Michael Izady received his doctorate in Middle Eastern Studies at Columbia University, New York, in 1991. He has taught at various American and European institutions such as Harvard University (1990–1995), Smithsonian Institution (Washington, 1996), Uppsala University, (Sweden, 1997), Free University of Berlin (Germany, 1998), Fordham University (New York, 1998–2008), Pace University (2001–2016), and New York Tech (1997–present). Izady also served as an adjunct master professor of Middle Eastern Studies and History at the USAF Special Operations School/Joint Special Operations University, Hurlburt Field, Florida. From 1990 to 1997, he provided education for the U.S. and NATO militaries in the U.S. as well as Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Africa.
Izady has testified before two U.S. Congressional committees and served as an advisor to the National Security Council under the President George H.W. Bush. He has received a total of five years of NEH collaborative grants for his scholarly works. He routinely serves as a source of consultation to the United Nations, U.S. Mapping Agency, and American and foreign media (BBC, Reuters, Associated Press, The Guardian, Le Figaro, New York Times, The Economist; TV and radio news programs, VOA, NPR, PBS, BBC, Deutsche Welle, etc.).
In his academic roles, students voted him twice as one of the top 10 university professors. He has a working knowledge of four primary European languages as well as all four primary Middle Eastern languages. Together, these form a valuable tool for him in accessing original data, past and present, and to study sociology, politics, and culture of various regions of the world which he reflect into this writings as well as his unique, internationally acclaimed cartographic collection. Izady has also lived in many of the countries in the region and experienced their social culture firsthand.
Recent Projects/Research
- Cultural, ethnic, and political facets of Middle East Conflict
Publications
- I have published extensively, including eight books; dozens of articles; book chapters; conference papers; book reviews; and over 200 annotated original cartographic works.
Honors and Awards
- Recipient of two NEH grants
Courses Taught at New York Tech
- I have taught 17 courses and developed 4 new courses