Author: kangal.naz

Established in honour of Abdolreza Ansari, a founding trustee of the Foundation and a lifelong public servant, the Persia Ansari Scholarship for Human Rights and Public Service recognises exceptional Iranians enrolled in Master’s or Doctoral programmes focused on human rights or public service. The scholarship is awarded annually on 10 December, marking both Human Rights Day and the anniversary of Mr Ansari’s passing.

The scholarship is open to students of Iranian descent of any citizenship studying at accredited universities in the UK or internationally. Recipients are selected by an independent panel based on demonstrated academic achievement, commitment to public service, and future potential.

2025 Scholarship Recipient: Kimiya Shariati

Persia Educational Foundation is proud to announce Kimiya Shariati as the 2025 Ansari Scholarship awardee.

Shariati brings an exceptional interdisciplinary background in psychology and illustration, which she employs to explore and amplify the lived experiences of Iranian women. Her research challenges orientalist frameworks—and the internalisation of Western gazes among some Iranian artists—by highlighting Iranian women’s agency, complexity, and contributions.

Her work reveals nuanced stories often lost in translation, using the universal language of visual art to communicate emotion, resilience, and transformation. Through her illustrations, Shariati documents social change already underway in Iran, including evolving expressions of self-realisation and shifting attitudes toward women’s autonomy and public presence.

Shariati aims to pursue a career in research and academia following her PhD. Persia Educational Foundation welcomes her creativity and scholarship, and looks forward to her contributions to advancing women’s rights and representation.

Human Rights Day Scholarship Ceremony and Film Screening at SOAS

To mark the occasion, the Foundation hosted its annual event at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London. The evening opened with remarks from Professor Katayoun Shahandeh, followed by the formal presentation of the scholarship by Nazenin Ansari, founder and trustee of Persia Educational Foundation.

The programme also featured a special screening of In the Clouds, introduced by Dr. Tahirih Danesh. Directed by Iranian-British filmmaker Alexandra Bahiyyih Wain, the acclaimed short film offers a powerful portrayal of a young refugee girl resettling in London, capturing themes of trauma, displacement, and resilience through the imaginative lens of childhood.

The production team—including producer Daniel Panyko, DOP Jon Muschamp, editor Donya Majidi Maguire, and a talented cast of nine—approached the story with care and authenticity. The film has received numerous awards, including:

• Breaking Boundaries Grand Prize, Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival
• Best Director, Worcester Film Festival (BIFA-qualifying)
• Best New Director, UK Film Festival
• Best Family Drama, New Renaissance Film Festival
• Best Drama (Spirit of London Award), London Independent Film Festival
• Audience Award, Short Focus Film Festival

…and several additional festival selections across the UK.

About Alexandra Bahiyyih Wain

Wain is a writer and director whose work foregrounds marginalised communities and unconventional relationships. Drawing on her experience as a neurodivergent creative, she tells stories that challenge assumptions and highlight shared humanity. Her screenwriting achievements include awards at BAFTA- and Oscar-qualifying festivals, with multiple scripts optioned by leading UK and international production companies. She is a BAFTA Connect member and co-founder of the Micro Short Films initiative.

Persia Educational Foundation’s independent academic panel has selected an exceptional doctoral student at the London School of Economics (LSE), Ms Sayeh Yousefi, to receive its Mirzakhani Scholarship for the academic year 2025-2026.

Sayeh Yousefi is a PhD student at the London School of Economics and Political Science studying attitude change and persuasion, within the fields of cognition and social psychology. Her research explores how and when people change their minds when presented with evidence, mainly in the contexts of outgroup attitudes and misinformation.

Using experimental methods, she has been working on identifying evidence-based interventions that can promote empathy, reduce intergroup conflict, and help reduce polarisation in society. Her aim through her PhD is not only to contribute to the academic understanding of persuasion, but also to design tools that fight misinformation and help contribute to a more cohesive society. In addition to her PhD research, she is involved in both her academic and broader community. She serves as the PhD representative in her department, advocating for PhD students on issues ranging from supervision to mentoring support. While living at Goodenough College in London in previous years, she was also involved in the community organising speaker events that promoted dialogue, volunteering at the local shelter, and hosting academic events.

In addition, she is actively involved in the Loran Scholars Foundation, a Canadian merit-based undergraduate scholarship, and serves on the Loran Alumni Council as the Hubs Lead, working to strengthen connections among Loran alumni around the world by organizing events, connecting hub coordinators, and supporting alumni-led initiatives.

Sayeh was born in Iran and moved to Canada in 2009, where she completed her MA in Political Science at the University of Alberta and her BA Honours in Peace, Conflict, and Justice studies at the University of Toronto, as a Loran Scholar.

Previous recipients of the Persia Mirzakhani Scholarship are: Diba Keyhanifar, Hamta majd, Ayda Afshar, Niaz Shokri, Sara Javidnia, Negar Shahreza and Mahtab Farahbakhsh. The distinguished members of the independent academic selection panel include Persia’s trustee, Kamran Hashemi, as well as Dr. Namdar Bagha’i, Saghar Kasiri, and the late Professor Mirzakhani’s inspiration, the first Iranian woman to become a full professor in mathermaics, the muti-award-winning Professor Emiretus, Dr. Chehrzad Shakiban.

Maz Jobrani is an award-winning Iranian-American comedian, actor and LA Times best-selling author of I’M NOT A TERRORIST, BUT I’VE PLAYED ONE ON TV. A UC Berkeley alum, he is a popular figure among Iranians worldwide with an amazing array of productions as well as causes he supports to help make our world a better place. Join Maz at one of his upcoming shows at: https://www.mazjobrani.com/

Tehran Ghasri is a multitalented African-American Iranian born and raised in the USA with Muslim and Zoroastrian paternal grandparents as well as a Christian maternal grandfather and Jewish maternal grandmother. Learn more about Tehran and his performances at: https://www.iamtehran.com/

On 2 December 2024, Persia Educational Foundation proudly awarded this year’s Abdolreza Ansari Scholarship in Human Rights and Public Service to Ossie Visick Heidarifar of Cambridge University. The award recognises his commitment to advancing human rights and his dedication to a life of public service, reflecting the values and legacy of Abdolreza Ansari.

The presentation took place during a special evening at London’s Conduit Club, where community members gathered for an inspiring programme. Following opening remarks, guests viewed Pantea Modiri’s documentary “In the Eye of Freedom”, a moving portrait of young Iranian activists wounded during the uprisings following Mahsa Amini’s death.

Scholarship panel member Pooneh Ghoddoosi formally presented the award to Ossie, underscoring the Foundation’s mission to empower the next generation of leaders of Iranian descent.

The evening also featured Professor Fahimeh Robiolle, recipient of the insignia of Knight of the Legion of Honour, who presented the Persian translation of her book Woman, Life, Freedom: Let’s Talk About That, highlighting the ongoing struggle for women’s rights and equality.

By celebrating Ossie’s achievement, the Foundation reaffirms its commitment to education, service, and community impact—values at the heart of the Ansari Scholarship.

To learn more about the Abdolreza Ansari Scholarship in Human Rights & Public Service, or to support educational opportunities for students of Iranian descent, please visit: www.persia.education/scholarships/abdolreza-ansari-scholarship

(London, 12 May) – An exceptional doctoral student at the UCL Centre for Doctoral Training Programme in Transformative Pharmaceutical Technologies is selected to receive the Mirzakhani Scholarship for the academic year 2024-2025. 

By combining her expertise in pharmacy and crystal engineering, Diba Keyhanfar is working on transforming drugs with unpleasant taste or odours into more flavourful forms, that are more appealing to children. Intersecting various aspects of chemistry and drug formation, Persia’s latest Mirzakhani scholar also sees it as a priority to make her work accessible to a global audience in order to incorporate her research into the pharmaceutical industry.

Influenced by Maryam Mirzakhani as a young student, Ms Keyhanfar has pursued her studies in both Iran and the UK in order to ‘achieve extraordinary things even during the toughest times’ as a means to overcome life’s obstacles. 

In addition to her outstanding academic research, Persia Mirzakhani’s independent selection panel welcomes Ms Keyhanfar’s commitment to training the younger generation in scientific research methods as part of her services to the Iranian community.

In 2017, Persia Educational Foundation established the Persia Mirzakhani Scholarship in remembrance of the first woman to win the prestigious Fields Medal in mathematics, the late Stanford Professor, Maryam Mirzakhani. Since then six outstanding Iranian women have been awarded this scholarship.  

The Mirzakhani scholarship is GBP 1500. Each year, an independent panel selects the recipient of the Persia Mirzakhani Scholarship from among eligible applicants. The results are announced around 3 May, marking the anniversary of the birth of the late Maryam Mirzakhani (12 May 1977 – 14 July 2017). The scholarship is designed to empower Iranian-descent women studying Sciences, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics at UK’s top research university, UCL.

Persia Educational Foundation is a non-governmental UK-registered charity. Its mission is to provide scholarships and educational opportunities to Iranian descent students in the UK and beyond. To support more students, please contribute to the Persia Mirzakhani Scholarship. Please note 100% of your donations benefit from our Gift Aid scheme and are awarded to support the eligible students at top UK universities. 

To find out more and arrange contributions towards the scholarship, please visit us at: https://www.persia.education/donate/ or email us at: info@persia.education.