Tell us about the type of research you are doing: 

In recent years, protests in Iran have been met with a systematic shutdown of Internet services by the Islamic Republic regime­—a tactic that has intensified as protests have shifted towards anti-regime sentiments. This deliberate disruption of the online realm aims to control political narratives, conceal human rights violations, and propagate disinformation campaigns. I am calling this information vacuum a digital darkness and my doctoral research and art practice, operating in the gaps between data science, media art, and digital culture studies, is an attempt to shed light on the truth. I will address this through my theoretical analysis and a multimedia installation, showcasing documentation of Iranian protests through data visualization and interactive technology.

 What have been some of the benefits of your fellowship experience; what have you enjoyed the most?

The fellowship has provided crucial funding and has allowed me to focus fully on my research. This stability has been invaluable—it enables me to invest uninterrupted time into my dissertation, whether that means refining my methodological approaches, or hiring collaborators. Without the pressure of securing additional income, I can focus on producing high-quality scholarship and contributing meaningfully to my field.

 What has been the most challenging aspect of the fellowship experience?

The most significant challenge has been aligning SSHRC’s rigorous academic expectations with the experimental, interdisciplinary nature of my work—where data science, interactive art, and human rights advocacy intersect. SSHRC traditionally prioritizes text-based humanities/social science research, so framing my technical-artistic process as "methodology" required careful justification.

 What is your vision for your future; what do you expect to be doing after your fellowship?

I am interested in curating public exhibitions that bridge galleries and academic spaces to use immersive tech to make human rights data viscerally accessible. I am also interested in collaborating with artists and scientists to democratize conversations about art as resistance in algorithmic societies.

 What advice do you give to current students considering applying to programs?

Treat the application like a research project. Clearly position your research within existing scholarship, but also emphasize how your approach offers a new critical lens. Most importantly, what contributed to my application success was sharing drafts with peers outside my discipline (if they can’t grasp the core idea, committees won’t either).