Congratulations to Encieh Erfani for the AAAS award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility,
As an exiled scientist, Encieh Erfani has had to overcome many challenges and this recognition came at great personal cost. Dr. Erfani held a faculty position at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences in Zanjan, Iran, until the autumn of 2022, when she resigned following the death of Mahsa Amini, a female university student, amid Iran's oppressive regime towards women. Since then Erfani has continued to seek her safety and academic freedom while advocating for at-risk students. Her journey has taken her via the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy, and since then to the Perimeter Institute, Canada.
Dr. Erfani is a Task Team member of the Science in Exile initiative, working together to bring even more attention to the issue of displaced refugees and academic freedom.