Abbas Edalat ( fa, عباس عدالت) is a British-Iranian academic who is a professor of computer science and mathematics at the Department of Computing,

Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a ...

and a political activist. In a 2018 letter to

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

, 129 experts in computer science, mathematics and machine learning described him as "a prominent academic, making fundamental contributions to mathematical logic and theoretical computer science" Edalat also founded SAF and

CASMII Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII) is a group of academics, students and professionals of Iranian and non-Iranian backgrounds formed to oppose sanctions or military action against Iran by the United States. ...

, Abbas Edalat
on ''

'' a campaign against sanctions and military intervention in Iran. Edalat has appeared on

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

on numerous occasions.

Academic career

Edalat is Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics at

Imperial College Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cul ...

, London, since 1997. Before this he was a lecturer in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at

Sharif University of Technology Sharif University of Technology (SUT; fa, دانشگاه صنعتی شریف) is a public research university in Tehran, Iran. It is widely considered as the nation's most prestigious and leading institution for science, technology, engineering, ...

, Tehran (1987–88). He completed his PhD in Mathematics at

Warwick University The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands (county), West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded i ...

(UK) in 1985 advised by

Christopher Zeeman Sir Erik Christopher Zeeman FRS (4 February 1925 – 13 February 2016), was a British mathematician, known for his work in geometric topology and singularity theory. Overview Zeeman's main contributions to mathematics were in topology, particu ...

. His research interests include Exact Computation in Differential and Integral Calculus, Computational Geometry, Computation in Logical Form, Optimisation Theory, Game Theory and Computational Psychiatry. At Imperial College, Professor Edalat serves as the head of both the Algorithmic Human Development and Continuous Data-Types and Exact Computing research groups. His 1997 paper on "Bisimulation for Labelled Markov Processes" received the

IEEE The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operati ...

LICS Test of Time Award in 2017.

Science and Arts Foundation

In 1999, Edalat founded the Science and Arts Foundation (SAF), a UK registered charity with the mission "to provide the youth of the developing world with educational opportunities particularly in information technology and internet enjoyed in the industrial world." The foundation's president was Dr. Mohammad Reza Haeri-Yazdi, faculty member of the

University of Tehran The University of Tehran (Tehran University or UT, fa, دانشگاه تهران) is the most prominent university located in Tehran, Iran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as its research and teaching pro ...

. The foundation raised over US$1 million toward technology projects in Iranian middle and high schools, in partnership with institutions of higher learning, such as

University of Guilan The University of Guilan ( fa, دانشگاه گیلان, ''Danushgah-e Gilân'') is an institute of higher education and graduate studies in Rasht, a large city in the province of Guilan, in Northern Iran, bordering the Caspian Sea. It has near ...

Shahid Chamran University Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz is a major Iranian University in Ahvaz, Khuzestan, Iran. By the ISC ranking, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz is 13th largest and top university in Iran. SCU University is considered one of Iran's "Grade A" un ...

and

University of Kashan University of Kashan (Kashan University or UK, Persian: دانشگاه کاشان) is located in the city of Kashan, Iran, 230 kilometers south of the capital Tehran. It educates more than 7,000 students in many different fields including enginee ...

. According to

Fars News The Fars News Agency is a news agency in Iran managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an armed wing loyal to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. While it describes itself as "Iran's leading independent news agency", it is widely descri ...

, SAF "established the first modern computer sites with internet access for some 250 schools in various provinces in Iran."

Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII)

Edalat founded the educational peace organization

, on 1 December 2005 in London, UK. It expanded to the US the following year. The organization's membership is described as a group of academics, students and professionals of "diverse range of political and ideological viewpoints", formed to oppose sanctions or military action against Iran. Edalat and

have been involved in numerous anti-war events, news programs and speaking engagements.

Personal life

Edalat was arrested in Tehran on 15 April 2018 by officers of the intelligence department of

IRGC The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC; fa, سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enghelāb-e Eslāmi, lit=Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution also Sepāh or Pasdaran for short) is a branch o ...

for unknown reasons. He was transferred to Evin Prison. Edalat had come to Iran to attend educational workshops. He returned to the UK in December 2018.

References

External links

Official website
- Imperial College website
CASMII website
* * *

- The US can learn from this example of mutual respect
Abbas Edalat
on ''