Dr Said Irandoust

STINT Senior Science Fellow

Dr Said Irandoust has been STINT Senior Science Fellow since August 2026. Previously, he was the Founding Rector of the American University of Technology in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where he led the establishment of this international university in partnership with Arizona State University. Living and working in Uzbekistan has given him first-hand experience of the rapid transformation of higher education in Central Asia and the region’s growing international ambitions.

His career has taken him across Europe, Asia and Africa. Starting as a researcher and professor at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, Dr Irandoust later served as Vice President of Chalmers, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Borås, Sweden, President of the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand, and Vice-Chancellor of the Afro-American University of Central Africa in Equatorial Guinea.

Dr Irandoust has consistently been drawn to opportunities where higher education could make the greatest difference – whether by helping established universities navigate periods of transformation or by building entirely new institutions from the ground up. In his experience, successful institutions are built on trust, shared purpose and people rather than structures alone.

Dr Irandoust’s interests have gradually broadened beyond university leadership towards international higher education cooperation and science diplomacy. As STINT Senior Science Fellow, he will focus primarily on Central Asia – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – while also covering the South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia) and Türkiye.

His aim is to strengthen knowledge and long-term relationships between Sweden and the region, identify meaningful opportunities for cooperation, and connect universities, researchers, public authorities, funding organisations and other relevant actors. He hopes to contribute to partnerships that go beyond individual projects and create lasting opportunities for research, education, innovation and academic mobility across geographical and political boundaries.

For contact with Dr Said Irandoust:
said.irandoust@stint.se