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About Us

Executive Board 2026-2027

Ihsan Lotfi Mokri: President

Email: el788@rutgers.edu

Ehsan was born and raised in Sardasht, Kurdistan, Iran. Based upon his lived experience, he was drawn to study sociology to pursue his questions regarding ethnicity. However, as he studied sociology, his research drew him to more interdisciplinary methods; accordingly, he earned an MA in Cultural Studies at Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran. In September 2022, he started his Ph.D. in Global Urban Studies at Rutgers University. His research currently focuses on immigration policy in the United States and the experiences of international Ph.D. students in the Humanities and Social Sciences. He specifically examines the interconnections among job opportunities, skills, citizenship, and spatial dynamics within this context.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Avin Laali: Vice-President

Email: al1713@rutgers.edu

Avin, born in Saqqez, is a researcher in Construction Engineering and Management whose work focuses on sustainable and resilient infrastructure systems. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at Rutgers University, where she also teaches Engineering Graphics as an instructor. Her academic path began in architecture and later expanded into Construction and Project Management at the University of Tehran, where she ranked 1st in the national entrance exam for her master’s program. Avin has collaborated with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) to create guides on resilient infrastructure development and has led training sessions for government officials on applying these frameworks. She has also been recognized with awards for designing actionable solutions for homeland security in student innovation challenges. Her work brings together design, engineering, and policy to advance sustainable infrastructure development.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loqman Ahmadi: Treasurer

Email: ahmadi.loqman@gmail.com

Loqman was born and raised in Sanandaj, Kurdistan, Iran. He earned an M.S. in Project Management and Engineering and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. at Rutgers University. His research focuses on sustainable and equitable transportation infrastructure, particularly on how transportation systems are distributed across different communities and how infrastructure investment can shape community development, accessibility, and quality of life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mahsun Oti: Secretary

Email: mahsun.oti@rutgers.edu

Mahsun earned a B.A. in Socio-Cultural Anthropology in Turkey, Northern Kurdistan, and an M.A. in African Studies from the Center for African Studies Basel (CASB) at the University of Basel, Switzerland. Drawing on field research conducted in Johannesburg and Cape Town, his master’s thesis examined the Rhodes Must Fall Movement in South Africa. Engaging with Walter Benjamin’s theory of history, he analyzed the performative dimension of “shit” as a form of historical critique in the post-apartheid context. Since Fall 2022, Mahsun has been pursuing a Ph.D. in Anthropology at Rutgers University. His doctoral research is an ethnography of the U.S. citizenship regime, situated in the context of ICE surges and anti-ICE resistance in Minneapolis since December 2025. The project also examines how Turkish foreign policy toward Somalia and the Horn of Africa shapes Somali transnational mobility between Minneapolis and Turkey, while also addressing race, racism, Blackness, and Islamophobia.

 

Executive Board 2025-2026

 

Mahsun Oti: President

Email: mahsun.oti@rutgers.edu

Mahsun earned a B.A. in Socio-Cultural Anthropology in Turkey, Northern Kurdistan, and an M.A. in African Studies from the Center for African Studies Basel (CASB) at the University of Basel, Switzerland. Drawing on field research conducted in Johannesburg and Cape Town, his master’s thesis examined the Rhodes Must Fall Movement in South Africa. Engaging with Walter Benjamin’s theory of history, he analyzed the performative dimension of “shit” as a form of historical critique in the post-apartheid context. Since Fall 2022, Mahsun has been pursuing a Ph.D. in Anthropology at Rutgers University. His doctoral research is an ethnography of the U.S. citizenship regime, situated in the context of ICE surges and anti-ICE resistance in Minneapolis since December 2025. The project also examines how Turkish foreign policy toward Somalia and the Horn of Africa shapes Somali transnational mobility between Minneapolis and Turkey, while also addressing race, racism, Blackness, and Islamophobia.

 

Ihsan Lotfi Mokri: Vice-President

Email: el788@rutgers.edu

Ehsan was born and raised in Sardasht, Kurdistan, Iran. Based upon his lived experience, he was drawn to study sociology to pursue his questions regarding ethnicity. However, as he studied sociology, his research drew him to more interdisciplinary methods; accordingly, he earned an MA in Cultural Studies at Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran. In September 2022, he started his Ph.D. in Global Urban Studies at Rutgers University. His research currently focuses on immigration policy in the United States and the experiences of international Ph.D. students in the Humanities and Social Sciences. He specifically examines the interconnections among job opportunities, skills, citizenship, and spatial dynamics within this context.

 

Ayse Sert Oti: Treasurer

Email: as5114@rutgers.edu

Ayse is a multidisciplinary researcher with academic training in public informatics, biostatistics, anthropology, and nursing. She is currently pursuing an M.S. in Public Informatics at Rutgers University, where she also works as a Research Assistant at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research. Her professional background spans clinical nursing in Turkey, senior-care practice in Germany, and multiple international research internships in Switzerland and Germany. Ayşe has presented at national and international conferences and has been recognized with several awards and scholarships, including Erasmus fellowships and best presentation honors.

 

Avin Laali: Secretary

Email: al1713@rutgers.edu

Avin, born in Saqqez, is a researcher in Construction Engineering and Management whose work focuses on sustainable and resilient infrastructure systems. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at Rutgers University, where she also teaches Engineering Graphics as an instructor. Her academic path began in architecture and later expanded into Construction and Project Management at the University of Tehran, where she ranked 1st in the national entrance exam for her master’s program. Avin has collaborated with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) to create guides on resilient infrastructure development and has led training sessions for government officials on applying these frameworks. She has also been recognized with awards for designing actionable solutions for homeland security in student innovation challenges. Her work brings together design, engineering, and policy to advance sustainable infrastructure development.