Gift from Duke Alumnus David McAtee Establishes the McAtee JustScience Lab at the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law

The Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law has received a generous gift from Duke University alumnus David McAtee (A.B. ‘91) to establish the McAtee JustScience Lab, a visionary initiative at the Center. With this gift, the Wilson Center will expand opportunities for Duke students to research key problems and craft real-world solutions to major issues affecting our criminal legal system.

McAtee, Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel, AT&T Inc, and member of the Wilson Center’s Advisory Board, has committed $800,000 ($200,000 annually for four years) to support the Lab’s expansion and sustainability. The Lab provides undergraduate, graduate, and law students with immersive, hands-on opportunities to tackle pressing criminal justice challenges, from bail practices to sentencing and reentry to behavioral health impacts, through rigorous academic inquiry and community engagement.

“This gift represents a critical investment in the future of justice,” said Center Faculty Director, Professor Brandon Garrett. “Thanks to David’s generosity, the McAtee JustScience Lab will empower even more Duke students to work at the intersection of science, data, and the law to drive smart policy and systemic change.”

Launched five years ago, the JustScience Lab has already engaged over 100 students from across Duke University in high-impact projects. Students have contributed to clemency petitions, built public datasets to evaluate outcomes, and informed city and state policies through research memos and data visualizations. Many alumni of the Lab describe it as the defining experience of their time at Duke—and credit it with shaping their careers in law, policy, and public service.

The McAtee JustScience Lab will expand these opportunities, supporting supervision and mentorship by faculty and researchers and creating new pathways for student participation.

“I’m honored to support the JustScience Lab and the Wilson Center’s powerful mission,” McAtee said. “Our criminal legal system faces unprecedented burdens, and meeting those challenges will require a new generation of leaders who are equipped with a deep understanding of data and a passion for forging new policy solutions. Duke students are ready to meet that challenge.”

“This gift speaks volumes about David’s belief in our students and in the urgent need to transform the criminal legal system,” adds Derek Wilson (A.B.'86, M.B.A.'90), Chair of the Wilson Center Advisory Board and trustee of the Wilson Foundation, which gave $5 million in 2020 to help launch and name the Center. “It ensures that Duke students can engage deeply in work that challenges injustice, supports impacted communities, and moves us closer to a system rooted in fairness and safety for all.”

The Wilson Center for Science and Justice is a leader in interdisciplinary criminal justice reform. From advancing research on diversion and deflection, to developing data tools on sentencing and wrongful convictions, to training students across disciplines, the Center’s work informs policy and improves lives in North Carolina and beyond.

With the support of the McAtee gift, the Lab is poised to become a national model for student engagement to advance justice.