I was born in a small village in Kurdistan, Iran. When I was a toddler, my parents moved to a nearby town, where I lived through the end of high school. I visited my uncles in my ancestral village during summer months and I have my most precious memories from those visits. I helped out with the farm work by taking care of farm animals and growing vegetables. My favorite evening chore was to bring back fresh poplar leaves from the farm for the calves.
I got measles when I was 7 years old. As I was recovering from the disease, I gained a big appetite for fried chicken. But fried chicken is not my favorite dish. My favorite dish is Khoresht Sabzi, a stew mixture of sauteed herbs, beef, and red kidney beans.
In middle school, I read many of the science books written for children by Isaac Asimov as well as many mathematical puzzle books written by Martin Gardner. Fortunately, I could get my hands on the Persian translations of these books in my school's library. I developed a passion for astronomy and eventually for mathematics. After I read all the math books I could find in my school and town library, my father and I took a trip to the capital city, where I bought more math books. By the end of middle school, I knew that I wanted to be a mathematician and teach mathematics as a career.
In high school, I participated in the national mathematical olympiad and was selected to be a member of the national team to represent Iran in the international mathematical olympiad in Toronto, Canada, in 1995. I won a silver medal and our team, which included the future Fields Medalist Maryam Mirzakahni, ranked eighth.
I was the first in my extended family to enter the university. I was admitted to Sharif University of Technology and graduated in 1999 with a bachelor degree in mathematics.
When I was a sophomore, I lost seven of my professors and classmates, two of whom were my roommates, in a tragic bus accident. They were returning from a math conference in southwestern Iran. I did not participate in the conference because I had gone back to my hometown to visit my family. Their loss has left a big hole in my heart.
To pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics, I decided to immigrate to the United States. Since there were no US embassies or companies in Iran, to take the language exam required as a part of my graduate school application, I had to travel to Dubai, and to get a US visa, I traveled to Turkey. I was admitted to Stony Brook University, where I received my Ph.D. in 2005.
Most of my graduate school years, I suffered from depression. Being away from my network of family and friends had left a toll on me. I was not aware of the resources that college and university campuses provide for students struggling with mental health. Fortunately, those resources are becoming more and more available on campuses nowadays.
I have three children, Rojan, Arad, and Narin. Rojan loves biology and chemistry and is planning to study biology in college. Arad loves Sonic the Hedgehog and Minecraft, and Narin loves gymnastics. We take camping trips to campgrounds near the Adirondacks every summer. My dream is to become a 46-er but I have a long way to go. I was defeated by mosquitos on my hike to Mount Haystack a few summers ago. Next summer, I plan to go prepared with a full bottle of bug spray.
I have been working at Siena College since 2011 after working at the University of Oregon and Trinity College. The day I visited Siena College for my on campus job interview, the campus was being closed at 1:00 P.M. because of an impending snowstorm. During the four hours I was on campus, I went through the meetings and the lecture I had prepared rapidly, and even had time to go with some students to lunch in the cafeteria.