Roham Alvandi

Dr. Roham Alvandi is Associate Professor of International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), where he also serves as Director of the Iranian History Initiative and Master's Programme Director. He is affiliated with the Phelan United States Centre and the Middle East Centre at LSE, and is a Fellow of the British Institute of Persian Studies, the Royal Historical Society, and the Royal Asiatic Society.

Dr. Alvandi earned his DPhil and MPhil from the University of Oxford, where his doctoral thesis won the Foundation for Iranian Studies’ Dissertation Prize and the Pavry Memorial Prize. He also holds degrees from the University of Sydney, where he received the University Medal, and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

His research focuses on modern Iranian history, U.S. foreign relations, and the Global Cold War, with current work exploring human rights activism and the origins of the 1979 Iranian Revolution. His scholarship has been published in leading journals such as Diplomatic History, Cold War History, and Iranian Studies. He is the author of Nixon, Kissinger, and the Shah: The United States and Iran in the Cold War (Oxford University Press, 2014), selected by the Financial Times as one of the best history books of the year, and editor of The Age of Aryamehr: Late Pahlavi Iran and its Global Entanglements (2018).

His recent media commentaries and articles—appearing in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post—reflect a consistent focus on Iran’s political trajectory, nuclear ambitions, and societal resistance. The articles highlight themes such as the fragility of the Islamic Republic, the role of historical memory, and the persistent desire for secular democracy among Iranians.

• Financial Times Best History Book of 2014
• Foundation for Iranian Studies’ Dissertation Prize
• University of Oxford’s Pavry Memorial Prize
• University Medal, University of Sydney
• LSE Excellence in Education Promotion Prize (2015)
• LSE Excellence in Education Award (2018)

Dr. Alvandi has supervised PhD students including Jack Roush and Jean-Baptiste Ollieric, and has received LSE teaching awards in recognition of his excellence in education. He has held visiting appointments at the University of Tehran and Columbia University, and previously worked on the strategic planning staff for UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. He is also a frequent contributor to documentaries by HBO, BBC, and Manoto, serving as a historical consultant on projects such as Hostages and Hoveyda.