Announcing new dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Dr. Manijeh Mannani
Athabasca University is pleased to announce Dr. Manijeh Mannani as the new dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (FHSS).
Dr. Manijeh Mannani (she/her) is excited to assume the role of dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (FHSS) on a permanent basis and to work collaboratively with faculty and staff to move forward the goals and strategic priorities of the faculty. She is keen to enhance what has been working well in FHSS and to introduce and implement new ideas, in line with the mission of the faculty and Athabasca University. A staunch advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion, she believes in respect, collegiality, and transparency informing all conversations and all levels of decision-making.
Dr. Mannani has been a settler on Treaty 6 Territory since 1997 when she left her home country of Iran to begin graduate studies at the University of Alberta. She is a professor of English and comparative literature in the Centre for Humanities in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Since joining Athabasca University in 2007, she has led and co-led several major faculty and university-wide initiatives and served in all academic administrative roles within the faculty, including centre chair, program director, associate dean, acting dean, and interim dean. Her progression through the administrative ranks is a reflection of her inclusive and collegial approach to academic leadership.
Dr. Mannani has a distinguished record of scholarly publishing in the areas of (classical) Persian literature, poetry, and life narratives. Included in her rigorous research portfolio are peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, single-authored books, and collaborative collections of essays. Reviews of her publications have appeared in such distinguished scholarly journals as Canadian Literature, University of Toronto Quarterly, Journal of Popular Culture, and World Literature Today, among others.
Dr. Mannani has also been an adjunct professor at the University of Alberta since 2009. Based on her interdisciplinary training and more than 25 years of experience in higher education in Canada and internationally, she has supervised dissertations in a wide range of disciplines within the humanities and social sciences.
