Iqan Shahidi

I am an educational coordinator for an international cultural organization, and coach of community organising. I am also a PhD candidate at University of Cambridge, and a human rights activists (trained by EU and UN OHCHR).

I bring over 15 years of experience in human rights advocacy, community organising, and leadership development across academic, civil society, and grassroots contexts. My work has spanned research, education, and movement building, with a consistent focus on empowering communities, particularly youth and minorities, to engage in social transformation.

I have led educational rights initiatives in Iran, coordinated community-building and youth empowerment programmes, and facilitated training workshops on leadership and nonviolent strategies at both national and international levels. My professional roles include Senior Researcher at the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, Educational Officer and Facilitator with the Nonviolent Initiative for Democracy, and long-standing editorial work documenting human rights violations.

Alongside these, I have extensive academic experience as a researcher and lecturer at the University of Cambridge and the Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education, and I have organised large conferences and seminars promoting dialogue on human rights, religion, and social change.

Through these roles, I have managed teams, mentored activists, and collaborated with diverse partners to advance inclusive participation, resilience, and leadership within human rights movements. My multilingual abilities and media presence further enhance my capacity to build broad, impactful movements.

I am completing a PhD in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge, focusing on intellectual and social thought in contemporary Iran. I also hold an MPhil in Political Thought and Intellectual History from Cambridge, where I specialised in concepts of social and political change, and an MA in Middle Eastern Studies from King’s College London with a focus on social movements, religion, and peacebuilding. Additionally, I earned an MA in Social and Political Thought from the University of Sussex, which deepened my training in critical theory, social transformation, and political organising.

My BA in Sociology from the Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education provided a strong foundation in social theory, political sociology, and the study of religion and society.