Dr. Fariba Parsa is an author, speaker, and researcher based in the USA. Born and raised in Iran, she began advocating for gender equality and democracy during her high school years. Dr. Parsa later lived in Denmark, where she earned a master’s degree in political science from the University of Copenhagen and a Ph.D. in social science, specializing in Iranian politics with a focus on political Islam, democracy, and human rights.
With over 15 years of experience working with Danish national and grassroots organizations, Dr. Parsa has been a prominent voice for human rights and democracy. She has held leadership roles as a board member for organizations such as the Danish National Council for Women, the Danish Council for European Policy, UNA Denmark, and the Danish National Council for Human Rights. Additionally, she has contributed insightful commentary on Iran’s politics to Danish newspapers and national television.
In 2010, Dr. Parsa moved to the United States as a visiting postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies. She continued her research on Iranian women’s leadership challenges and opportunities at the University of Maryland. From 2014 onward, she served as a research assistant at George Mason University’s Center for Women and Gender Studies in Fairfax, Virginia.
Dr. Parsa is the founder of Women’s E-Learning in Leadership (WELL), a nonprofit organization that empowers Iranian and Afghan women through leadership education and training. From 2014 to 2020, she collaborated closely with young female students at George Mason University to advance WELL’s mission.
Dr. Parsa has also worked as a non-resident scholar with the Middle East Institute’s Iran Program in Washington, DC, contributing research articles and presenting on women’s rights and leadership in Iran. Her work continues to inspire and support efforts toward gender equality, democracy, and human rights in Iran and beyond. Her recent book: Fighting for Change in Iran: The Women, Life, Freedom Philosophy against Political Islam is now available on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/