Meet The Team

Dima Amso
Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement

We are delighted to welcome Dr. Dima Amso as the new Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement. A leading scholar in developmental cognitive neuroscience and a passionate advocate for inclusive excellence, Dr. Amso brings a dynamic vision and deep expertise to Faculty Advancement's work in supporting Columbia’s faculty.

Dr. Amso joined Columbia’s Department of Psychology in 2020 after distinguished appointments at Brown University and Weill Cornell Medical College. Her internationally recognized research examines the development of attention, memory, and executive functions in development, with a special emphasis on how environmental variables shape these trajectories. Her work spans the globe, from NYC to Jordan, Ghana, South Africa, and Malawi.

Prior to joining the office, she served as Chair of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences Policy and Planning Committee. In her new role, she will lead efforts to strengthen faculty development, enhance community building, and cultivate an environment where all faculty can thrive. In addition to her administrative responsibilities, she will remain active in her research and teaching.

As we look to the future, we are excited to work with Dr. Amso and our campus partners to advance our shared commitment to inclusive excellence. Please join us in warmly welcoming Dr. Amso to the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement.

Brent Wells
Associate Provost for Faculty Advancement

Brent returns to Columbia as an alum of VP&S, where he received a PhD in Genetics and Development. He followed this with a postdoc at NYU. His research? TL;DR: developmental genetics in fruit flies. Stepping away from bench research, Brent joined USAID as a AAAS Science & Technology fellow. For 8 years, he served as a senior program and strategy officer managing grants and capacity strengthening programs in low- and middle-income country higher education institutions around the world. Brent comes with a deep commitment to building inclusive and effective programming to support faculty, research, and institutional growth and is excited to bring his experience to the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement.

Caitlin DeClercq
Director, Faculty Advancement Initiatives

Caitlin DeClercq comes to the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement after seven years with Columbia’s Center for Teaching and Learning. At the CTL, Caitlin managed a robust suite of fellowships, seminars, and programs supporting the pedagogical and professional development of graduate students and postdocs across Columbia. In this role, she also founded and co-chaired the Graduate Student Advisory Committee, which oversaw the expansion of the CTL’s teaching orientation and office hours for graduate students. With a PhD in Architecture from UC Berkeley, prior experience as a college health educator, and more recent stint as the co-founder of the Epidemic Urbanism Initiative, Caitlin brings to her new role at the OVPFA a commitment to creating vibrant, inclusion-centered communities and programs, which she is excited to leverage in support of helping faculty thrive across all stages of their career trajectories. Beyond work, Caitlin is an avid reader, occasional runner, and aspiring piano player.

Dror Levy
Associate Director of Finance and Operations

Dror joined the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement as the Associate Director of Finance and Operations in January 2023. Prior to this role, Dror worked in the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action for five years as the Manager of Operations. Before moving to New York in 2018, Dror lived in Boston for a decade and worked in various roles at Harvard University. Dror received his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida and his master's degree in Policy, Planning & Administration from Boston University. In his free time, Dror enjoys baking all manner of breads and going for long walks around the city with his wife and two dogs.

Julia Zhu
Program Manager

Julia Zhu comes to the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where she served as an Assistant Program Manager supporting executive education programs. At Wharton, Julia managed programming for senior leaders, coordinating logistics, stakeholder communication, and program delivery to ensure a seamless participant experience. Julia holds a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor’s degree from New York University. Drawing on her background in education, program management, and service-oriented design, she brings to her role at OVPFA a strong commitment to creating thoughtfully structured, inclusive programs that support faculty engagement and professional growth. Outside of work, Julia enjoys reading and traveling.

Alexey Shvyrkov
Fellow in Academic Administration

Alexey Shvyrkov comes to the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement as a Fellow in Academic Administration, where he supports initiatives focused on faculty mentoring, professional development, and inclusive academic pathways. He is also a PhD candidate in the Department of Slavic Languages at Columbia University.