Dr. Mitra Ara is a professor and founding director of Persian and Iranian studies, and faculty member in the Middle East studies at San Francisco State University where she teaches ancient and medieval Iranian and Persian cultures and religions. She received her B.A. in Comparative Religion, M.A. in South and Southeast Asian Studies, and her Ph.D. in (West) Asian Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. Her research includes ancient Indo-Iranian religions and mythologies, and cosmology and eschatology in world religions. She is an artist, photographer, translator, and the author of multiple articles and books and is a highly esteemed member and leader in her area of expertise. She serves on numerous academic boards and is formally recognized by different societies for her scholarship, leadership, and dedication in introducing the Persianate Societies to the general public and professional societies. As an educator and leader, she has established the Interdisciplinary Minor in Persian Studies at San Francisco State University, the first of such program in the entire California State University System. Her contributions have been nationally recognized for her work in changing the environment of Iranian and Persian Studies in public universities and contributing to the scholarship of Iranian Studies, Persian Studies, West Asian Studies, and other areas relative to our contemporary world.
