Nicholas B. Dirks is a celebrated historian, anthropologist, and leader in higher education. He is the President and CEO of the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS), one of the oldest scientific organizations in the U.S. He is also a Professor of History and Anthropology at University of California, Berkeley.
In his role at NYAS, Nick oversees a global community of more than 20,000 members, comprised of top-echelon leaders in science, industry, academia, government, and public policy. Nick is committed to using science for the public good, connecting experts across sectors, disciplines, and national boundaries to advance scientific progress and tackle the greatest challenges of our time.
Prior to NYAS, Nick served as the 10th Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, where he launched major initiatives in data science, neuroscience, genomics, and undergraduate education and fostered collaboration among universities locally and globally. Before Berkeley, Nick served as the Executive VP and Dean of the Faculty for Arts and Sciences at Columbia University.
Nick is the recipient of several scholarly honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, a MacArthur Foundation residential fellowship, and the Lionel Trilling Award. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Affairs, and a member of numerous national and international bodies. He has spoken at the Science Summit of the United Nations, the Science and Technology Forum, the Aspen Ideas Festival, the Milken Institute, the World Economic Forum, and panels organized by The New York Times and The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Nick is the author of eight books, including the forthcoming book City of Intellect: The Uses of Abuses of the University. He received his B.A. from Wesleyan University, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.
