Mahsa Rouhi

Mahsa Rouhi is a research fellow at the Center for Strategic Research at the Institute for National Strategic Studies at National Defense University, and associate fellow for non-proliferation and nuclear policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Rouhi’s research and expertise focus on nuclear policy and security strategy in the Middle East, particularly Iran. She is currently working on a project on grand strategy, security, and nuclear decision-making in Iran. Prior to joining the Institute for National Strategic Studies, Rouhi was a research fellow with the non-proliferation and nuclear policy programme at the International Institute for Strategic Studies – where she co-directed a track II project on the geopolitics and nuclear issues in the Middle East, and with which she continues to engage as an associate fellow. She was a post-doctoral fellow with the Managing the Atom project at the Belfer Center from 2016 to 2018. She was a visiting assistant professor at the University of Miami from 2014 to 2016. She received her PhD from King’s College, University of Cambridge. She received her BA in economics from Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, and her master’s degree in political theory from the University of Sheffield. Rouhi’s analysis and commentary have been published by Foreign Policy, the New York Times, the Guardian, the Boston Globe, The National Interest, and other academic and policy journals. She has consulted government and non-government organisations on nuclear issues and Iran’s security policy.