I was born and raised in Iran, a country that remains deeply woven into my identity. My connection to my homeland is not simply geographical; it is part of my personal history, my scientific journey and my creative life.
I began my career as a scientist, studying the living world through both laboratory research and fieldwork. In the 1990s, I worked as a marine biologist with the Iranian Department of Environment, conducting ecological research in the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea region. I also worked as a research scientist at the Iranian Research Organisation for Science and Technology, where my research on the biological treatment of industrial effluents resulted in a peer-reviewed publication in Fresenius Environmental Bulletin in 1998.
Life eventually took me away from Iran. I arrived in the United Kingdom on 9 January 2001, and the following morning began my career as a journalist at the BBC. What started as a new chapter became a journey of more than two decades, during which I have worked at the intersection of science, journalism and public understanding.
The transition from scientist to journalist did not represent a departure from science; it was a continuation of the same curiosity. Research seeks to discover knowledge. Journalism seeks to share it. Throughout my career, I have focused on communicating complex scientific, environmental and technological issues in ways that are accurate, accessible and meaningful.
I completed my PhD in Bioscience at the University of Westminster in 2014, researching the science and policy dimensions of biofuels in the United Kingdom and European Union. Before that, I completed an MSc in Marine Biology and a BSc in Zoology. My scientific interests have expanded from marine ecosystems and biotechnology to broader questions surrounding renewable energy, sustainability and humanity’s relationship with the natural world.
My years in the UK have brought challenges, opportunities and perspectives that I could never have imagined when I first arrived. London became not only my home but also the place where my scientific, journalistic and creative lives came together.
The experience of leaving Iran has also shaped my writing. In poetry, I have often explored themes of memory, belonging, distance and the places that continue to live within us.
I have written poetry since my early years, with my first Persian poetry collection published in 2001. For me, poetry and science are not opposites. Both are attempts to understand reality: one through evidence and observation, the other through language, emotion and imagination.
Today, my work continues to bring together the worlds that have shaped me: bioscience, journalism, writing and creativity.
I live in north London with my wife, Roxana, and my daughter, Afra.