Sam Samani

Sam is a third-year Political Science major at Stanford University with a focus on Political Economy and Development as well as Data Science. He is also completing a minor in Iranian Studies. This past year, Sam was a Hoover Student Fellow in the Hoover History Lab, where he worked with Dr. Steven Kotkin to develop historically informed foreign policy recommendations towards Iran. His research, titled "The Role of National Interest in the Foreign Policy Formulation of the Islamic Republic of Iran," leverages applied historical methods to analyze foreign policy formulation in Iran and its implications for both the Iranian populace and U.S. interests in the region.

Sam has previously worked as a Research Assistant at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace under Senior Fellow Karim Sadjadpour and has contributed to the Hoover Institution's Geostrategic Trends team as an Iran Analyst under former National Security Advisor Ret. Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster. Originally from the small town of Saman in the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province of Iran, Sam actively engages with his cultural heritage through Stanford's Iranian Studies program. In particular, he enjoys exploring the intricacies of Iranian history and politics with Dr. Milani and Dr. Gherehglou.