User:Sina Kardar/ List of notable Iranian women

The terms Persian women or Iranian women, used interchangeably, refer to women of Iran (known as Persia outside Iran until 1935).

Notice: As one person may have contributed to more than one field, they can be categorized in multiple areas.

Nobel laureates and nominees

 * Shirin Ebadi, 2003 Nobel Laureate. (Peace)
 * Simin Behbahani, 1997 Nobel prize Nominee. (Literature)

Scientists and Engineers

 * Fariba Adelkhah, Director of Research at Centre for International Studies and Research, France.
 * Anousheh Ansari, First female space tourist, leading telecommunication entrepreneur, and namesake of the X Prize
 * Mina Bissell, Director of UC Berkeley Life Sciences Division.
 * Mariam Kamkar, Head of Computer and Information Science Department, Linköpings Universitet, Sweden.
 * Patricia L. Mokhtarian, Associate Director, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
 * Farshid Moussavi, World leader in Architectural Engineering
 * Simin Nikbin Meydani, Senior Scientist and Director at Tufts University.
 * Manijeh Razeghi, Director, Center for Quantum Devices, Northwestern University.
 * Reihaneh Safavi-Naini, Cryptographer, professor of computer science, and head of Telecommunications and Information Technology Research Institute at University of Wollongong
 * Nahid Shahmehri, Director of the Laboratory for Intelligent Information, Linköpings Universitet, Sweden.
 * Azadeh Tabazadeh, Stanford University scientist from NASA. Article about her in TIME magazine
 * Saba Valadkhan, American Association for the Advancement of Science Young scientist award
 * Maryam Mirzakhani, Mathematician
 * Maryam Alavi, Chairperson and professor of information systems, University of Maryland
 * Fatemeh Zahedi or (Maryam Zahedi), Distinguished Professor in Management Information Systems, University of Wisconsin-Madison
 * Fatemeh Milani, American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and a fellow of the American Association of Electrodiagnostic Medicine.
 * Mahpareh Mostoufizadeh, Vice President of Board of Directors, Iranian-American Medical Association
 * Mansooreh Mollaghasemi, Professor of Industrial Engineering, University of Central Florida, Founder & President of Productivity Apex, Inc.
 * Fereshteh Motamedi, Professor of Physiology, Permanent member of Iranian Academy of Medical Sciences.
 * Maryam Sadri, Vice President in Charge of Operation in Specialty Laboratories, Santa Clarita, California.
 * Fattaneh Tavassoli, Director of Women's Health Program GYN and Breast Pathology, Professor of Pathology, Yale University.
 * Parvin Ganjei-Azar, Professor of Pathology, Director of Cytopathology, School of Medicine, University of Miami.

Academics

 * Janet Afary, Historian.
 * Shirin Ebadi, Lawyer, lecturer at Tehran University (2003 Nobel Laureate).
 * Mehrangiz Kar, Lawyer, fellow at Harvard University.
 * Jaleh Amouzgar, Iranologist, Professor of Tehran University.
 * Lady Amin (Banoo Amin), Jurisprudent and theologian.
 * Elaheh Koulaei, Professor of Political sciences, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, Tehran University
 * Fatemeh Keshavarz-Karamustafa, Chair of Asian and Near Eastern Languages and Literature Department, Professor of Persian and Comparative Literature, Washington University in St. Louis
 * Camila Batmanghelidjh, Psychotherapist.
 * Flora Peyvandi, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine,University of Milan, Italy, chair of Rare Bleeding disoders in International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis,

Authors and poets

 * Mina Assadi, Famous poet and author, winner of the Hellman/Hammett awards (human Rights Watch) in New York in the year of 1996
 * Mahshid Amirshahi, Novelist
 * Farzaneh Aghaeipour, Playwright and novelist
 * Mastoureh Ardalan, Poet
 * Simin Behbahani, Poet and 1997 Nobel prize nominee.
 * Simin Daneshvar, Academic, novelist and translator of literary texts from several languages into Persian
 * Parvin E'tesami, Poet (classical)
 * Forough Farrokhzad, Poet (modern)
 * Rabe'e Ghazdari, Poet
 * Roya Hakakian, Writer and poet
 * Sheema Kalbasi, Poet
 * Justine Harun-Mahdavi, German-Iranian writer.
 * Rosie Malek-Yonan, Author, actor and director. Author of THE CRIMSON FIELD
 * Mahsati, Medieval poet
 * Azadeh Moaveni, Writer and journalist
 * Shahrnush Parsipur, Novelist
 * Zoya Pirzad, Novelist and winner of Hushang Golshiri Award
 * Tahereh Qorrat Al-'Ayn, Poet, philosopher and theologian; Seventeenth disciple or Letter of the Living of the Báb (mid 19th century)
 * Mahasti Shahrokhi, Novelist
 * Farzaneh Khojandi, Tajik poet
 * Golrokhsar Safi Eva, National poet of Tajikistan

Artists

 * Lily Afshar, World class guitarist
 * Farzaneh Kaboli, a leader in the Iranian Folkloric and National Dance Art
 * Nazanin Afshin-Jam, Actress, Singer/Songwriter, Human Rights Campaigner
 * Shohreh Aghdashloo, Actress 2003 Oscar nominee for House of Sand and Fog
 * Pegah Anvarian, Fashion Designer in L.A..
 * Pegah Ahangarani, Actress and winner of Best Actress Award, 23rd Cairo International Film Festival.
 * Taraneh Alidoosti, Best Actress Award Winner, Locarno International Film Festival, awarded in August 2002
 * Mary Apick, Actress, Best Actress Award Winner(1977)
 * Leila Arab, Musician
 * Soodabeh Salem, Musician and conductor
 * Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, Director
 * Arfa Atrai, Santur Musician and writer
 * Catherine Bell, Actress JAG (Half)
 * Sima Bina, Singer.
 * Poya POW, Lyricist - Persian Princes
 * Shiva Boloorian, Actress and play director
 * Nazanin Boniadi, Actress
 * Iran Darrudi, Artist
 * Delkash (Esmat Bagherpour), Singer
 * Shohreh Solati, Singer
 * Golshifteh Farahani, Actress, Best Actress Award from the 22nd Nantes 3 Continents Festival and Symorgh for Best Actress from the 16th International Fajr Film Festival
 * Leila Forouhar, Singer
 * Googoosh, Actress/Singer/Songwriter
 * Azita Hajian, Actress, Crystal Simorgh winner for the Best Actress, the 17th Fajr International Film Festival
 * Leila Hatami, Best Actress Award Locarno International Film festival and Montreal World Film Festival (2002)
 * Monika Jalili, Persian vocalist of Dutch-German origin
 * Ghashang Kamkar, Musician
 * Niki Karimi, Actress and director
 * Merila Zarei, Award-winning actress
 * Maryam Keshavarz, Director
 * Hana Makhmalbaf, Director
 * Samira Makhmalbaf, Director
 * Marjane Satrapi, film director and graphic novelist
 * Rosie Malek-Yonan, Actor, director and writer. Now in post-production (2007) Rendition
 * Yassamin Maleknasr, Actress and director
 * Marzieh, Singer
 * Tahmineh Milani, Feminist filmmaker
 * Nooshafarin, Singer
 * Mahin Oskouei First female Iranian film director
 * Laleh Pourkarim, Singer
 * Parisa (Fatemeh Va'ezi), Singer
 * Susan Roshan, Singer
 * Behnaz Sarafpour, Couture fashion designer in NYC
 * Shakila, Singer, winner of the Persian Academy Award
 * Bahar Soomekh, Actress (Crash and Saw III)
 * Tamara Stronach, played the Childlike Empress in the The Neverending Story
 * Qamar ol-Molouk Vaziri, Lady of Persian Music
 * Fatemeh Vaezi, Master of Persian classical music
 * Mahla Zamani, Iranian fashion designer; expert on traditional Iranian dressings
 * Sarah Shahi, Actress
 * Mokarrameh Ghanbari, Painter
 * Lida Abdul (Tajik-Afghanistani), Renowned graphic designer
 * Hedyeh Tehrani, Actress
 * Noreen Motamed, Painter
 * Darya Dadvar, Soprano solist and composer

Athletes

 * Laleh Seddigh, autoracing and rally champion of Iran
 * Aravane Rezai, tennis player
 * Janet Kohan-Sedq, runner

Politicians

 * Azar Majedi, Communist activist and politician.
 * Masoumeh Ebtekar, Iranian Vice President.
 * Christiane Amanpour, CNN's chief international correspondent.
 * Fatemeh Haghighatjou, former Member of Parliament.
 * Elaheh Koulaei, former Member of Parliament and Professor of political sciences.
 * Farah Karimi, Iranian female Dutch Member of Parliament.
 * Shahla Habibi
 * Nasrin Soltankhah
 * Fatemeh Javadi, Vice-President, and head of the Department of the Environment.

Royalty

 * Purandokht, Sassanid crown princess and Queen.
 * Shahr-banu, Princess.
 * Nur Jehan, Wife of Mughal Emperor Jehangir
 * Seyyedeh Khatun, Ruler.
 * Gauhar Shad, Queen.
 * Soraya Esfandiary Bakhtiari, Former Queen.
 * Ashraf Pahlavi, Princess.
 * Farah Pahlavi, Empress (Mohammad Reza Shah's wife).
 * Leila Pahlavi, Princess.
 * Mumtaz Mahal, Wife of Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan and inspiration for Taj Mahal.

Activists

 * Elham Afroutan
 * Nazanin Afshin-Jam, Human Rights Activist, Singer and Songwriter, 2003 Miss World 1st runner up, Miss Canada 2003
 * Bibi Khatoon Astarabadi, author and pioneer of Persian women's movement in modern Iran
 * Azam Taleghani
 * Nooshin Ahmadi Khorasani
 * Golbarg Bashi, feminist academic and activist
 * Sediqeh Dowlatabadi, author and pioneer of Persian women's movement in modern Iran
 * Shirin Ebadi, human rights lawyer and judge, 2003 Nobel Laureate
 * Zahra Eshraghi, feminist activist
 * Lila Azam Zangeneh, writer and journalist
 * Roya Hakakian, Iranian-Jewish human rights activist and author
 * Mehrangiz Kar, human rights lawyer and winner of the Ludovic Trarieux International Human Rights Prize
 * Zahra Kazemi, slain political photographer
 * Elaheh Koulaei
 * Shahla Lahiji, human rights activist and a pioneer of Persian women's movement
 * Rosie Malek-Yonan, actor, author and activist who testified on Capitol Hill at U.S. House of Representatives in 2006 on behalf of the Assyrians in Iraq
 * Azar Nafisi, activist and novelist
 * Marina Nemat, activist, past political prisoner and author.
 * Shadi Sadr, feminist activist, lawyer and journalist
 * Pari Esfandiari
 * Shahla Sherkat, editor and a pioneer of women's movement in the modern Iran
 * Soraya Sepahpour, political analyst and writer
 * Badri Teymourtash, First female Iranian Doctor; a founder of School of Dentistry, Mashad University
 * Iran Teymourtash, journalist and early activist; daughter of Abdolhossein Teymourtash

In the news

 * Nazanin Afshin-Jam, 2003 Miss World 1st runner up, Miss Canada 2003, Human Rights Activist, Singer and Songwriter
 * Ramona Amiri, Miss World Canada 2005.
 * Rudi Bakhtiar, TV news anchor.
 * Minu Barati, wife of Joschka Fischer, German Former Foreign Minister.
 * Ladan and Laleh Bijani, conjoined twins.
 * Haleh Esfandiari, scholar, detainee
 * Hammasa Kohistani (Tajik-Afghanistani), Miss England 2005.
 * Lily Mazahery, Lawyer, International Human Rights Activist, President of the Legal Rights Institute.
 * Behnaz Mozakka, Iranian woman who died in 2005 London bombing.
 * Mandana Naderian, German TV hostess.
 * Nazanin Fatehi, sentenced to death for alleged self-defence
 * Shermine Shahrivar, Miss Europe 2005.

Others

 * Farrokhrou Parsa, doctor and former Minister of Education, executed during the Iranian Revolution.
 * Zahra Rahnavard, first female chancellor of university after revolution
 * Parvaneh Eskandari Dariush Forouhar's wife
 * Sona Babai, oldest naturalized Iranian American