by shared signals of selection in mesopelagic lanternfishes.

Journal article bioRxiv · May 26, 2026 Rapid accumulation of greenhouse gases threatens humanity and global diversity. The oceans absorb 30% of anthropogenic carbon emissions annually, but adaptation to climate change by the biotic components of this sink are poorly understood. Lanternfishes (M ... Full text Link to item Cite

A dataset of whole-genome sequencing and genomic variants for the American Shad, <i>Alosa sapidissima,</i> from the Neuse River, North Carolina.

Journal article Data in brief · April 2026 Genetic data are critical for informing future conservation decisions for the American Shad, Alosa sapidissima, an economically important fish in the eastern coast of the United States. To improve genomic resources for this species, we generated mor ... Full text Cite

Multispecies sensory networks and social foraging strategies: Implications for population decline in procellariiform seabirds.

Journal article Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · October 2025 Multispecies sensory networks, where different species prioritize different sensory modalities and then use heterospecific information in a likely noncooperative fashion, may allow animals to improve foraging over large areas for cryptic prey. We test this ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


Decoding invisibility: from genome evolution to tissue optical properties in transparent fish

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by International Human Frontier Science Program Organization · 2024 - 2027

Collaborative Research: Visual adaptations in hydrothermal vent shrimp and the role in feeding modalities and habitat selection

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2022 - 2027

Optimal summation for maximum identification range of targets and the biophotonics of targets with ultralow reflectance

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Air Force Research Laboratory · 2025 - 2027

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Education


University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill · 1996 Ph.D.
Swarthmore College · 1988 B.A.

External Links


lab website