Sophia Farokhi is a Research Associate and Manager of Cinema Iranica at the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, University of Toronto. With a strong background in Iranian studies, political thought, and cultural analysis, she leads research initiatives, oversees editorial development, and manages strategic projects to advance Iranian cinematic scholarship. She holds a PhD in Iranian Studies, with her dissertation, Contesting Identities: A Critical Analysis of Iranian Identities, examining contemporary Iranian political identities, their historical foundations, and their intersections with modern sociopolitical and religious discourses in the Middle East. She previously held a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Toronto and has lectured at various universities in Iran, teaching courses in Iranian studies, political sociology, and political thought.
A prolific scholar and writer, Sophia has published extensively on Iranian society, culture, and politics. Her work includes Cultural Schizophrenia: A Critical Analysis of Iranian Identity in the Thought of Dariush Shayegan, alongside numerous peer-reviewed articles on Iranian intellectual history. She has also contributed significantly to translation and publishing, co-translating Professor Shafique Virani’s The Ismailis in the Middle Ages: A History of Survival, A Search for Salvation (2007) with Amirkabir Publishers. Through her leadership at Cinema Iranica, she continues to shape the discourse on Iranian cinema and cultural history, bridging academic scholarship with public engagement to ensure the global recognition of Iranian cinematic and intellectual contributions.