I am a sociologist and ethnographer. My work focuses on the lived experiences of poverty, inequality, and stigma among Middle Eastern groups. Currently, I am the Farzaneh Family Associate Professor of Iranian Studies in the Department of International and Area Studies and an Affiliate Faculty in the Department of Sociology and the Women and Gender Studies Program at the University of Oklahoma. I am also a Faculty Affiliate with the Center for Ethnographic Research at the University of California-Berkeley. 

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Born in Iran and raised in Ohio, I am a graduate of Cornell University (BA-Near Eastern Studies), Harvard University (MA-Middle Eastern Studies), and the University of California-Berkeley (PhD-Sociology). Prior to joining the University of Oklahoma, I was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Georgetown University in Qatar and a Research Director at Qatar Foundation.

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