Duke University has named the Department of Anesthesiology’s Sven-Eric Jordt, PhD, a 2026 distinguished professor of anesthesiology. He is among 22 School of Medicine faculty members who received a distinguished professorship this year. These professorships are awarded to the most distinguished faculty who have demonstrated extraordinary scholarship in advancing science and improving human health.
“I feel deeply honored by this distinction by our university and am grateful for the department’s nomination,” says Jordt, professor in anesthesiology and professor of pharmacology and cancer biology. “I joined Duke Anesthesiology in 2014 and witnessed the tremendous growth and success of our basic and translational research groups, enabled by a succession of highly supportive and visionary departmental leaders. This environment allowed my research to thrive and move into novel directions that had impact beyond my imagination. Being named a Distinguished Professor of Anesthesiology speaks to the department’s dedication and long-term commitment to our research faculty.”
Jordt is an internationally recognized interdisciplinary scientist whose work spans pain research, environmental health sciences, chemical injury, and tobacco control. His research focuses on the mechanisms that enable humans and animals to sense touch, pain, and irritation. His Chemical Sensing, Pain and Inflammation Research Laboratory aims to identify the molecular components of the signaling pathways that translate environmental, physical, and chemical stimuli into neural activity. His discoveries have fundamentally reshaped the understanding of chemical injury and informed state and federal regulatory policies.
Jordt is the eighth faculty member of Duke Anesthesiology to be named a distinguished professor, one of the highest honors in academia. These highly-coveted, permanently-named memorials promote scientific discovery and the advancement of anesthesia care.
Jordt and other awardees will be honored at the university’s annual distinguished professorship event on May 18.