Zahedi Family Fellowship
The Zahedi Family Fellowship is a twelve-week residential fellowship focused on the Zahedi Archive at Stanford University’s Hamid and Christina Moghadam Program in Iranian Studies and the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
During the fellowship period, the Zahedi Fellow is expected to pursue their independent research in residency and to hold a lecture, seminar or workshop on their research, organized by the Iranian Studies Program. The Zahedi fellow will have access to Stanford University Libraries and the Hoover Institution Library and Archives as well as a community of scholars at Stanford.
The fellowship includes a stipend, health insurance, visa support, and roundtrip travel to Stanford.
Applications for fall 2027 are due January 15, 2027.
Ardeshir Zahedi (1928-2021) was the former Foreign Minister under Mohammad Reza Shah and Iran’s ambassador to the U.S. from 1971-1979. His donated archive includes several hundred boxes of diplomatic correspondence, government documents, personal letters, and never-before-seen photos. The archive also includes the papers of his father, Fazlollah Zahedi, a general and later prime minister of Iran in the 1950s.
Details
The fellowship funds international travel, health insurance, and visa support*, and a $15,000 stipend for living expenses. In addition to library access, the fellow will have use of a shared work space at the Hoover Archives where the Zahedi Collection is housed.
Read through the archive's finding aid to determine if material in the collection is relevant to your research topic.
Eligibility
- Fluency in Persian is required. Terminal degree or equivalent experience is required. "All but dissertation" status PhD students are eligible to apply.
- The fellowship is open to scholars and artists working on the modern history of Iran, particularly the period of 1941 to 1979. Preference will be given to scholars who have worked on aspects of modern Iranian foreign policy, history, and culture.
Application
A complete application consists of the following materials:
- Zahedi Fellowship application form
- A letter of application/research proposal
- A Curriculum Vitae
- A writing sample (book chapter or article length, in English or Persian)
- A short proposal for a public lecture/workshop to be held at Stanford (can be related to research proposal)
- Two (2) letters of recommendation
Important: All materials listed above (with the exception of the letters of recommendation) should be submitted as attachments to the online application form. Please note: all material submitted must be in English to be considered. The writing sample is the only item that can be in Persian/Farsi or English.
Letters of recommendation should be sent as signed PDF documents to: iranianstudies [at] stanford.edu (iranianstudies[at]stanford[dot]edu)
Full application and letters of recommendation must be received by end of day January 15, 2027.
*Qualified scholars, including Iranian nationals residing in Iran or elsewhere, are welcome to apply. Participation in this residential fellowship is contingent on obtaining and maintaining appropriate U.S. immigration authorization and being able to enter the United States, if necessary. Current U.S. visa and entry restrictions may prevent some Iranian nationals from participating unless an exception applies. Residence in another country does not itself remove these restrictions. Visa support means assistance with the applicable sponsorship process; it does not guarantee visa issuance, admission, or timely arrival. Requirements may change before the fellowship begins.
Questions?
Email us @ iranianstudies [at] stanford.edu (subject: Zahedi%20Fellowship%20Inquiry) (Iranian Studies)
