Reza Arab

  • I lead a dual professional life spanning academia and political advocacy. I am a Lecturer in Applied Linguistics at the University of Queensland, Australia, and a political advisor and advocate for a free and democratic Iran.

    Current roles (April 2026)
    Academic

    • Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Applied Linguistics, University of Queensland
    • Major Convener for English as an International Language, University of Queensland
    • Linguistics Cluster Coordinator, University of Queensland

    Political

    I began my academic journey studying English Language and Literature at the University of Mazandaran (2006–2011). During this time, I was an active student organiser, mobilising peers against the theocratic regime and publishing on liberty and democracy. My activism led to repeated detentions and, ultimately, a ban on postgraduate study in Iran. Despite this, I completed my bachelor’s degree under disciplinary pressure.

    I continued my political advocacy in Mashhad while I completed an online Master’s degree in International Relations and Economics at the American Graduate School in Paris. I was subsequently awarded an Erasmus Mundus scholarship (SALAM program) to move to Poland to complete a second MA in Linguistics at the University of Warsaw.

    In 2016, I relocated to Australia to undertake a PhD in Linguistics, focusing on the semantics and pragmatics of Persian. I later continued my research as a resident at the Griffith Social and Cultural Research Centre before joining the University of Queensland.

    Alongside my academic work, I advise and contribute to political initiatives focused on Iran’s democratic transition. I have published in both Persian and English on pathways to a free Iran, including the case for constitutional monarchy as a viable framework for political change.