Executive Office Directory

Role and Responsibilities

Susan is the Finance Manager for the Executive Vice President of Research overseeing all Central Finances and Reporting relating to the 9 EVPR units.

Biography

As a 22 year veteran of Columbia University, Susan served as Contract control specialist in the Department of Sponsored Projects Administration (formerly known as OPG) where she was responsible for the Data entry of awarded information into the grants management system for account creation and account Modifications. She was also responsible for post data entry, review and reconciliation of the information and attributes fed from the grants management system to the University financial system to ensure both systems were synchronized.  Susan also served as the Financial Assistant in the Department of Dermatology, as well as the Financial Coordinator for Columbia’s Biomedical Informatics Department.  In both capacities, she was responsible for review of financial activities such as reconciling grant and departmental accounts against the university financial systems, liaison between the IRB, IACUC and SPA for departmental requests and completion of such requests. In addition to but not limited to maintenance/execution of subcontract and consulting agreements and assist with the submission of grant proposals.  

Mrs. Richards-Baptiste earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Business Management from Delaware State University in Dover, DE.  A native of Brooklyn, NY, Susan likes to learn new concepts to excel at her position at Columbia University, read, and spend time with family.

Sharon has combined experience in business strategy and technical research. Sharon is the Associate Vice President for the Office of Research Initiatives and Development reporting to the Executive Vice President for Research at Columbia University. Her responsibility is to drive research across the University fostering interdisciplinary research. Previously Sharon served as the Executive Director of Strategic Programs at the Data Science Institute. Prior to joining Columbia University in 2014, Sharon spent 11 years at BAE Systems identifying and pursuing new business opportunities in leading edge technology. She began her career at Bell Laboratories managing and coordinating material characterization as well as developing new and innovative tools. Sharon moved on to become the strategic marketing manager at Lucent/Agere with a variety of responsibilities, from leading the technical evaluation of merger and acquisition candidates to defining product planning for the optical networking group and components. Sharon received a B.S. in physics from State University of New York at Binghamton and an M.S. in physics from Stevens Institute of Technology.

Sharon has served as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the CHIST-ERA and the Tulsa Innovation Labs Leadership Council, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Alliance for Data Science and AI (ADSA). Sharon has over 40 peer reviewed publications and 4 patents.

R. Yamir Gomez Carrasco is the Senior Program Manager for the Office of Research Initiatives and Development (ORID) within the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research at Columbia University. Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Research Initiatives and Development, Yamir manages ORID’s programmatic initiatives, supports the development and execution of research funding opportunities, and oversees the office’s operational, financial, and administrative functions.

Previously, Yamir was a Project Officer in the Project Management Unit at Columbia World Projects under the Executive Vice President for Columbia Global, where they led the management of faculty-awarded grants from inception to completion. They provided strategic programmatic guidance, ensuring projects aligned with institutional policies and funding agreements. Working closely with project leads, Yamir refined project plans, tracked key deliverables, and drove measurable progress.

Before joining Columbia, Yamir served as a Program Director and Research Program Manager at New York University, overseeing federally and city-funded research and service interventions focused on HIV and substance use. Yamir holds a Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science and Ethnic Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, and was recognized as a Rising Leader by the White House in 2024.

Jeannette M. Wing is the Executive Vice President for Research and Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University. She joined Columbia in 2017 as the inaugural Avanessians Director of the Data Science Institute. From 2013 to 2017, she was a Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Research.  She is Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon where she twice served as the Head of the Computer Science Department and had been on the faculty since 1985. From 2007-2010 she was the Assistant Director of the Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate at the National Science Foundation.  She received her S.B., S.M., and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science, all from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology She holds an honorary doctorate of technology from Linkoping University, Sweden.

Professor Wing's current research focus is on trustworthy AI.  Her general research interests are in the areas of trustworthy computing, security and privacy, specification and verification, concurrent and distributed systems, programming languages, and software engineering. She is known for her work on linearizability, behavioral subtyping, attack graphs, and privacy-compliance checkers. Her 2006 seminal essay, titled "Computational Thinking," is credited with helping to establish the centrality of computer science to problem-solving in fields where previously it had not been embraced.

She is currently a member of the American Academy for Arts and Sciences Board of Directors and Council; Computing Research Association Board; American Association of Universities, Senior Research Officers Steering Committee; the Advisory Board for the Association for Women in Mathematics; the Chan-Zuckerberg New York Biohub Steering Committee; and the Empire AI, Inc. Board of Directors. She has been chair and/or a member of many other academic, government, industry, and professional society advisory boards.  She was or is on the editorial board of twelve journals, including the Journal of the ACM, the Communications of the ACM, and the Harvard Data Science Review. She received the CRA Distinguished Service Award in 2011 and the ACM Distinguished Service Award in 2014. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), and National Academy of Innovators.  She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the MIT Corporation.

Greg Culler is the Executive Director of Research Partnerships and Initiatives within the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research (EVPR). Greg works across disciplines, schools, and campuses to foster interdisciplinary research collaborations and manages partnerships with federal agencies and labs, industry, and other academic institutions. Additionally, he oversees all aspects of institutional nominations for limited submission programs, EVPR seed funding programs, and program analysis focused on Columbia's success securing extramural research funding. Prior to joining the Office of Research Initiatives and Development in 2007, Greg was a project management consultant with Fortress Investment Group (2006 – 2007), and Lord Cultural Resources (2005 – 2006). Previously, he was a Project Manager in the Columbia University Oral History Research Office (2002 – 2005) overseeing collection and archiving of oral history interviews for the September 11 Projects. He holds an MA from Columbia University, and a BA from Arizona State University.

Casey Rollins is the Director of Research Initiatives within the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research. Reporting to the Executive Director of Research Partnerships and Initiatives, Casey partners with teams of scientific, engineering, and biomedical research faculty to develop innovative and high-impact grant proposals that support the University’s long-term research vision.

Prior to joining Columbia, Casey was the Project Manager of Compliance for Charles H. Greenthal Management, one of the largest privately owned residential management and leasing firms in New York metropolitan area. During her time working in compliance she ensured that the over 250 properties in the portfolio were closely monitored to adhere to new and existing laws and regulations.

Prior to her time at Charles H. Greenthal Management, Casey was a Graduate Academic Advisor for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University working with graduate level students from admission through graduation across nineteen degree programs including aeronautics, aerospace engineering, systems engineering, unmanned aircraft systems, cybersecurity management, human factors, logistics and supply chain management, and other degree programs.

Casey holds a Bachelor of Science in Paralegal Studies from Mississippi College and a Master of Science in Leadership from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Brittney Destin (pronouns: she/her) is the Associate Director, Alliance Management within the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research. Reporting to the Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships, Brittney manages and develops programming across all schools, colleges, and disciplines that encourage interdisciplinary research. Brittney is especially impassioned to use her position and resources to advance equity and inclusion of minoritized communities within Columbia’s research community. Prior to joining ORID, Brittney worked in program management related to clinical research and regulatory affairs throughout Columbia University Medical Center. She has also consulted large healthcare corporations and developed community projects that sought to deliver and sustain effective strategies that increased equity, improved access to quality healthcare, and fostered talent in the hospital workforce; particularly those from marginalized communities. Brittney received her Masters in Public Health from the Mailman School of Public Health and serves as an inaugural member of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC), Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Advisory Committee.