BIO & RESEARCH INTERESTs

I am graphic designer, educator, and design activist whose work centers on visual semiotics as a critical lens for analyzing visual media, symbolism, and meaning-making. Shaped by experiences of migration, and Persian culture, my scholarship and practice interrogate authorship, cultural specificity, and Western-centric frameworks within design education and visual culture.

For more than a decade, I have been engaged in design activism, employing graphic design as a tool for social awareness, dialogue, and collective action. My practice extends beyond production into critical curatorial work, emphasizing contextual framing, ethical authorship, and transnational collaboration. Amongst others, I am the founder and curator of 20 × 20 Posters for Peace and Justice an internationally exhibited initiative that brings together designers from across the globe. Through curated poster exhibitions, the project disseminates messages of peace, fosters cross-cultural exchange, and nurtures emerging graphic activists through public engagement and critical discourse.

In summary, my work bridges research, teaching, and curatorial practice to advance design as a socially engaged, culturally responsive, and intellectually rigorous field.

Expertise:
Visual Semiotics · Design Activism · Critical & Curatorial Practice · Decolonizing Pedagogy · Hybrid Visual Language · Socially Engaged Design

OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY APPOINTMENTS

  • Associate Professor
    Oklahoma State University, Art, Graphic Design & Art History, Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States2020 - present

ACADEMIC POSITIONS

  • Associate Professor
    Oklahoma State University, Art, Graphic Design & Art History, Stillwater, United States1 May 2020 - present
  • Assistant Professor
    Oklahoma State University, Art, Graphic Design & art History, Stillwater, United States15 Aug 2014 - 1 Feb 2020

DEGREES

  • Master of Fine Arts, Graphic Design
    California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, California, United States2011
  • Graduate Certificate, Integrated Media
    California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, California, United States2011
  • Master of Arts, Graphic Design
    California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, California, United States2004

CAMPUS

  • Oklahoma State University - Stillwater

AVAILABILITY

  • Media inquiries
  • Membership of an advisory committee
  • Research design
  • Speaking engagements
  • Teaching opportunities
  • Art, music, or design commissions
  • Career advice
  • Collaborative projects
  • Inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA) support
  • Industry projects
  • Masters or PhD research supervision
  • Mentoring (short-term)
  • Undergraduate recruitment support

LANGUAGE

  • Persian
  • English

DEPARTMENT

  • Art, Graphic Design & Art History
  • Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies

FIELDS OF RESEARCH