​Could you briefly introduce yourself?

I've recently joined IRIF and CNRS as a Ph.D. student. I am working on combinatorial optimization problems in the algorithms and complexity team. I have gotten my bachelor's and master's degrees in applied mathematics in my country, Iran. Ever since I was a high school student, I was very interested in solving complex math problems, and in fact, solving math problems was my main hobby.

How did you end up doing research?

In my opinion, everyone came to this world for a purpose and has a mission that they must fulfill and leave, I think my mission is also to make changes in science, however small. In fact, I found the meaning of life in this fact that, in order to be useful and effective, I must leave a mark on myself for future generations, preferably this mark is progress in science.

Why choosing computer science?

I have always been interested in regularities that exist in random, large, and complex structures. During the last decade, as I was firmly engaged with math Problems, I dealt with such problems in a predominantly abstract way. The core idea behind my research was to discover global patterns, regularities, and information of a large complex structure given local information. More recently, I have become interested in applied problems with high-impact solutions and I switched to approximation algorithms for my master's thesis after that, I decided to continue my Ph.D. in the same field. switching from mathematics to computer science would not only give me a strong foundation in the theory of computer science but also allows me to expand my research horizons.

Have you been inspired/influenced by female scientists? If so, which one(s)?

My parents have always encouraged and supported me and have always given me self-confidence since childhood. My teachers and professors throughout high school and universities in Iran as well as here have been very inspiring and influential. Definitely, Professor Maryam Mirzakhani, as the first female Fields Medalist in the world, has been one of the most important role models in my scientific life, Maryam proved that women can also advance in the higher degrees of science as much as men and be influential.

According to you, what could be done to attract more women in research in the field of computer science?

As a woman who was born in the Middle East, I have been fortunate to live in an era where women are also widely present in science and society in general. I appreciate all the young ladies who are fighting with patriarchal societies with all their might to get their rights and also this equality. In order to increase this presence and equality as much as possible, we should try to give women self-confidence and value and give importance to the presence of women. Women should be encouraged that they are strong enough to choose any career that they are interested in and they should not be caught up in stereotypes and taboos. We will definitely reach this equality, but it will take time. I appreciate all professors and colleagues, who try to create an equal space in science for everyone.​