Visiting Scholars

Colorful tiled facade of a building in the Middle East.

MESC offers Visiting Scholar affiliation to scholars and professionals whose research and career interests intersect with the Center’s mission to further understanding and knowledge of the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia through education, faculty and student support, and community outreach. These affiliations with MESC are available based on the applicants' qualifications and subject to review.

Meet Our Visiting Scholars

Light skinned man with dark hair and beard smiling in light blue collared shirt

Harout Akdedian

Dr. Harout Akdedian studies state-society relations, public policy and administration, and Middle East politics and society. His areas of interest include exclusionary extremism, state institutions and atrophy, civil rights and the Syrian conflict. He joined the Civil Rights Unit at the Oregon Department of Justice in February 2022..

Daniel Van Lehman

Dan Van Lehman has a bachelor's degree from Eastern Illinois University and a master’s from Cornell University where his thesis advocates refugee protection through intra-Africa resettlement. He worked for the U.N.H.C.R. in the 1990s in Dadaab, Kenya as a refugee camp field officer and later in Mozambique as a resettlement consult...