Avery August

Avery is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor and professor of immunology in the College of Veterinary Medicine. He served as Vice Provost for Academic Affairs beginning in 2018, until his appointment as Deputy Provost in 2022.

Working with Yael Levitte, senior associate vice provost for faculty development and diversity, on a range of faculty development and diversity policies, programs and initiatives, he oversees faculty recruitment and hiring strategies, and provides leadership for workshops for department chairs and associate deans. He manages the faculty dual career program and the provost’s program for diversity hiring, and is the provost’s liaison for the Faculty Committee on Program Review guiding department reviews.

Formerly chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dr. August discovered new strategies to treat asthma, among other scientific accomplishments. His research addresses the mechanisms that regulate the development of inflammation in diseases, particularly in allergy and lung inflammatory diseases, as well as fundamental mechanisms of development of T cell subsets and memory.

August is principal investigator on a $16 million award issued by the National Institutes of Health in 2022 to support Cornell’s hiring and retention of 10 new assistant professors over five years in three research clusters: the quantitative biomedical sciences, infection biology and health equity.

In the summer of 2018, August initiated the Cornell University Research Transfer Program, assisting biology students transferring from community colleges. The program offers research opportunities, mentoring and other programs to contribute to the students’ success. He is also principal investigator on the NIH-funded Cornell Initiative to Maximize Student Development, which enhances the recruitment of students underrepresented in life sciences graduate programs at Cornell, including deaf and hard of hearing students.

Before coming to Cornell in 2010, August was an immunology professor in the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences and director of the Center for Molecular Immunology and Infectious Disease at Pennsylvania State University.

He received his B.S. in medical technology from California State University Los Angeles and his doctorate in immunology from Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences at Cornell.

Contact information:

Office of the Deputy Provost
431 Day Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853-2801
Email: deputyprovost@cornell.edu

Yael Levitte

Yael Levitte is the Senior Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity. Working closely with the Deputy Provost on faculty recruiting, retention and development, she also oversees educational and community-building programs that support faculty across their careers. Levitte develops faculty leadership initiatives for current and aspiring academic leaders. 

The NIH and NSF have supported her research on the entry and retention of women and individuals with underrepresented or marginalized identities in the STEM labor force.

Levitte earned a B.A. from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, an MS.Pl. in Urban Planning, and a Ph.D. in economic geography from the University of Toronto. She has also received an executive coaching certificate from Columbia University’s Coaching Program.

Heather Furnas

Heather Furnas is the Communication and Program Coordinator for the Office of Faculty Development and Diversity. Heather joins OFDD with extensive experience supporting faculty and developing programs to support research. She earned her Ph.D. in History from Cornell University and has held a variety of instructional and academic library positions, including as the American Studies Librarian at Cornell University Library and as the History Liaison Librarian at Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries. Most recently, Heather worked at the Cornell Center for Social Sciences, where she supported faculty research and programming.