Francesca Elizabeth Duncan PhD

Dr. Francesca Elizabeth Duncan earned her doctorate in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania and completed post-doctoral fellowships in reproductive science and medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and at Northwestern University. She is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, where she holds the Thomas J. Watkins Memorial Professorship in Reproductive Science. She co-directs the Center for Reproductive Science and is the faculty director for the Master of Science in Reproductive Science and Medicine program at Northwestern. She is also an Associate Professor in Residence at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in the Center for Reproductive Longevity and Equality.

Dr. Duncan leads a research program focused on understanding the cellular mechanisms of how aging – both physiologic and iatrogenic - impacts reproductive potential at the levels of the gamete and ovary. Dr. Duncan has also expanded her research to encompass modulating reproductive capacity as the Principal Investigator of the Ovarian Contraceptive Discovery Initiative, whose goal is the identification of novel ovarian targets for non-hormonal contraception using innovative models such as in vitro follicle growth and ovulation.

In her 24+ year history in the field, she has co-authored >115 manuscripts in the area of reproductive biology through collaboration with nearly 700 co-authors from 196 institutions. Her work has been cited over 14,500 times (Scopus), with 34 documents in the top 1-10% of citation impacts in their fields. Her findings have been highlighted on BBC radio, in Discover Magazine, Marie Claire Magazine, CNN Health, the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, National Geographic, and WGN-TV. Dr. Duncan is committed to academic publishing and is an ad hoc reviewer for >30 journals, has served on numerous editorial boards, and is the current Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Human Reproduction.

She is an active leader in professional societies, serving on the Board of Directors for the Society for the Study of Reproduction and on the Council for the Histochemical Society. Dr. Duncan is passionate about educating the next generation of leaders in the reproductive sciences, and she has served as a faculty member in prestigious programs such as Frontiers in Reproduction and Biology of Aging held at the Marine Biological Laboratories. Dr. Duncan is the recipient of several prestigious honors, including a 2017 United States Fulbright Award, the 2019 Virendra B. Mahesh New Investigator Award from the Society for the Study of Reproduction, the 2024 Rolly Simpson Frontiers in Reproduction Distinguished Alumni Award, and the 2024 Roger V. Short Medal and Lecture.