ALI AGHAEI Director of the Irankoran Project
Ali Aghaei is the founder and Project Director of Irankoran, which was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) from 2017 to 2020 and hosted by the Corpus Coranicum Department at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW, Berlin/Potsdam). He holds an MA and a PhD in Quran and Hadith Studies from Usul al-Din College in Qom (2002) and Islamic Azad University in Tehran (2012), respectively. From 2004 to 2013, he contributed to the Encyclopaedia of the World of Islam (Dāneshnāmeh-ye Jahān-e Eslām) and served on the Academic Board of the Encyclopaedia Islamic Foundation in Tehran. In 2013/14, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the EUME research programme of Forum Transregionale Studien, Berlin, followed by a Research Fellowship in the Corpus Coranicum project at BBAW (2014–2015). His research on Quranic manuscripts has focused on philological, palaeographical, and codicological analysis, first as a Research Fellow in the French-German project Paleocoran (funded by DFG and ANR and directed by F. Déroche and M. Marx) and subsequently through Irankoran, dedicated to Quranic manuscripts preserved in Iran. His work seeks to bridge the gap between the textual history of the Quran as reflected in literary sources and its material transmission in early Quranic manuscripts. In collaboration with Farid Amir Ghiasvand (Tehran) and Michael Marx (Corpus Coranicum, Berlin), he has contributed to the development of digital tools for editing and studying Quranic manuscripts. From October 2020 to March 2024, Aghaei was a Research Associate at the Institute of Islamic Theology at Paderborn University, where he taught and conducted research in Hadith Studies. Since April 2024, he has been a Research Associate in the “Islam and Digitality” project at Humboldt University in Berlin.
MOHAMMAD ALI KHAVANIN ZADEH Senior Researcher
Mohammad Ali Khavanin Zadeh is Assistant Professor in the Department of Quran and Hadith Studies at Kharazmi University, Tehran. He holds a PhD in Quran and Hadith Studies from the University of Tehran (2015). Since 2005, he has contributed to the Encyclopaedia of the World of Islam (Dāneshnāmeh-ye Jahān-e Eslām) of the Encyclopaedia Islamic Foundation and to the Great Islamic Encyclopedia (Dāʾerat-o al-Maʿāref Bozorg-e Eslāmī) of the Great Islamic Encyclopaedia Centre, both based in Tehran. Since 2011, he has taught and supervised master’s and PhD students at several universities in Tehran. His dissertation, “A Semantic Study of the Name Rabb and Clarifying its Position in the Semantic System of the Quran,” examined the Quranic term rabb in relation to Arabian epigraphy. This research led to a broader interest in the Arabian context of the Quran and to his volume 1400 Sāl Pādeshāhī dar Arabestān Pīsh az Eslām, which presents Persian translations of selected works by Christian Robin (Tehran: Hekmat Publication, 2022). Since 2019, Khavanin Zadeh has collaborated with the Irankoran and Corpus Coranicum projects at BBAW, focusing on the editing of early Quranic manuscripts. In collaboration with Ali Aghaei and Michael Marx, he has developed a Latin-character transcription system for the digital representation of the Ten Canonical Readings of the Quran as described by Ibn al-Jazarī (d. 1429).
ELAHEH SHAHPASAND Senior Researcher
Elaheh Shahpasand is Assistant Professor at the University of Quranic Sciences and Teachings in Mashhad, where she completed her bachelor’s degree. She received her master’s and PhD degrees in Quran and Hadith Studies from Ferdowsi University, Mashhad. Her teaching and research focus on the history of the Quran, with particular attention to Quranic readings. Her publications address topics including occasions of revelation, the history and nature of non-canonical readings, and the legal dimensions of Quranic readings in Imāmī sources. Since 2019, Shahpasand has collaborated with the Corpus Coranicum and Irankoran projects at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. She has contributed to Manuscripta Coranica by supervising the preparation of digital editions of several Quranic manuscripts using the tools developed within Irankoran.
MOJTABA MOHAMMADI Senior Researcher
Mojtaba Mohammadi is Assistant Professor in the Department of Quran and Hadith Studies at Ilam University. He completed his bachelor’s degree in Quran and Hadith Studies at the University of Islamic Denominations in Tehran and his master’s and PhD degrees in the same field at the University of Tehran. From 2015 to 2020, he worked as a researcher at the Centre for Quran Printing and Publication in Tehran and continues to collaborate with the Centre. His recent research focuses on the history of the Quran, particularly Quranic readings and the orthography of early manuscripts. Since 2021, Mohammadi has contributed to the continuing Irankoran digital resource and collaborated with Corpus Coranicum as a corresponding researcher. He has contributed to Manuscripta Coranica by preparing digital editions of several Quranic manuscripts using the tools developed within Irankoran.
ZAHRA MOLLAEI ESHGHABAD Corresponding Researcher
Zahra Mollaei Eshghabad is a doctoral candidate in Quran and Hadith Studies at Shiraz University. During her master’s studies at the University of Quranic Sciences and Teachings in Mashhad (2018), under the supervision of Dr Elaheh Shahpasand, she studied a number of early Quranic manuscripts. Her master’s research focused on Quran codices ascribed to Shi‘i Imams and preserved in the library of Astan-e Qods-e Razavi in Mashhad. Since 2019, Mollaei Eshghabad has collaborated with the Corpus Coranicum and Irankoran projects at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities as a corresponding researcher. She has contributed to their digital catalogues and to the preparation of digital editions of several Quranic manuscripts, including the digital transcription of the Ten Readings of the Quran.
FATEMEH NAYYERI Corresponding Researcher
Fatemeh Nayyeri holds bachelor’s (2014) and master’s (2018) degrees in Quranic Studies and Quran Interpretation from the University of Quranic Sciences and Teachings in Mashhad. She has been active in Quranic studies and recitation since 2010 and has received several awards in Quranic competitions. Since 2011, she has taught at schools, seminaries, and universities. Since 2019, Nayyeri has collaborated with the Corpus Coranicum and Irankoran projects at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities as a corresponding researcher. She has contributed to their digital catalogues and to the preparation of digital editions of numerous Quranic manuscripts. As part of her work with Irankoran, she has also contributed to the digital transcription of the Ten Readings of the Quran.
MOJGAN AZIMIAN Corresponding Researcher
Mojgan Azimian holds a master’s degree in Quranic Studies, specialising in Quran Interpretation, from the University of Quranic Sciences and Teachings in Mashhad. During her master’s studies, she developed a particular interest in early Quranic manuscripts. Her thesis, “A Study of the Readings Recorded in Fourth-Century Quranic Manuscripts at Astan-e Qods-e Razavi,” was completed under the supervision of Dr Elaheh Shahpasand in 2017. Since 2019, Azimian has collaborated with the Corpus Coranicum and Irankoran projects at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities as a corresponding researcher. She has contributed to Manuscripta Coranica through the preparation of digital editions of Quranic manuscripts and the digital transcription of the Ten Readings of the Quran.
AZAM SHAHPASAND Corresponding Researcher
Azam Shahpasand studied Computer Science at the Mashhad branch of the University of Jihad while also pursuing studies in Islamic Teachings at the Mashhad Seminary. This combination of technical and Islamic studies has informed her work on digital Quranic manuscript editions. Since 2019, Shahpasand has collaborated with the Corpus Coranicum and Irankoran projects at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities as a corresponding researcher. She has contributed to Manuscripta Coranica by preparing digital editions of Quranic manuscripts using the tools developed within Irankoran.
RAHELEH SHAHPASAND Corresponding Researcher
Raheleh Shahpasand holds a master’s degree in Computer Software Engineering from Ferdowsi University in Mashhad. Her master’s thesis, “Improving the Stateful Robustness Testing of Embedded Real-Time Operating Systems,” focused on robustness testing in embedded systems. She has published research in this field, including “A State-aware Approach for Robustness Testing of Embedded Real-Time Operating Systems” in CKE Journal (Vol. 2, No. 1, 2019), and presented related work at the 6th International Conference on Computer and Knowledge Engineering (ICCKE’16). Since 2019, Shahpasand has collaborated with the Corpus Coranicum and Irankoran projects at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities as a corresponding researcher. She has contributed to Manuscripta Coranica by preparing digital editions of Quranic manuscripts using the tools developed within Irankoran.
ROOHULLAH NAZEMI Corresponding Researcher
Roohullah Nazemi is Assistant Professor at the University of Quranic Sciences and Teachings in Zahedan. He completed his bachelor’s degree at the College of Hadith Sciences in Rey, his master’s degree in Quran and Hadith Studies at Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran, and his PhD in Quran and Hadith Studies at Usul al-Din College in Qom. His current research interests include the history of the Quran, Western Quranic studies, and early Quranic manuscripts. His doctoral research examined the history of contemporary Quranic interpretation, particularly its social approaches, a subject also reflected in his scholarly publications. Since 2021, Nazemi has contributed to the continuing Irankoran digital resource and collaborated with Corpus Coranicum as a corresponding researcher. He has contributed to Manuscripta Coranica by preparing digital editions of several Quranic manuscripts using the tools developed within Irankoran.
FATEMEH HAJI AKHOUNDI Corresponding Researcher
Fatemeh Haji Akhoundi holds a degree in English Literature from Islamic Azad University in Karaj. Since 2020, she has collaborated with the Irankoran project as a corresponding researcher, contributing to the preparation and editing of digital editions of Quranic manuscripts.
FATEMEH OMEHTALAB Corresponding Researcher
Fatemeh Omehtalab completed her bachelor’s degree in Quran and Hadith Studies at the University of Quranic Sciences and Teachings in Mashhad in 2020. She subsequently pursued a master’s degree in Quranic Studies with a focus on Western approaches. Her master’s thesis, supervised by Dr Elaheh Shahpasand, involves the translation and critical study of the first two chapters of Shady Hekmat Nasser’s The Second Canonization of the Qurʾān: Ibn Mujāhid (d. 324/936) and the Founding of the Seven Readings. Since 2022, Omehtalab has contributed to the continuing Irankoran digital resource and collaborated with Corpus Coranicum as a corresponding researcher. She has contributed to Manuscripta Coranica by preparing digital editions of Quranic manuscripts using the tools developed within Irankoran.
FATEMEH HOSSEINZADEH JAFARI Corresponding Researcher
Fatemeh Hosseinzadeh Jafari studied at Narjes Seminary and completed her bachelor’s degree in 2013. She received her master’s degree from the Faculty of Quranic Sciences at the University of Quranic Sciences and Teachings in Mashhad in 2019. Her master’s thesis, supervised by Dr Elaheh Shahpasand, examined traditions concerning the prohibition of building on graves. Research arising from this work includes a study on the dating of traditions concerning the construction of mosques on graves and a comparative study, co-authored with Shahpasand, on burial rituals and the construction of buildings on graves in Abrahamic religions. Since 2023, Hosseinzadeh Jafari has contributed to the continuing Irankoran digital resource and collaborated with Corpus Coranicum as a corresponding researcher. She has contributed to Manuscripta Coranica by preparing digital editions of Quranic manuscripts using the tools developed within Irankoran.
MOHAMMAD REZA NEMATI Corresponding Researcher
Mohammad Reza Nemati completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of Quranic Sciences and Teachings in Mashhad in 2020, where he subsequently pursued a master’s degree. His research interests include Islamic and Iranian studies, the social history of pre-Islamic Arabia, Arabic philology, and Quranic manuscripts. He is proficient in Classical Arabic and English and has a working knowledge of German and Biblical Hebrew. Since 2023, Nemati has contributed to the continuing Irankoran digital resource and collaborated with Corpus Coranicum as a corresponding researcher. He has contributed to Manuscripta Coranica by preparing digital editions of Quranic manuscripts using the tools developed within Irankoran.
MOHSEN AKBARI Legal Advisor
Mohsen Akbari is a legal consultant and attorney specialising in contract law. He holds a PhD in Private Law and teaches both foundational and specialised law courses at university level. From 2016 to 2024, he served as legal advisor to the Corpus Coranicum and Irankoran projects at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW), where he worked on legal frameworks concerning cultural heritage property, manuscript collections, contracts, and digital publication.
MONIR GHAFOURI Website and Logo Designer
Monir Ghafouri holds a master’s degree in Visual Communication from the University of Art, Iran (2023). With more than 15 years of professional experience in graphic design and book layout, she has collaborated with cultural institutions, publishers, and authors and works independently as a designer. Since 2020, Ghafouri has collaborated with the Corpus Coranicum and Irankoran projects at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW), contributing to graphic design, layout, and the digital reconstruction of Quranic manuscripts. She designed the Persian and English versions of the Irankoran website as well as the project’s logo. Further examples of her work are available at www.monirghafouri.ir.
FARID AMIRGHIASVAND Technical Lead and Digital Tools Developer
Farid Amir Ghiasvand holds bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD degrees in Computer Science from the University of Tehran. He has extensive experience in information technology, digital infrastructure, and corporate IT management, including senior executive roles in the Iranian technology sector. Since the beginning of the Irankoran project, Amir Ghiasvand has been responsible for the technical development of its digital infrastructure and has played a central role in designing and implementing the digital editing tool for early Quranic manuscripts. He has also contributed to the development and maintenance of the Irankoran website and its integration with the project’s structured manuscript data. His work has been instrumental in transforming the project’s philological requirements into sustainable digital tools for scholarly editing and online publication.