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S C H O L A R S
A T
R I S K
N E T W O R K
Promoti ng academi c freedom and defendi ng the human ri ghts of scholars worl dwi de
2015 - 2016
Australia & Africa
Speaker Series
INV IT E A SCHOLAR T O
Y OUR CAMPUS T ODAY !
The Scholars at Risk Speaker Series educates campus communities and the public about threats to academic freedom and attacks on scholars. The series is a wonderful opportunity for Network institutions to bring to campus
one or more diverse, interesting, courageous scholars, each with a powerful and unique story to share. Participation in the series also helps strengthen the Network while highlighting the institution’s support for our efforts to
defend academic freedom worldwide.
Requirements: Each event in the series is tailored to fit the schedule, size and interests of the host campus. In
most cases, a scholar assisted by the Scholars at Risk Network visits a Network university. The scholar spends
time discussing both his or her academic work and the threats experienced in home country. A visit may include a
lecture, panel, workshop, informal seminar or some combination, and may last from a few hours to one or more
days. Coordinating a visit with campus and local media (including radio and print interviews) will increase exposure and highlight the important role of the host campus. The university or college is asked to pay all travel expenses and a modest honorarium, which is an important means of supplementing the scholar’s income. If a scholar
has travel restrictions such that he/she cannot leave his/her current location, it may be possible to arrange a lecture
by video-conference.
Speakers: Summary profiles on the scholars participating in the International Speaker Series are attached here.
After reviewing the profiles, please contact the SAR office directly or send in an Event Planning Form to indicate
those speakers you might be interested in inviting. (Completing the form does not commit the institution to an
event and does not guarantee the availability of a particular speaker.) Return the completed form to the Network
office. A Network staff person will contact you to try to schedule a suitable event.
SCHOLARS AT RISK
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Th e a tta ch ed li s t is u pd a te d re gul arl y.
P l ea se con ta ct th e Ne tw or k of fi ce
f or mor e in form a ti on.
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W
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S ch ol ars a t Ris k Ne tw or k
c/ o Ne w Yor k Uni ver si ty
194 Mer cer S t. , Rm 410
Ne w Yor k , NY 100 12
P ho ne : +1 -21 2-998 -2179
Fax : +1 -2 12-995 -4402
Em ail : s cho lars a tri sk @n yu. e du
Democratic Republic of the Congo-042
Comparative Literature / African Literature
Current location: Belgium
This scholar is a professor of comparative modern and post-modern literature, mythology, religious
literature, and gender issues. The scholar received his PhD in Bible-Based Literature and has an MA in
Ugaritic and Middle East Mythology. Throughout his career he has received several awards for his
research, which covers fields such as gender issues, old and new religion, social development, HIVAIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa, and university pedagogy and new technologies. This scholar was a SAR
fellow at Harvard University and a research fellow at the International Research Center of Japanese
Studies in Kyoto and at the Christian University of Tokyo, Japan. He has also held visiting professor
positions at Purchase College, SUNY, in New York, at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design,
and at the University of Ghent in Belgium. Currently in Belgium, he was most recently a KNAW
fellow at Leiden University’s African Study Centre in the Netherlands.
Iran-665
Biotechnology
Current location: UK
This scholar holds a PhD in biotechnology from a university in Ukraine and is a specialist in the
medical applications of probiotics. Initially trained as a veterinarian, he also holds a doctorate in
veterinary medicine from an Iranian university. After receiving his PhD in 2005, he returned to Iran
and combined his veterinary and biotechnology knowledge to research the cultivation of probiotics
found in fish for the treatment of colon cancer. After conducting research trials on mice, this scholar
successfully applied for an Iranian patent to produce the medicine, although he had to leave Iran before
human trials could begin. The scholar taught courses in biochemistry, immunology, microbiology, and
research methodology at a university in Iran, where he later developed and served as head of the nanobiotechnology lab. The scholar also served as program director of a nonprofit organization in Iran
where he was responsible for developing research programs related to diabetes. The scholar was most
recently a visiting researcher at a university in the UK, where he conducted research on cellular
pathology and supervised master students.
Iran-669
Sociology / Gender Studies
Current location: The Netherlands
This scholar is a women’s rights activist, researcher and one of the founding members of several
Iranian human rights campaigns, including the One Million Signatures Campaign and Mother of
Peace. In 2009 she was awarded the Quadriga Berlin, which recognizes four individuals annually for
their commitment to innovation, renewal, and pioneering spirits in political, economical and cultural
activities. In addition to her human rights advocacy, this scholar has several years experience lecturing
in universities, including a recent position as a lecturer of Gender Studies and Sociology at Freie
University Berlin. She is currently finishing her PhD in Sociology and Gender Studies at Freie
University Berlin, and also holds MSc degrees in Educational Psychological and Statistics from two
universities in Iran. She is the international page editor for an online women’s magazine, and has
published over a dozen articles on sociology and women’s studies in Iranian and international journals.
She has also participated in multiple international conferences and given presentations pertaining to
women’s rights in Germany, USA, the UK, and Iran.
1
Iran-712
Philosophy / Gender Studies
Current location: The Netherlands
This scholar holds his PhD in Philosophy from a university in Iran, concentrating on epistemology and
Islamic Studies. He holds additional expertise in Islamic Queer theory, Ethics, Metaphysics,
Philosophy of Illumination, and Islamic Mysticism. For several years, he taught courses on
epistemology, ethics, and gender studies at different universities in Iran, where he simultaneously
contributed to several university research projects including most recently on the contextualism of
knowledge and philosophy of Ijtihad. In addition, the scholar has been a visiting scholar at universities
in Canada (McGill University) and the Netherlands (VU University Amsterdam) where he has
contributed to research on the topic of homosexuality in Islamic theology. A prolific researcher, he has
authored six books, two of which won literary prizes, and numerous academic articles.
Syria-538
Food Science
Current location: France / Belgium
This scholar is an accomplished researcher and assistant professor in the field of food sciences. He has
been published in scientific journals and participated in international conferences. He received his PhD
in Food Process and Biotechnology from a university in France where he focused his research on the
lipids of fish and fish eggs such as rainbow trout and salmon. In his postdoctoral fellowship in France,
he studied the molecular composition of oils and fats, analyzing frying oil and products for quality and
performance. He then returned to Syria to teach at a university for several years. Currently in France,
he will be a visiting research scholar at Ghent University in Belgium for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Zimbabwe-548
Political Science
Current location: South Africa
This scholar received his PhD in Public Administration from a university in South Africa, and his Masters
in Public Administration from a university in Zimbabwe. His doctoral thesis focused on the role of civil
society in effecting social change using the case studies of South Africa and Zimbabwe. He was previously
a visiting scholar at Trinity College, USA, and has lectured for several years on civil society, politics and
governance in Africa at universities in Zimbabwe and South Africa. The scholar is a co-author of a book
and several book chapters and journal articles on governance and development in Africa. In addition, he
has been a reader and interviewer for the Mandela-Washington (formerly Young African Leaders Initiative)
and the Community Solutions program run by the US International Research and Exchanges Board. The
scholar also has extensive consultancy experience and has previously participated in consultancy work for
institutions such as the EU, Kellogg Foundation and the South African Water Research Commission. The
scholar is a previous recipient of a number of international fellowships including, IDRC/UPEACE, IREX,
Ford Foundation and DAAD.
2
Scholars at Risk Speaker Series: Event Planning Form
The Scholars at Risk Speaker Series educates campus communities and the public about threats to academic freedom
and attacks on scholars. The series is an opportunity for SAR Network institutions to bring to campus one or more
courageous scholars, each with a powerful and unique story to share. Participation in the series also helps strengthen the
Network while highlighting the institution’s support for efforts to defend academic freedom worldwide.
Requirements: Each event in the series is tailored to fit the schedule, size and interests of the host campus. In most
cases, a scholar assisted by Scholars at Risk visits a SAR Network university or college. The scholar spends time
discussing his/her academic work and, if in some cases, the threats experienced at home. A visit may include a lecture,
panel, workshop, informal seminar or some combination, and may last from a few hours to one or more days.
Coordinating a visit with campus and local media will increase exposure and highlight the important role of the host
campus. The university or college is asked to pay all travel expenses and an honorarium to the scholar. The honorarium
is an important means of supplementing the scholar’s income.
Speakers: If you are interested in learning more about particular scholars, please contact the SAR office by telephone at
+1 (212) 998-2179 or by email at scholarsatrisk@nyu.edu. After reviewing the profiles, please indicate in the space
provided below those speakers you might be interested in inviting. (Completing the form does not commit the
institution to an event and does not guarantee the availability of a particular speaker.) Return the completed form to the
SAR office.
Institution name: ___________________________ Contact person: _____________________________
Contact phone: ____________________________
Contact email: ______________________________
 YES, we are interested in participating in the Scholars at Risk Network Speaker Series.
We are most interested in
inviting as speakers:
Use second sheet if necessary.
-
-
We are most interested in:
 lecture
 panel
Check all that apply.
 ½ day event
 workshop
 1 day event
PLEASE SEND THE
 seminar
 multiple-day visit
COMPLETED FORM:
By email to scholarsatrisk@nyu.edu or
By fax to +1 (212) 995-4402
 combination
 other