Abbas Edalat

{{Infobox scientist

|name = Abbas Edalat

|image = Abbas Edalat.jpg

|image_size = 150px

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|birth_place = Iran

|nationality = Iranian

|fields = Computer Science, Mathematics

|workplaces = Imperial College London
Sharif University of Technology
Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences

|alma_mater = UC Berkeley
University of Warwick

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|notable_students =

|known_for = CASMII, SAF

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|website = [http://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/a.edalat imperial college]
http://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~ae/

}}

Abbas Edalat ({{langx|fa|عباس عدالت}}) is a British-Iranian academic who is a professor of computer science and mathematics at the Department of Computing, Imperial College London and a political activist. In a 2018 letter to The Guardian, 129 experts in computer science, mathematics and machine learning described him as "a prominent academic, making fundamental contributions to mathematical logic and theoretical computer science".{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/06/our-concerns-about-the-arrest-of-abbas-edalat-in-iran|title=Our concerns about the arrest of Abbas Edalat in Iran|date=6 June 2018|website=The Guardian|access-date=20 July 2018}} Edalat also founded SAF and CASMII,{{cite news|url=http://www.iranian.com/Opinion/2006/January/Edalat/index.html|title=Interview with anti-war campaigner Abbas Edalat|last=Khosmood|first=Foaad|date=25 January 2006|work=iranian.com|access-date=1 August 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091212230600/http://www.iranian.com/Opinion/2006/January/Edalat/index.html|archive-date=12 December 2009}}

[https://www.theguardian.com/profile/abbasedalat Abbas Edalat] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304124238/http://www.theguardian.com/profile/abbasedalat |date=4 March 2016 }} on The Guardian

a campaign against sanctions and military intervention in Iran.

Edalat has appeared on BBC News on numerous occasions.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10276276|title=UN approves new sanctions on Iran|date=9 June 2010|access-date=26 April 2018|via=BBC|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013045833/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10276276|archive-date=13 October 2017|website=bbc.co.uk}}

Academic career

Edalat is Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics at Imperial College, London, since 1997. Before this he was a lecturer in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Sharif University of Technology, Tehran (1987–88). He completed his PhD in Mathematics at Warwick University (UK) in 1985 advised by Christopher Zeeman.{{cite web|url=https://genealogy.math.ndsu.nodak.edu/id.php?id=24440|title=Abbas Edalat at Mathematical Genealogy Project|access-date=16 August 2018|website=Mathematics Genealogy Project}} His research interests include Exact Computation in Differential and Integral Calculus, Computational Geometry, Computation in Logical Form, Optimisation Theory, Game Theory and Computational Psychiatry.{{cite web|url=https://www.nwtf.ac.uk/computing/people/academic-staff/|title=Imperial College London Academic Staff|access-date=20 July 2018|website=nwtf.ac.uk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180721014439/https://www.nwtf.ac.uk/computing/people/academic-staff/|archive-date=21 July 2018}}

At Imperial College, Professor Edalat serves as the head of both the Algorithmic Human Development and Continuous Data-Types and Exact Computing research groups. His 1997 paper on "Bisimulation for Labelled Markov Processes" received the IEEE LICS Test of Time Award in 2017.{{cite web|url=http://lics.siglog.org/archive/test-of-time-award.html|website=siglog.org|title=LICS Test-of-Time Award|access-date=20 July 2018}}{{cite news|last=Worsfold|first=Joseph|website=imperial.ac.uk|url=https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/178949/computing-academics-paper-wins-lics-2017/|title=Computing academic's paper wins the LICS 2017 Test-of-Time Award|access-date=20 July 2018}}

Science and Arts Foundation

In 1999, Edalat founded the Science and Arts Foundation (SAF), a UK registered charity with the mission "to provide the youth of the developing world with educational opportunities particularly in information technology and internet enjoyed in the industrial world."{{cite web|url=http://www.science-arts.org:80/src/story/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324211704/http://www.science-arts.org/src/story/index.htm|title=Our Story|archive-date=24 March 2012|access-date=29 September 2018|website=science-arts.org}} The foundation's president was Dr. Mohammad Reza Haeri-Yazdi, faculty member of the University of Tehran. The foundation raised over US$1 million toward technology projects in Iranian middle and high schools, in partnership with institutions of higher learning, such as Sharif University of Technology, University of Guilan, Shahid Chamran University and University of Kashan.{{cite web|url=http://www.science-arts.org/src/projects/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324211717/http://www.science-arts.org/src/projects/index.htm|title=Projects|archive-date=24 March 2012|website=science-arts.org}} According to Fars News, SAF "established the first modern computer sites with internet access for some 250 schools in various provinces in Iran."{{cite news|url=http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13920902001293|title=Prof. Abbas Edalat: Nuclear Program is a Pretext for Pressuring Iran|last=Ziabari|first=Kurosh|date=23 November 2013|publisher=Fars News|access-date=20 July 2018|website=farsnews.com}}

Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII)

Edalat founded the educational peace organization CASMII, on 1 December 2005 in London, UK. It expanded to the US the following year. The organization's membership is described as a group of academics, students and professionals of "diverse range of political and ideological viewpoints",{{cite web|url=http://casmii.org/casmii/?q=node/4|title=About CASMII|access-date=20 July 2018|website=casmii.org}} formed to oppose sanctions or military action against Iran.{{cite news|url=https://mronline.org/2007/05/25/casmii-strongly-criticizes-the-guardian-for-anti-iranian-article/|publisher="MR Zine"|title=CASMII Strongly Criticizes The Guardian for Anti-Iranian Article|date=25 May 2007|access-date=20 July 2018|website=mronline.org}} Edalat and CASMII have been involved in numerous anti-war events, news programs and speaking engagements.

Personal life

Edalat was arrested in Tehran on 15 April 2018 by officers of the intelligence department of IRGC for unknown reasons. He was transferred to Evin Prison. Edalat had come to Iran to attend educational workshops.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/25/british-iranian-academic-abbas-edalat-detained-in-iran|title=British-Iranian academic Abbas Edalat detained in Iran, British officials say|first=Kevin|last=Rawlinson|date=25 April 2018|website=The Guardian|access-date=26 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426000050/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/25/british-iranian-academic-abbas-edalat-detained-in-iran|archive-date=26 April 2018}}{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/25/iran-arrests-british-professor-imperial-college-london/|title=Iran arrests British professor from Imperial College London|first1=Raf|last1=Sanchez|first2=Ahmed|last2=Vahdat|date=25 April 2018|access-date=26 April 2018|newspaper=The Telegraph|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425192921/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/25/iran-arrests-british-professor-imperial-college-london/|archive-date=25 April 2018}} He returned to the UK in December 2018.{{cite news |title=Abbas Edalat: British professor returns to UK after detention in Iran |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-46679054 |publisher=BBC}}

References

External links

[http://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~ae/ Official website] - Imperial College website
[http://www.campaigniran.org/ CASMII website]
{{AcademicSearch|529004}}
{{DBLP|name=Abbas Edalat}}
{{MathGenealogy|id=24440}}
[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/story/0,,2050375,00.html Article on Guardian] - The US can learn from this example of mutual respect
[https://www.theguardian.com/profile/abbasedalat Abbas Edalat] on The Guardian