Richard Nedjat-Haiem is a PhD student in the Department of Comparative Literature at UCSB. Richard works on the intersectionalities of socio-lingustics, performance, gender, ethnomusicological, and anthropological studies of Middle Eastern popular culture. His research in Iranian studies examines how the two foremost Iranian iconic female singers Hayedeh and Googoosh are not simply ambassadors for Iranian culture but each exemplify a form of unique form of Iranianness. Richard has an MA in Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic from the University of Chicago and a BA from UCLA.