Shahrad Shahvand’s research focuses on the intellectual and social history of Islam in the Turco-Persianate world (1258–1722). He is particularly interested in analyzing texts (ranging from philosophy to literature in Arabic, Persian, and Chaghatay Turkish) and placing them within their social and historical contexts.

As a postdoctoral fellow, he will work on his first book manuscript entitled A Shīʿī Scholar Between Safavid Iran and Mughal India: The Life, Work, and Thought of Nūrullāh Shūshtarī (1550–1610) and a couple of articles. He also plans to teach a course on the history of Shīʿī Islam in Safavid Iran.

Shahrad holds a PhD in Near Eastern Studies from Harvard University (2023) and a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School (2015). Before joining Harvard in 2013, Shahrad earned a master’s degree from the University of Tehran in International Relations, focusing on sectarianism in Afghanistan and South Asia.