Academic Freedom

For scientific progress to be both efficient and equitable, scientists must be granted essential scientific freedoms. These include personal autonomy in the pursuit and exchange of ideas, the ability to arrive at scientifically valid conclusions, and the institutional independence to collectively uphold standards of validity, replicability, and accuracy.

However, as a scientist who worked for years under the control of the Iranian regime and the pressure of international sanctions, I have long been aware of the fragile state of academic freedom. In September 2022, I resigned from my position as an assistant professor in solidarity with the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement. This decision marked the beginning of a new chapter in my life: one of active advocacy on behalf of students and scholars who are experiencing repression and silencing in Iran and beyond.

To give structure to this work, I co-founded the International Community of Iranian Academics (ICOIA) in October 2022, a global initiative to amplify the voices of at-risk and exiled Iranian scholars. You can read more about this in my interview with Nature Human Behaviour. Since 2022, I have also collaborated with Scholars at Risk (SAR), contributing regularly to their documentation of violations of academic freedom in Iran. I support their Free to Think report by reporting cases, writing expert input, and contributing data. I have also submitted material to United Nations bodies that support academic freedom and have emphasized the protection of scholars under authoritarian regimes in several articles and international talks.

In recognition of these efforts, I was honored to receive the 2025 AAAS Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility, awarded by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). This award acknowledges my dedication to defending academic freedom, amplifying the voices of silenced scholars, and promoting the ethical responsibilities of scientists in times of conflict.

I believe that safeguarding science means protecting the people who carry it forward, particularly when they do so in the face of fear, censorship, or exile.

Below you will find a selection of my articles, talks, and interviews on academic freedom, my story as an exiled scientist, and my continued advocacy for displaced and at-risk scholars.