I was born and raised in Mashhad, Iran. My homeland is called Khorasan, middle Persian for the land where the sun rises, but also the land of gnosis, poetry, qanat, and saffron. My background is in Computer Science, my heart is in anthropology, and my research is qualitative/ethnographic. I recently began a postdoctoral position at CNS. I spend my free time walking (sometimes with a camera or a notebook), reading, learning languages, and going on hikes.