 After teaching at the California Institute of Technology and the University of Michigan, Dirks moved to Columbia in 1997, where he dramatically altered the direction of the anthropology department, championing postcolonial and multidisciplinary approaches, and making a variety of strategic appointments.He was named vice president in charge of Columbia's Faculty of Arts and Sciences as of September 2004.Dirks is the author of numerous books on South Asian history and culture, primarily concerned with the impact of British colonial rule.