Reza Akbari

Reza H. Akbari is a Research Associate for the Iran program at the Middle East Institute. Reza conducts research on Iranian domestic politics, U.S. foreign policy toward Iran, Shia politics, political transition, and democracy. He has previously served as a Program Officer for a prominent non-profit organization in Washington, D.C. focusing on human rights issues in Iran. He has also served as a Research Assistant at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and a Project Assistant for Princeton University’s Iran Data Portal.

Reza holds a M.A. in Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs and a  B.A. in Political Science and International Studies from the State University of New York at Fredonia. His bachelor’s thesis explores the effects of national identity among Iranians as a potential cause for their failure to construct a viable democratic political structure.