Rahim Shayegan

Rahim Shayegan is an Assistant Professor of Iranian Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), affiliated with the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures in the Division of Humanities. He currently holds the Pourdavoud Endowed Director's Chair (2018-present) and serves as Director of the Pourdavoud Center for the Study of the Iranian World. He also directs the Program of Iranian Studies at UCLA.

• PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (Iranian Philology, Ancient History) from Harvard University
• MA in Old Iranian Philology and Ancient History from Université de la Sorbonne
• BA in Philosophy, Comparative Philology, and History from Albertus-Magnus-Universität zu Köln

His research focuses on Iranian epigraphy, philology, and historiography across multiple eras, including Achaemenid, Arsacid, Seleucid, and Sasanian periods. He studies Persian epic traditions, ancient religions, and intersections between Greek and Islamic historiographical practices.

• Ehsan Yarshater Book Award for Arsacids and Sasanians (2011)
• Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship (2013-2014)
• UCLA Faculty Career Development Award (2008-2009)