Trailer: Free to Think Podcast with Encieh Erfani

Show notes

We've teamed up with Scholars at Risk, a global network advocating for academic freedom and supporting threatened scholars, to bring you a special episode of their Free to Think podcast, featuring Iranian cosmologist Encieh Erfani. As the first in her family to attend university, Dr. Erfani was drawn to the stars. Her interest led her to study the origin of the universe. But when the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests began in 2022, her career took a dramatic turn. In solidarity with the protesters, she resigned from her academic position in Iran — a decision with serious consequences. Due to her public stance, she was unable to return to her home country after a research stay abroad and has lived in exile ever since. Even in exile, Dr. Erfani continues to tirelessly advocate for the rights of displaced scholars.

In this conversation with founding Executive Director of Scholars at Risk, Rob Quinn, she speaks about the price of academic freedom, the situation in Iran and her commitment to supporting Iranian academics around the world. You can find the full episode here: https://www.scholarsatrisk.org/podcast/