Soulaymane Kachani

Soulaymane Kachani was appointed Senior Vice Provost on January 1, 2022. He oversees the development of Columbia University’s teaching, learning, and innovation strategies. He led the establishment of Columbia+, Columbia’s online platform to engage alumni and learners from around the world, and chairs the Provost’s Working Group on Generative AI.

He focuses on propelling Columbia’s excellence as a global university, working to enhance existing international academic partnerships and develop new ones, and to make its campuses ever more welcoming to students and scholars from around the world.

He manages many aspects of academic management, including overseeing budget, human resources, and administrative planning across the units of the Office of the Provost. He oversees Columbia’s International Students and Scholars Office, the Alliance program, Columbia University Press, and The University Seminars. He serves on the board of the Research Collections and Preservation Facility.

Prior to this role, Professor Kachani served as Vice Provost for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation. He led the establishment of the Center for Teaching and Learning in 2015. His book Leveling the Learning Curve: Creating a More Inclusive and Diverse University, published in October 2023, is an exploration of the digital higher education landscape in the post-pandemic era.

Professor Kachani served as the Senior Vice Dean of Columbia Engineering and for over a decade oversaw the School’s academic programs. He led the establishment of dozens of dual degree collaborations with leading international universities in Asia, Europe and South America, and developed flagship degree programs in partnership with Columbia Business School and Arts and Sciences.

Professor Kachani conducts research in dynamic pricing, revenue management, machine learning, logistics, supply chain management, algorithmic trading, traffic flow modeling, and transportation analysis.

Professor Kachani was honored with the Columbia Engineering Alumni Association 2005 Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award, the 2007 Kim Award for Faculty Involvement, the 2010 Avanessians Diversity Award, and the 2012 Egleston Distinguished Service Award. Prior to joining Columbia in 2003, he  worked as a senior consultant at McKinsey & Company. He received a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in Operations Research from MIT and a Diplôme d’Ingénieur from École Centrale Paris.