Jairan Gahan

Probing into the complexities of the human mind for business, innovation, and artistic production has been at the core of my practice.

• As a principal researcher and an assistant professor of historical anthropology, I studied how people's attitudes and behaviors toward justice and moral value shift over time. I used this research to ideate new horizons for restorative justice.
• As a senior research and innovation strategist at a boutique consultancy firm, I have designed and managed user research projects end-to-end using design research methodologies.
• As an award-winning writer, in my works of fiction, I aspire to capture the internal journies of the mind while tapping into human desires and fears.

User Experience Researcher at META's Safety&Trust Office via Gemic                       December 2022-February, 2023

• Led generative UX research to understand how to improve fairness on social media for LGBTQIA+ user group
• Triangulated multiple research methods including diary studies, in-depth interviews, diyadic interviews, desk research, and subject matter expert interviews
• Worked closely with cross functional stakeholders at FB Research and Product teams to defined relevant user groups 
• Designed and conducted an insight development workshop to foster close collaboration with product managers
• Drafted discussion guides, field guides, and other research documents.
• Act as liaison with stakeholders in a cross-functional team to balance business needs with user needs
• Identified JTBD and pain points for equity seeking user groups on Facebook 
• Managed the research project end-to-end
• Developed product implications and policy recommendation 

Assistant Professor│ University of Alberta                                                                                         July 2019-Present

• Lead my own research team and collaborating on multiple research projects end-to-end
• Designed and conducted in-depth interviews, literature reviews, ethnography
• Instruction and curriculum design for programs of history and religion (graduate and undergraduate levels)
• Mentoring, advising, supervising, and training graduate researchers at the master and doctoral level
• Successful grant writing and grant management including budgeting and managing the fund
• Serving on a range of committees (DEI, Graduate committee, etc.), evaluate candidates, evaluate current policies, due processes, and goals, and implement new program directions in the department 
• Successful proposal and grant writing and RFP drafting

Principal researcher │University of Toronto (social sciences)                                             September, 2014-May, 2019

• Designing and conducting research which lead to 3 peer-reviewed articles
• Successful grant and proposal applications
• Design learning journeys and curricula for undergraduates 
• 5+ university-wide talks (including at Cambridge University and University of Oxford

Post-doctoral Research Fellow  │University of Toronto

Ph.D. │ Humanities, University of Toronto

M.A. │Cultural Studies, English and Foreign Languages University 

B.Sc. │Computer Science, Shahid Beheshti University