Alireza Salehi-Nejad is a multidisciplinary researcher currently affiliated with the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Technology Sydney. Prior to this, he was actively involved in research, teaching, and executive roles at the University of Tehran for over nine years.
Alireza is a non-resident researcher at the Cyberspace Research Policy Center, and serves in several capacities, including as the Executive Director of the International Association of Communication in Healthcare, an Executive Committee member of the UNESCO Chair on Cyberspace & Culture (UCCC), Ethics Committee Co-Chair of the Linguistic Society of America, and Head of the Academic Integrity Surveys Working Group of the European Network for Academic Integrity.
It is worth noting that Alireza frequently reviews and edits manuscripts for journals published by SAGE, Elsevier, Cambridge University Press, and Nature, among others. For these reviews, he was recognized as the Top Reviewer in Social Sciences by Publons, and he received the Sentinel of Science Award in 2016 and the Excellent Reviewer Award in 2017. His commitment to fostering excellence in peer review and academic publishing extends to his roles as a mentor at the Web of Science Academy, and an Asia-Pacific Advisory Council member of the International Society of Managing & Technical Editors. He is also a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Council of Asian Science Editors (CASE).
Alireza also instructs on research integrity, academic publishing, and peer review. His expertise in research integrity, research ethics, and the legal aspects of academic publishing is certified by numerous organizations, including COPE, Elsevier, Taylor & Francis, Springer, Clarivate, European Network for Academic Integrity (ENAI), MIT Professional Education, Global Health Training Centre, Panel on Research Ethics, Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services, Texas A&M University, US Department of Health and Human Services, UNESCO, and Creative Commons.
As an open science advocate, he served as the Associate Editor for the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Associate Editor for linguistics for De Gruyter Open, and has been an honorary Mendeley Advisor, Center for Open Science Ambassador, and Figshare Ambassador.
Alireza pursued a BSc in Business Information Technology at Asia Pacific University and Staffordshire University. Graduating summa cum laude a year ahead of schedule, he earned a degree in Translation Studies from Shahid Chamran University. Subsequently, Alireza embarked on postgraduate studies at the University of Tehran’s Faculty of World Studies, specializing in British Studies (MSc) and American Studies (PhD). His academic credentials are further bolstered by a Foundation in Management Studies & Computer Science and a Postgraduate Diploma in Engineering Leadership & Management.
Throughout his academic career, Alireza has received numerous accolades, including recognition from the Office for Exceptional Talented Students, the Young Researcher Award, and three Dean’s Endeavor Awards. He also secured prestigious scholarships such as the International Research Training Program Scholarship (IRTP), the Australian Government Research Training Program Stipend, and the Students as Partners (SaP) Project Grants.
Although Alireza’s focus is on social sciences, his research and studies encompass a broad spectrum of topics in various disciplines. In addition to his contributions to the “culture of poverty” and the “cycle of poverty,” Alireza’s research expertise includes sociolinguistics, interpersonal communication, political discourse, international relations, and medical sociology. In addition to writing technical briefings, reports, and whitepapers for research institutes and government organizations, his work has been presented at international conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals such as Science, International Affairs, Political Studies Review, European Political Science, and Spinal Cord.
Alireza’s work delves into communication across diverse disciplines, including business, linguistics, political science, and cultural studies. Believing that better communication is key to lowering healthcare costs and enhancing patient experiences, he founded the International Association of Communication in Healthcare within the Universal Scientific Education and Research Network at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). He actively advocates for and optimizes rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injuries and cancer, collaborating with the American Academy on Communication in Healthcare and the Brain & Spinal Cord Injury Research Center at TUMS. His dedication to the field is further evidenced by his numerous certifications and continuing professional education credits from the American Medical Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Stanford Medicine, Global Health Training Centre, American Society of Clinical Oncology, European School of Oncology, and the World Health Organization and other esteemed organizations.
Alireza actively collaborates with UNESCO, UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Alliance, the IGF (Internet Governance Forum), and other stakeholders to promote media and information literacy (MIL) to combat disinformation, foster trust, enhance social cohesion, improve quality of life, and achieve sustainable development goals.
In addition to his administrative and executive management roles in academia, Alireza has years of C-level management experience, having served as the CEO of Titan Inc., a Kuala Lumpur-based business consulting company, and as a Business Executive for Arash Plastic Ltd.
Alireza possesses a deep appreciation for the arts, sports, and sciences. His literary and artistic work, such as poetry and photography, has been published under his pseudonym, Arash Titan. Finally, in addition to his martial arts success—which includes three titles in taekwondo in the Fajr Junior Tournaments—Alireza founded a mountaineering club, which boasts hundreds of members from over 50 countries.