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 WWW.PERSIA.EDUCATION 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, 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.