Nicholas Dirks, President and CEO of the New York Academy of Sciences, is an internationally renowned historian and anthropologist. He leads the Academy in promoting science-based solutions to world challenges, including pandemics and global warming. Professor Dirks and the Academy facilitate the dissemination of scientific information, support broad access to science education, counter bias in academia and the laboratory, and support scientists across all stages of their careers. Professor Dirks studies critical issues at the intersection of the humanities, social sciences, and the natural sciences, including distrust of science and vaccine hesitancy. He has recently helped launch the International Science Reserve (ISR), with partners including IBM, UL, Pfizer, and Google. The ISR is building a network of scientists to contribute solutions to international crises. The ISR also compiles technical and human resources scientists can call upon to further research in times of crisis. The ISR builds on the successful work of scientists in quickly developing vaccines and therapies against the COVID-19 pandemic. Professor Dirks is a strong advocate for academic and scientific collaboration across disciplines. He served as the tenth chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, where he improved facilities and programs for undergraduates while establishing a new division for the study of data science. He presided over record-breaking fundraising as well as investments in major research collaborations in neuroscience and genomics. Professor Dirks helped negotiate Berkeley’s participation in the $600 million Chan Zuckerberg BioHub, as well as global partnerships with universities in the UK, China, and Singapore. Professor Dirks was awarded a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, and has taught at the California Institute of Technology, the University of Michigan, and Columbia University. At Columbia he chaired the anthropology department, later becoming executive vice president for the arts and sciences and dean of the faculty. He is the author of four major books in history and anthropology, focusing on changes in Indian society, especially the caste system, under British colonial rule.