Victoria Hamilton

Victoria Hamilton created and directs the Office of Research Initiatives and Development at Columbia University, reporting to the Executive Vice President for Research. This Office works across disciplines, schools, and campuses to foster interdisciplinary research collaboration, particularly among scientists, engineers, and medical researchers. The Office supports efforts to secure external funding for such collaborations, and administers a seed fund for very early-stage research that falls outside the traditional boundaries. The Office also focuses on helping plan and build research infrastructure, such as the Shared Research Computing Facility and the Columbia Nano Initiative facilities.

Prior to joining Columbia in January 2007, Ms. Hamilton was a principal of The Washington Advisory Group, consulting with both industry and non-profits on the intersection of scientific and technical research and commerce (1999 to 2006). Previously, she was Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of General American Investors, a NYSE-listed closed end investment fund (1992-1998), and for ten years a senior member in SRK Management Company, a private venture capital firm (1982-1992). Ms. Hamilton holds a BA and an MBA from Harvard University.