Dr. Soudeh Jamshidian is a passionate leader, experienced in crafting dynamic and creative solutions for addressing environmental and social justice challenges. She is a strategic problem solver experienced in policy design, community engagement, research, and education.

Soudeh’s professional life started at the age of 19 when she founded an environmental NGO called Daumoon in Iran, which focuses on community participation in conservation. Her life journey has taken her to Iran, India, Afghanistan, Mali, and Canada to collaborate with local communities, policy makers, international organizations, and academics for conservation and resource management initiatives. She has worked as a project manager, designer, and consultant for UNDP, IUCN, IIED, and Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas (ICCA) Consortium. Soudeh worked as Environmental Education and Outreach Expert for the United Nations Environment Programme in Afghanistan (2009-2010), where she designed the strategic principles for community participation in Protected Areas (PAs).

Her PhD research at SFU focused on indigenous conservation in management of Protected Areas in India, Iran, and Afghanistan in which she explored community conservation challenges through the lens of equity, co-management, and international aid frameworks. Soudeh is a core member of IISAAK OLAM’s team and plays a lead role in curriculum development, knowledge mobilization, and international relations for Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs).