Dr. Manouchehr Farkhondeh
Dr. Manouchehr Farkhondeh is a physicist at U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. He joined DOE in 2006 as a Program Manager for Advanced Technology Research and Development (R&D) for Office of Nuclear Physics. His past appointments include a postdoctoral position at the University of Virginia and a staff scientist at MIT Bates Linear Accelerator Center. Prior to joining DOE, he held a Principal Research Scientist position at MIT and was the Division Head of Physics and Accelerator at the accelerator center. Concurrently, He also was an Adjunct Lecturer at Merrimack College in Massachusetts teaching physics. Dr. Farkhondeh is a member of the American Physical Society.
Dr. Farkhondeh received his Ph.D. in experimental nuclear physics from MIT in 1984, and a B.S degree in Physics from Tehran University. He has published over sixty peer-reviewed papers in scientific journals and in proceedings of international conferences. His technical expertise includes particle accelerators and colliders and particle detections as tools for discovery sciences to study subatomic properties of matter, His scientific interest is in experimental medium energy nuclear physics, including properties of few-body systems, the use of polarized electrons to test weak interaction theories, and study nuclear and nucleon structure.
Professor Aram Hessami
Dr. Aram Hessami is a professor of Political Science and Philosophy at Montgomery College in Rockville Maryland. He received his Doctorate in Political Science from The George Washington University in 1993. Dr. Hessami’s specialization is in Western Political Thought. His Dissertation is on Democracy & Postmodern Thinking. Since September 11, he is the Middle East expert for WRNR radio in Martinsburg West Virginia.Dr. Hessami also is a News Analyst for The Voice of America Television based in Washington D.C.His writing and research focus on modern political theory and comparative politics.
Dr. Somayeh Hooshmand
Dr. Somayeh Hooshmand is a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities/NIH, working in the lab of Dr. Eliseo Pérez-Stable. Her research focuses on genetics and health disparities among racial and ethnic minority populations. She obtained her Ph.D. in Human Genetics from the University of Putra Malaysia after completing her master’s degree in genetic engineering. While her research focused on breast cancer metastasis, she also developed a passion for driving positive change and addressing issues such as gender equality, women’s empowerment, health disparities, healthcare access for vulnerable populations, and genetics-related health issues. Driven by this passion, Dr. Hooshmand pursued a second Ph.D. in public administration and public policy, with a specific focus on health outcomes and health policy, at Old Dominion University, Virginia.
Dr. Hooshmand has actively contributed to various boards and committees throughout her career. She co-chairs the NIH Science Policy Discussion Group (SPDG), which brings together fellows with a shared interest in understanding the intersection of scientific research and legislative policy. Additionally, she serves as the Program Committee Co-Chair of Women in Bio (WIB) – Capital Region to promote the careers, leadership, and entrepreneurship of women in the life sciences. Moreover, she holds the position of Chair for the IAAP Scholarship Committee, assuming responsibility for the overall coordination and direction of the scholarship program.
Dr. Ali Kalantari
Dr. Kalantari has been an Adjunct Associate Professor of Finance and Accounting at the University of Maryland: Robert Smith School of Business (MBA), University of Maryland University College, and Montgomery College with concentration in: Capital Markets, Business Finance, Personal and Healthcare Finance. He previously served as President of Potomac Lions Club, a charity organization, as well as the club’s Treasurer and First Vice President.
Dr. Kalantari is retired from the World Bank/IFC Group, a nonprofit financial institution that helps reduce poverty and held many positions including Budget and Program Coordinator.
Dr. Kalantari holds a B.S. in Computer and Electronics Engineering from George Mason University, M.S. in Financial Management from the University of Maryland, and Doctor of Education and Leadership in Finance from Nova Southeastern University.
Professor Jamal Rostami
Professor Rostami is currently Hadden/Alacer Gold Endowed Chair, and Director of Excavation Engineering and Earth Mechanics Institute (EMI) at the Department of Mining Engineering, Colorado School of Mines (CSM), in Golden Colorado. He has Over 30 years of experience in design, management, research, and teaching in the field of mining, tunneling, civil infrastructure, and underground construction. He has received his Ph.D. (1997) and MSc (1992) in Mining Eng from Colorado School of Mines, after completing his B.Sc in Mining Eng from University of Tehran, Faculty of Engineering (Fanni) in1987. He has been a faculty at the University of Tehran, and the Pennsylvania State University before rejoining CSM in 2016. He is a Member of SME, ASCE, ARMA, ISRM, ISEE. He is one of the founding members of the Iranian American Academics and Professionals (IAAP) and founder of Professors without Borders. He is currently serving as the board member of the Child Foundation and is in charge of international expansion.
Mr. Mohammad Soleimani
Mohammad Soleimani is Kastle Systems’ Chief Technology Officer and is responsible for all aspects of Kastle Systems’ development and IT efforts. Most recently, Mohammad served as Chairman of the Board for SoleNet, Inc., an engineering services company focused on developing state of the art communications equipment. From 2006 to 2007, Mohammad served as Vice President Engineering for RFID at Motorola, Inc. His responsibilities included advanced development and architectural design of Radio-frequency identification (RFID) equipment. While in this position, he led a team of about 40 SW and HW engineers. From 2004 to 2006, Mohammad served as Vice President of Engineering at Matrics, Inc/Symbol Technologies, where he was responsible for SW and HW development of RFID readers. Before joining Matrics, Inc/Symbol Technologies, Mohammad founded Sole Net, Inc. in 2001 and co-founded BitCom, Inc. in 1998. Mohammad also spent fifteen years as Senior Director for Hughes Network Systems (HNS), where he obtained tremendous leadership experience. He first served as Co-lead System Engineer for Thuraya, a mobile satellite voice and data communication system based in the UAE. He later became the Lead Systems Engineer for ICO, a Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) mobile satellite system for voice and data communication. He also became Lead Engineer for the first phase of DirecTV receivers.
Mohammad obtained his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology and Master of Science in Electrical Engineering with honors from George Washington University.
Dr. Hessam Yazdani
Dr. Yazdani is an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and the director of the Sustainable Infrastructure, Geotechnics, and Materials (SIGMa) Lab at the University of Missouri. He specializes in machine learning, geotechnical engineering, multifunctional composites, risk and reliability analysis, and optimization. Dr. Yazdani’s interdisciplinary research centers on enhancing the sustainability and climate resilience of civil infrastructure. He has authored/co-authored over 70 publications in books, peer-reviewed journals, and conference proceedings. His expertise and leadership have also earned him invitations to serve on various advisory boards, grant review committees, and technical panels. Dr. Yazdani has received several competitive international and national awards, including a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation and a DURIP award from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). Dr. Yazdani’s expertise extends beyond academia. He has actively engaged with industry professionals and government agencies to bridge the gap between research and practical implementation. Passionate about education, Dr. Yazdani has been recognized several times as the Faculty, Mentor, and Advisor of the Year. Dr. Yazdani is a registered professional engineer.
Dr. Yazdani is the President of IAAP. Previously, he served IAAP as the Chair of the Scholarship Committee.