 From 2018 to 2020 Dirks was chancellor and vice-chairman of Whittle School & Studios, a global network of independent schools serving children from 3 to 18.In June 2020, Dirks was named president and CEO of The New York Academy of Sciences.During his tenure, Dirks aspired to enhance the undergraduate experience, including the formation of a new undergraduate residential college, the creation of an undergraduate program in data science, the formation of a task force examining student housing, and efforts to improve the experiences of intercollegiate athletes at Berkeley.