Hazhir Rahmandad

 

 

My Personal Story

I am from Iran and came to the U.S. after getting my B.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from Sharif University of Technology (SUT) in Tehran. I did my Ph.D. at MIT and also spent a year of post-doc there before joining VT faculty.

Besides my academic activities, I like sports including hiking, tennis, biking, and almost any other sport I can find time and opportunity to get involved in.  I love going into nature and have visited many of the major U.S. national parks including Yellowstone, Yosemite, Acadia, Denali,  Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, and Everglade.

I care a lot about Iran and I have been involved in several activities with the general goal of getting a better understanding of avenues to social and economic development of Iran, as well as building the human network and resources necessary for this goal. Some groups and initiatives I have been involved with in this regard include Iranian Studies Group at MIT, Persian Student Association of MIT, Iranian Association of Boston, Zharf blog, and Free Thoughts on Iran, a collective weblog.

My parents live in Iran and my sister lives in England with her husband. I live in Falls Church, VA, with my wonderful wife, Sara.

Here is a picture of my sister, my father, and my mother in England:

 

VT

ISE