Nick Dirks, PhD
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Nicholas B. Dirks, PhD, is an internationally renowned historian and anthropologist, and a leader in higher education. As an academic administrator, Dirks has been known as a strong advocate for accessible, high-quality undergraduate education, and for the globalization of universities. He is a lifelong supporter of interdisciplinary studies, across the humanities, social sciences, and natural and physical sciences.
Dirks was a professor of history and of anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, where he served as the 10th chancellor until mid-2017. Before coming to Berkeley, Dirks was the executive vice president for the arts and sciences and dean of the faculty at Columbia University, where, in addition to his work on behalf of undergraduate programs, he improved and diversified the faculty, putting special emphasis on interdisciplinary and international initiatives.
The Franz Boas Professor of Anthropology and History, Dirks joined Columbia in 1997 as chair of the anthropology department. Prior to his appointment at Columbia, he was a professor of history and anthropology at the University of Michigan for 10 years, before which he taught Asian history and civilization at the California Institute of Technology.
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