Bianca Devos

Prof. Dr. Bianca Devos is a University Professor at the Department of Iranian Studies within the Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies (CNMS) at Philipps University of Marburg. Specializing in 20th-century Iranian history, her work examines intersections of religion and state politics, press history, and cultural policies during the Pahlavi era.

• Professor of Iranian Studies (W3), Philipps University of Marburg (since 2021)
• Co-Director, Gerda Henkel Foundation project State Islam in Pre-Revolutionary Iran (2018-2021)
• Key research themes: Modernization processes, cultural heritage, secularism, and societal elites in Iran

Her research projects, such as the analysis of Friedrich Werner von der Schulenburg and Ernst E. Herzfeld's correspondence (1923-1939), explore socio-cultural contexts of archaeological practices and state engagement with antiquity. She has presented extensively on topics like the Shah's Mecca pilgrimages, press coverage of Persepolis excavations, and debates on literary modernity in Persian texts.

• Current leadership roles: Director of CNMS, member of the Senate of Marburg University
• Academic networks: Association for Iranian Studies, Societas Iranologica Europaea, Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft