Nicholas B. Dirks
Professor of History and Anthropology & former Chancellor, University of California, Berkeley, Chancellor and vice-chairman of Whittle School & Studios

Nick was named the 10th chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley on November 8, 2012, and served in that role between June 1, 2013 and July 1, 2017. An internationally renowned historian and anthropologist, he is a leader in higher education and well-known for his commitment to and advocacy for accessible, high-quality undergraduate education. Nick has long been a champion for the globalization of the university and for innovation and collaboration across the disciplines and between universities and outside partners. Before coming to Berkeley, he 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. He received his B.A. from Wesleyan University, and his M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Chicago. A leading scholar of India in the American academy, Nick has published four major books on India, including Autobiography of an Archive: A Scholar's Passage to India; Castes of Mind: Colonialism and the Making of Modern India; and The Scandal of Empire: India and the Creation of Imperial Britain. In February 2018, Nick was named chancellor and vice-chairman of Whittle School & Studios. You can read more about Nick’s career here.