After 10 years at MIT, this is my first official day at Duke, and it is wonderful to be here. MIT was wonderful in many ways but it was time to look for new adventures and I am delighted that I found a new home at Duke.

Duke is also where I got my PhD, and coming back feels like being a student again. The one odd thing about this move is that my advisers and teachers from my PhD years will now be my colleagues, and I don’t think I will ever be able to see them in this new role. I think that advisers are a bit like parents—they are in this role forever. But feeling like a student again is a wonderful thing. I get to feel caring, warmth, and I get to look forward to many discussions over coffee with my new colleagues.

It is wonderful to be back.