Zalika Azim, Research Assistant for the James Van Der Zee Archive, joined the Department of Photographs in 2024. She received a BFA in Photography & Imaging, and a BA in Social and Cultural Analysis from New York University (2014); and an MFA in Photography from the University of California Los Angeles (2023). Prior to graduate school, Azim served as a Registrar Assistant and Imaging & Permanent Collections Associate at The Studio Museum in Harlem. She has held additional fellowships and positions at The Museum of Modern Art (Department of Photography), Aperture Foundation (Education Department), The Walther Collection, and has worked for artists including Lyle Ashton Harris, Ming Smith and Steffani Jemison.