Welcome! I’m Zep Kalb, a sociologist and Postdoctoral Research Associate at Princeton University. I’m affiliated with the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies (PIIRS) and the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies.

I am a political and economic sociologist interested in comparative-historical questions around labor, development, and welfare politics, with a focus on Iran and the Middle East. My research examines how labor institutions and worker movements shape political and economic life. In my own and collaborative projects, I routinely integrate archival, survey, qualitative, and statistical methods.

My work is published in leading journals such as the International Journal of Middle East Studies, Development and Change, Journal of Agrarian Change, and Mediterranean Politics. At Princeton, I’m also developing my first book on labor market institutions and political capitalism in Iran.

I’m deeply committed to public and policy engagement. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Phenomenal World, Foreign Policy, and regional platforms such as Al Monitor, Sharq, Jadaliyya, MERIP, and the Project on Middle East Political Science. I’ve also appeared as a commentator for outlets including the BCC and CNN.

My work has been sponsored by the Social Science Research Council, Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute, UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies, and Bourse and Bazaar Foundation.

I received a PhD in Sociology from UCLA. I lived in Iran for several years, where I worked as a journalist for a local financial newspaper and completed a master’s program at the University of Tehran.

Outside of academia, I enjoy sports, travel, and …. reading the Financial Times (bad habits; I know). I also love movies. Feel free to check out some of my writings on global arthouse and non-Hollywood film!

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