The awards recognize excellence in teaching as well as significant achievements in scholarly activity and creativity.
Modarres chairs the university’s Department of Geography and Urban Analysis.
One of his students said, “He has a very energetic and fun teaching style.… He expects a lot from students. So be prepared to work hard for a good grade.”
A CSULA faculty member since 1990, Modarres has developed over the last decade a research agenda related to urban planning issues in Iran. He is primarily documenting the effects of the 19th and 20th Century socio-political movements in reshaping Iranian cities.
He is the author of the 2006 book, “Modernizing Yazd: Selective Historical Memory and the Fate of Vernacular Architecture.”
Modarres is also the editor of Cities, which is a professional journal on urban policy and planning.
Modarres has received all three of his academic degrees from the University of Arizona in Tucson.
