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Andrew Radin is a Senior Political Scientist at the RAND Corporation and Associate Director of the Master of National Security Policy Program at the RAND School of Public Policy. His work focuses on European security, military activities in space, and state-building, with expertise in NATO, Russia, Ukraine, and Afghanistan. Ph.D. in Political Science, MIT B.A. in Political Science and Mathematics, University of Chicago Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Southern California His research centers on European and Eurasian security , military strategy , and state-building in weak states . He emphasizes the role of local politics in institution-building and has conducted case studies in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, Timor-Leste, and Ukraine. His work explores hybrid warfare, deterrence, security sector reform, and U.S. policy toward Russia and China. His recent publications reveal a strong trend in analyzing space as a domain of military competition , NATO deterrence strategies , and Russian gray-zone aggression . Topics frequently include escalation dynamics, allied cooperation, and the future of the liberal international order. His research combines policy relevance with academic rigor. Scientific Contributions and Recognition: Author of Institution Building in Weak States: The Primacy of Local Politics (Georgetown University Press) Published in Security Studies , Journal of Conflict Resolution , Washington Quarterly , and War on the Rocks Contributor to high-impact RAND reports on Ukraine, NATO, Russia, and international order Andrew Radin has advised on national security policy, including serving as Country Director for Afghanistan in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. He previously taught as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. He has not received mention of specific grants or student advisees, but his leadership in the Master of National Security Policy program suggests mentorship and program development responsibilities. He is active in shaping U.S. defense and foreign policy through research and commentary. Laboratories, Teams, and Research Groups: He is affiliated with the RAND Corporation’s international security research division and contributes to projects on global competition, military strategy, and political warfare. His work is often collaborative, involving multidisciplinary teams focused on defense policy and strategic stability.

• European Security
• Military Strategy
• State Building
• +12 more

Henry Colburn is an Adjunct Assistant Professor specializing in classical art and archaeology, with degrees from the University of Michigan (PhD), University of Colorado, and University of St. Andrews. His research focuses on ancient Iran and interconnected regions including the Near East, Eastern Mediterranean, and Central Asia. Research interests span art historiography, cultural identity, globalization, and material culture studies of seals, coins, and drinking vessels. He serves on the Metropolitan Museum of Art's advisory committee for Ancient Near Eastern galleries reinstallation and is a research associate at the University of Michigan's Kelsey Museum of Archaeology. Major projects include publishing seals from the Persepolis Fortification Archive and studying a 19th-century Persian manuscript documenting Achaemenid and Sasanian sites. His book Archaeology of Empire in Achaemenid Egypt was published in 2020.

• Ancient Iranian Art and Archaeology
• Near Eastern Studies
• Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology
• +5 more

Ali Mousavi is Assistant Professor of Iranian Archaeology in UCLA’s Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures and a core faculty member of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology. A Berkeley PhD and former fellow of the Smithsonian, Maison de l’Orient and Global Heritage Fund, he has directed excavations and UNESCO World-Heritage projects at Pasargadae, Bam, Susa, Sultaniyeh and Turang Tepe and authored prize-winning volumes Ancient Iran from the Air and Persepolis: Discovery and Afterlife of a World Wonder . Education PhD, Near Eastern Studies (Archaeology), University of California, Berkeley (2005) MA, Archaeology, History and Languages of Old World Civilizations, Université Lyon II, France (1997) BA, Archaeology and Art History of Europe and the East Mediterranean, Université Lyon II, France (1996) Research interests span the archaeology and art history of Iran from the Neolithic to the early-20th century, with particular focus on Achaemenid and Sasanian monumental architecture, ancient irrigation (qanats), landscape archaeology, digital heritage, and the modern historiography of Iranian archaeology. His field projects integrate remote sensing, epigraphy, GIS and conservation science to investigate imperial capitals, rock-cut monuments and water-management systems across the Iranian plateau. Across more than 30 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, Mousavi has re-examined dating criteria for Achaemenid stone monuments, analysed royal inscriptions as visual displays, traced medieval Persian pilgrims’ graffiti at ancient sites, and produced synthetic archaeological surveys of the Sasanian empire and the Central Alborz Iron-Age cultures. The corpus reflects a sustained engagement with primary field data, archival research and critical historiography of 19th- and 20th-century excavations. Selected honours Ehsan Yarshater Book Award (2014) Iranian Ministry of Culture World Book Award (2014) Leon Levy – Shelby White publication grant (2008) UNESCO award for World-Heritage nomination files (2003) Iran Heritage Foundation field-work award (2003) Guitty Azarpay Fellowship, UC Berkeley (2000-2003) IFRI Fellowship, Paris (1998) At UCLA he offers undergraduate courses “Archaeology of Iran” and “Ancient Cities of Iran (4000 BC-AD 1900)” and mentors graduate researchers in the Cotsen Institute. His grants and fellowships from NSF-equivalent European and American agencies underwrite both field seasons and publication of critical archaeological corpora, while his service on Iranian, UNESCO and international heritage boards continues to link scholarly output with heritage-management policy.

• Archaeology of Iran
• Achaemenid architecture and epigraphy
• Sasanian empire
• +3 more

Jason Brownlee is a Professor in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on comparative politics, democracy, and authoritarianism, with a regional emphasis on the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Ph.D., Princeton University Contact: brownlee@austin.utexas.edu Research Interests : Brownlee investigates the persistence of authoritarian regimes, the political economy of repression, and the impact of foreign intervention on domestic politics. His work often analyzes Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Key Publications : Authoritarianism in an Age of Democratization (Cambridge, 2007) Democracy Prevention: The Politics of the U.S.-Egyptian Alliance (Cambridge, 2012) The Arab Spring: Pathways of Repression and Reform (Oxford, 2012, co-authored with Tarek Masoud and Andrew Reynolds) Teaching : Brownlee offers courses such as "War/Freedom in South Asia/Middle East" and "Issues & Policies in American Government," delivered both in-person and online.

• Comparative Politics
• Democracy
• Development
• +4 more

Dr. Auzeen Shariati is an Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Programs in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at George Mason University. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Affairs and Criminal Justice from Florida International University (2017), an M.A. in Criminal Law and Criminology from Allameh Tabataba’I University (2010), and a B.A. in Judicial Law from the University of Tehran (2006). Prior to academia, she practiced as a defense attorney at the Iranian Bar Association. Her research focuses on environmental criminology, crime prevention, victimization, policing strategies, and comparative criminal justice systems. Key areas include pandemic impacts on domestic violence, school safety through Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), and policy evaluation in criminal justice. She has published extensively in journals like American Journal of Criminal Justice , Journal of Family Violence , and Security Journal . Recent work examines how the Covid-19 pandemic and social upheavals like the murder of George Floyd influenced domestic violence reporting and victim experiences. Her studies combine quantitative and qualitative methods, emphasizing real-world policy implications. Dr. Shariati teaches courses such as Introduction to Criminology , Law and Justice Around the World , and Evaluation of Crime and Justice Policies . She actively presents at conferences like the American Society of Criminology and has contributed to public discourse on campus safety and criminal justice reform through media engagements.

• Environmental Criminology
• Crime Prevention
• Victimization Studies
• +6 more

M. Rahim Shayegan is a prominent scholar in Iranian and Near Eastern studies, specializing in Old and Middle Iranian philology, Achaemenid-Sasanian history, and Greco-Roman-Iranian cultural interactions. He holds a PhD from Harvard University and has conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Göttingen and Sorbonne. His work bridges philology, epigraphy, and historical analysis to explore ancient political ideologies, religious traditions, and cross-cultural exchanges. Education: PhD, Iranian Philology & Ancient History, Harvard University MA, Iranian Philology, Sorbonne University BA, Philosophy & Comparative Philology, University of Cologne Research Interests: Iranian epigraphy and royal inscriptions Political dynamics of pre-Islamic Iranian empires Greco-Roman and Iranian cultural dialogues Zoroastrianism and ancient Near Eastern religions His publications include seminal works like Arsacids and Sasanians: Political Ideology in Post-Hellenistic Persia (2011) and Cyrus the Great: Life and Lore (2019). He has held prestigious fellowships at the Guggenheim Foundation and is a member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Awards: Ehsan Yarshater Book Award (2012) Academia Europaea Membership (2019–) Courses Taught: Achaemenid Civilization Sasanian History Old Persian Cuneiform Zoroastrianism and Ancient Religions

• Ancient Iranian History
• Iranian Philology
• Cultural Exchange Studies
• +3 more

Asef Bayat is Professor of Sociology and the Catherine and Bruce Bastian Professor of Global and Transnational Studies at the Department of Sociology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He has held previous academic positions at the American University in Cairo, Leiden University (where he held the Chair of Society and Culture of the Modern Middle East), and visiting appointments at UC Berkeley, Columbia University, Oxford, and Brown University. His research interests include: Political Sociology Collective Behavior and Social Movements Sociology of Religion Urban Life and Politics Islam and Modernity Contemporary Middle East Bayat's research focuses on the role of ordinary people and subaltern classes in social and political transformations, particularly in the context of the Arab Spring and Middle Eastern urban movements. His work bridges comparative and historical sociology with global and transnational perspectives, emphasizing everyday forms of resistance and the reconfiguration of political Islam. He has extensively explored the sociological dimensions of revolution, modernity, migration, and loss of home. His recent publications, including articles in International Journal of Urban and Regional Research and Journal of Democracy , reflect a sustained engagement with urban politics, revolutionary dynamics, and youth activism in the Global South. The recurring themes across his work include the agency of marginalized populations, the transformation of public space, and the evolving nature of political engagement in non-Western contexts. Bayat has received numerous honors and fellowships: Guggenheim Fellow Ford Foundation Fellow MacArthur Fellow Open Society Fellow Wissenschaftskolleg Fellow, Berlin He has been actively involved in academic leadership, having served as director of the International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World (ISIM) and elected to the Board of the UN Research Institute for Social Development. He has taught key courses such as Global Social Movements, Global Religion and Politics, and Middle Eastern Societies. Though specific students are not listed, his role as a full professor and author of major works indicates extensive mentorship and academic advising. He is affiliated with multiple interdisciplinary centers, including the Center for African Studies, Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, European Union Center, and Center for Global Studies.

• Political Sociology
• Collective Behavior and Social Movements
• Sociology of Religion
• +8 more

Andrew Ollett is an Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago , where he has taught since 2019. His research focuses on the literary and intellectual traditions of South and Southeast Asia, particularly through works in Sanskrit, Prakrit, Apabhramsha, and Kannada from the first millennium CE. Co-founder and editor of NESAR (New Explorations in South Asia Research) Director of NEH-funded edition/translation of the Kavirājamārga (earliest Kannada literary manual) Expert in Prakrit and Kannada literary traditions His work explores the 'question of language'—examining how language choice shaped cultural production and change in premodern India. Current projects include a monograph on context-sensitivity in Indian language theories and a study of manuscript technology's impact on early South Asian knowledge communities. He has authored The Mirror of Ornaments (Naples: Unior Press, 2025) and Language of the Snakes (UC Press, 2017), and co-authored Lilavai (Harvard, 2021). Recent publications include interdisciplinary studies on: Sanskrit-Prakrit campū genre reevaluation Pragmatics in Mīmāṁsā interpretive concepts Manuscript literacy's influence on literary forms Historical linguistics of Middle Indic syllable reduction Philosophy of language in Śālikanātha and Kumārila Bhaṭṭa Awarded the NEH 'Scholarly Editions and Translations' grant , he teaches classical South Asian literature courses covering Sanskrit, Prakrit, and Tamil traditions. He maintains digital resources including a Prakrit Digital Texts Project and Mīmāṁsādigdarśinī digital text repository, and actively contributes to open-access scholarship.

• Poetics
• History of Literature
• Intellectual History
• +9 more

Jeremy Rau is a Professor of Linguistics and Classics at Harvard University's Department of Linguistics, part of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. He currently serves as Director of Graduate Studies for Fall 2024 and is on leave for Spring 2025. His office is located in Boylston Hall, Cambridge, MA. Rau specializes in Greek and Latin historical linguistics with a particular focus on Homeric language, Indo-European linguistic systems, and Indo-Iranian comparative studies. His research explores ancient language structures, verb morphology, and diachronic phonological changes in pre-classical texts. Research Interests: Proto-Indo-European root analysis Mycenaean Greek linguistic features Homer's language and epic conventions Indo-Iranian comparative linguistics Verb derivation mechanisms Publications reflect deep engagement with ancient language structures, including studies on Mycenaean contract verbs, Homeric noun inflections, and Proto-Germanic lexicon. He has contributed to journals like Die Sprache , Glotta , and Historische Sprachforschung , as well as edited volumes such as Verba Docenti . Administratively, Rau oversees graduate programs and participates in departmental governance. His work bridges historical linguistics with philological scholarship, emphasizing systematic analysis of ancient language data.

• Greek historical linguistics
• Latin historical linguistics
• Homeric language
• +5 more

Margaret Graves is the Adrienne Minassian Associate Professor of Islamic Art and Architecture at Brown University’s History of Art and Architecture department, serving as Director of Graduate Study. She holds a PhD, MSc, and MA from the University of Edinburgh. Her research focuses on Islamic art and material culture, particularly medieval and modern acts of making, forgery, and colonial-era craft reform. Notable works include Arts of Allusion (2018), winner of major prizes, and her forthcoming Invisible Hands on 19th/20th-century ceramics forgery. Research interests span medieval Islamic intellectual history, colonial antiquities markets, and collaborations with conservators. Teaching includes courses on cultural heritage, museum studies, and Islamic art historiography. Awards include the 2019 International Center of Medieval Studies Book Prize and the 2021 Karen Gould Prize. Current projects explore postcolonial craft legacies, international banking ties to antiquities markets, and occult sciences in medieval craftsmanship.

• Islamic Art and Architecture
• Medieval Art
• Material Culture
• +3 more

Asma Mehan, Ph.D. , is an Assistant Professor at the Huckabee College of Architecture, Texas Tech University , with a Ph.D. in Architecture, History, and Project from Politecnico di Torino (2017). Her work bridges architectural humanities and critical urban studies , focusing on urban inclusivity, heritage preservation, and climate justice. She authored two books— Tehran: From Sacred to Radical (2022) and Kuala Lumpur: Community, Infrastructure, and Urban Inclusivity (2020)—and leads the Coordination Team of the AESOP Young Academics network. Education: Ph.D. in Architecture, History, and Project, Politecnico di Torino (2017) Her research spans spatial justice , feminist placemaking , and heritage studies , addressing issues like oil urbanism , digital citizen participation , and resilient housing . Articles highlight her interdisciplinary approach to urban resilience, AI integration, and socio-environmental equity. She has held fellowships including the FCT Scientific Employment Stimulus and NIAS-KNAW Urban Citizenship Fellowship. Scientific Awards: AESOP Young Academics Award European Architectural History Network (EAHN) Fellowship Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) Grant ZK/U Berlin Researcher-in-Residence SAHGB Award Dr. Mehan has taught at TU Delft and Politecnico di Torino, guest lectured at TU Munich and Deakin University, and conducted visiting research in Switzerland, Australia, and Berlin. Her work appears in over 50 publications across English, Persian, and Italian, emphasizing critical pedagogy , collaborative design , and policy toolkits for urban inclusivity.

• Architectural Humanities
• Critical Urban Studies
• Cultural Heritage
• +6 more

Daniel J. Sheffield is an Associate Professor in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University, serving as Director of Undergraduate Studies. He holds a Ph.D. in Iranian and Persian Studies from Harvard University (2012). Previously, he held positions at the University of Washington and as a Link-Cotsen Postdoctoral Fellow at Princeton's Society of Fellows. His research focuses on the religious, intellectual, and social history of the medieval and early modern Persian-speaking world, with specialties in exchanges between Safavid Iran and Mughal India, Zoroastrian communities, and the transmission of ideas from Late Antiquity to Early Modernity. His current work explores language, translation, and religious thought, exemplified by his manuscript Cosmopolitan Zarathustras and an upcoming project on translation and toleration in Safavid and Mughal contexts. Teaching includes undergraduate courses on Iranian history, graduate seminars on Persian historiography, and ancient Iranian language instruction. He organizes a Classical Persian reading group for students. His recent publications appear in major edited volumes on Zoroastrianism and philology. Award-winning educator and researcher, he is affiliated with the Behrman Faculty Fellows program. Beyond academia, he enjoys cooking, accordion playing, and family life with his young child.

• Medieval History
• Early Modern History
• Religious Studies
• +6 more

Göran Ekström is the Newberry Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. He holds joint affiliations with the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences and the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Previously, he was a professor at Harvard University (1990–2006) before moving to Columbia. His research focuses on seismic wave analysis, earthquake mechanics, and environmental geophysics with notable contributions to understanding glacial earthquakes, volcanic processes, and nuclear explosion monitoring. Education: B.S. in Physics (Swarthmore College, 1981), Ph.D. in Geophysics (Harvard University, 1987). Postbaccalaureate studies at Moscow State University and postdoctoral work at Columbia University. He has served as chair of major organizations like the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology and EarthScope Steering Committee. Research interests span seismology, tectonophysics, and environmental geology. Notable achievements include discovering glacial earthquakes linked to Greenland ice dynamics and developing the Global Centroid Moment Tensor Project. His work integrates seismic data from global networks to study Earth’s interior structure and tectonic processes. Awards include the Beno Gutenberg Medal (2015) and election to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (2019). He advises on geohazard monitoring and collaborates with international agencies for seismic treaty verification. Current projects include studies of mantle dynamics using surface-wave tomography and analysis of geophysical signals from extreme events like landslides and volcanic eruptions.

• Geophysics
• Seismology
• Earthquake Physics
• +5 more

Finbarr Barry Flood is the William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of the Humanities and Founder-Director of the Silsila: Center for Material Histories at NYU's Institute of Fine Arts. He holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Art History from the University of Edinburgh (1993) and a B.A. in Archaeology from Trinity College Dublin (1988). His research focuses on Islamic art and architecture, cross-cultural material culture, and art historical methodologies. Notably, he has held prestigious fellowships such as the Slade Professorship at Oxford and ACLS Collaborative Research Fellowship. His work bridges global art histories, examining topics like medieval Hindu-Muslim encounters, iconoclasm, and the materiality of religious artifacts. Flood’s scholarly contributions include seminal books like Objects of Translation and The Great Mosque of Damascus . His awards reflect both academic excellence and teaching prowess, including NYU's Golden Dozen Award. As director of Silsila, he leads interdisciplinary research into material histories, fostering collaborations across disciplines and regions. His publications span 40+ years, addressing themes from medieval art technologies to modern reinterpretations of Islamic aesthetics.

• Art and architecture of the Islamic world
• Cross-cultural dimensions of Islamic material culture
• Theories and practices of image-making
• +3 more

Dr. Ahmad Sadri is the Gorter Professor of Islamic World Studies and Professor of Sociology at Lake Forest College. His primary affiliations include the Sociology and Anthropology department. He holds a PhD from the New School for Social Research (1981) and has held significant academic positions including the James P. Gorter Chair (2007–2010). His research focuses on the sociology of intellectuals, religion in Iran, and Middle Eastern politics. Notable awards include the Bird Award for Intellectual Contributions (1999) and the William L. Dunn Teaching Award (1994). Sadri has authored influential books like Max Weber’s Sociology of Intellectuals (1992) and Saddam City (2004). His work bridges sociological theory with contemporary issues in Islamism, democratization, and intercivilizational dialogue. He has been a frequent media commentator on NPR, BBC, and academic conferences worldwide. His 2008 Senate testimony on Middle East policy exemplifies his engagement with public intellectualism. Current research emphasizes civilizational imagination and reform movements in Iran.

• Sociology of Intellectuals
• Sociology of Religion
• Politics of Iran and Middle East
• +3 more