Simone CRISTOFORETTI

Simone Cristoforetti is an Associate Professor of History of Irano-Islamic Civilization at the Department of Asian and North African Studies, Ca' Foscari University of Venice. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Naples (now L'Orientale) and has been a faculty member since 2005. His research focuses on Iranian and Islamic history, calendar systems, medieval festivities, and cultural heritage. He has led projects on irrigation techniques in Islamic contexts and the socio-environmental history of Iran. He is a member of editorial boards for journals like EURASIATICA and collaborates with international research networks.

Education:

• Ph.D., Iranian Studies, University of Naples (1998)
• Bachelor's, Oriental Languages and Literature (Iranian), Ca' Foscari University (1993)

Research Interests: Medieval Iranian festivals, Zoroastrian chronology, Ismaili history, traditional irrigation systems, and the socio-political role of calendars in Islamic societies. He has authored/co-authored works on figures like Genghis Khan and Saladino, and studies on cultural heritage management in the Middle East.

Awards:

• National prize Mario Di Nola 2005 (Historical Subjects)
• 2022 National Scientific Qualification for Full Professorship (10/N1)

Advising & Grants: Supervised PhD projects like Sara Pourahmadi's work on Zoroastrian calendars. Led funded projects on Abbasid-era sources of Nowruz and Networks of Science and Waters in Islamic irrigation techniques. Served on doctoral committees at prestigious institutions like the University of Rome and Bologna.

Labs/Teams: Affiliated with the Research Institute for Digital and Cultural Heritage. Collaborates with the Marco Polo Research Centre for Global Europe-Asia Connections and the Biruni Study Group on traditional water management.