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Abbas Rajabifard (Persian: عباس رجبیفرد; born 23 August 1966) is an Iranian-Australian academic and Professor at the University of Melbourne. He is Director of Smart and Sustainable Development and Discipline Leader of the Geomatics Department within the Faculty of Engineering and IT, and Director of the Centre for Spatial Data Infrastructures and Land Administration (CSDILA).[1]
Abbas Rajabifard | |
|---|---|
 Abbas Rajabifard | |
| Born | 23 August 1966 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Geoinformation, GIS, Digital Twin |
2026 investigations and controversy
editIn May 2026, The Guardian Australia published an investigation examining Rajabifard's professional and institutional links to Iranian political figures associated with the Iranian regime and the IRGC.[2]
The investigation revealed that Rajabifard had been listed as a co-author alongside Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament and former IRGC commander, on a 2023 Iranian academic journal article concerning the political economy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.[3] Rajabifard denied any involvement with the publication, stating that his name had been added without his knowledge or consent and that he subsequently requested its removal from the journal.[4]
The reports also detailed Rajabifard's previous engagement with the University of Tehran, including participation in academic delegations and seminars during 2016 and 2017.[5]
Additional reporting by The Guardian identified links between Rajabifard's research centre at the University of Melbourne and Eshagh Ghalibaf, son of Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who studied and worked at the university between 2015 and 2018.[6] According to the investigation, Eshagh Ghalibaf worked as a research assistant at CSDILA while Rajabifard was head of the Infrastructure Engineering Department.[7]
The controversy emerged amid heightened Australian government scrutiny of research collaborations involving Iranian institutions and entities associated with the IRGC.[8]
Career history
editRajabifard is Discipline Leader of Geomatics in the Department of Infrastructure Engineering and Director of CSDILA at the University of Melbourne. He has also served as Director of Smart and Sustainable Development and Leader of the Infrastructure Platform within the Faculty of Engineering and IT. He was Head of the Infrastructure Engineering Department from 2012 to 2020.
He was also Director of the Centre for Disaster Management and Public Safety (CDMPS) at the University of Melbourne.[9]
Rajabifard served as Chair of the Academic Network of the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) from 2016 to 2020.
References
edit- ↑ "PROF ABBAS RAJABIFARD - The University of Melbourne". Findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au. Retrieved 2013-11-18.
- ↑ "Prominent Australian academic denies links to powerful Iranian politician". The Guardian. 15 May 2026.
- ↑ "Prominent Australian academic denies links to powerful Iranian politician". The Guardian. 15 May 2026.
- ↑ "Prominent Australian academic denies links to powerful Iranian politician". The Guardian. 15 May 2026.
- ↑ "Prominent Australian academic denies links to powerful Iranian politician". The Guardian. 15 May 2026.
- ↑ "Property, a visa and a university job: the Australian links forged by a powerful Iranian politician's son in Melbourne". The Guardian. 11 May 2026.
- ↑ "Property, a visa and a university job: the Australian links forged by a powerful Iranian politician's son in Melbourne". The Guardian. 11 May 2026.
- ↑ "Prominent Australian academic denies links to powerful Iranian politician". The Guardian. 15 May 2026.
- ↑ "Home - Centre for Disaster Management and Public Safety". Archived from the original on 2014-10-18. Retrieved 2014-10-14.