Academic Website
I’m an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in the Management & Organizations Department at the Kellogg School of Management and a member of the Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems. I study the dynamics of skills, technologies, and organizations.
My research centers on two key questions: (1) How do human skills and technology—particularly AI—shape the organization of work? and (2) Which strategies help individuals, firms, and policymakers achieve their desired outcomes? Drawing on insights from management, organization theory, strategy, and sociology, I tackle these questions using computational methods and large-scale data.
Trained as a Computational Social Scientist, I hold a Ph.D. in Management Information Systems from the University of Illinois (Structure of Knowledge and the Role of General Capital). I bring a data-intensive, empirically grounded perspective to my work. Using computational modeling, network analysis, econometrics, and machine learning, I analyze large volumes of data to explore how AI and related technologies can complement human capabilities, drive innovation and entrepreneurship, and shape the future of work. I have extensive experience teaching technical classes at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
I will be on the academic job market in 2026.
News
SFI Postdocs in Complexity Global Conference
I'll attend Santa Fe Institute Postdocs in Complexity Global Conference (Sep 15-18).
Alfred Sloan Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship Award
My research at Kellogg School will be supported by a Sloan Foundation Fellowship. With Prof. Brian Uzzi, I’ll explore how AI is transforming innovation & discovery—building on work around human capital, search strategies, org structures & resource allocation.
Conference News - IC2S2
I presented my paper, A Complexity Approach to Human Capital, a collaboration with Hyejin Youn, Frank Neffke and LT Zhang at IC2S2 2024 in Philly—mind the drawing behind me on the board!!! Find a preprint here: https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.15629
Job Update
I will start as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Dept. of Management & Organizations of Kellogg School of Management in Jan 2024.
PhD Graduation
PhDed (on a cold windy Chicago day).
Research
Select Presentations
Teaching
ABOUT
Professional Journey
I was trained as an Industrial and Systems Engineer (bachelor’s and master’s) and worked as a Systems and Process Engineer at several startups before joining Caterpillar Inc. At CAT, I closely observed and interviewed engineers, manufacturing workers, and operators, documenting production tasks and processes. Using computational and mathematical models, I helped improve safety measures, reorganize tasks, standardize processes, and optimize maintenance schedules. My industry experience directly informs my research, particularly my focus on the organization of work, productivity, innovation, and the dance between technologies and the skills people use at work.
Outside the Office
I enjoy playing soccer and volleyball, skiing a bit, listening to music, and cooking in my spare time. I’m an avid reader and love learning new languages—beyond Persian and English, I speak a bit of French. I’m a huge fan of coffee, ice cream, and, of course, coffee ice cream!
I was trained as an Industrial and Systems Engineer (bachelor’s and master’s) and worked as a Systems and Process Engineer at several startups before joining Caterpillar Inc. At CAT, I closely observed and interviewed engineers, manufacturing workers, and operators, documenting production tasks and processes. Using computational and mathematical models, I helped improve safety measures, reorganize tasks, standardize processes, and optimize maintenance schedules. My industry experience directly informs my research, particularly my focus on the organization of work, productivity, innovation, and the dance between technologies and the skills people use at work.
Outside the Office
I enjoy playing soccer and volleyball, skiing a bit, listening to music, and cooking in my spare time. I’m an avid reader and love learning new languages—beyond Persian and English, I speak a bit of French. I’m a huge fan of coffee, ice cream, and, of course, coffee ice cream!