The people behind the work.

Noushin Mirjalili

Noushin Mirjalili is a scientist with 30 years of experience in the life sciences, supporting strategic programmes and portfolio planning for both startups and established organisations.

Over the past decade, beyond her scientific career, she has been deeply committed to women’s rights and social justice. She became an activist following the Woman, Life, Freedom movement and currently serves as President of the Azadaneh Association. She is also an active member of Women for Women International, supporting sisterhood and contributing to programmes that empower women who are socially, economically and politically marginalised around the world.

Noushin is passionate about languages and cultures, having lived and worked in four different countries. These experiences continue to shape both her professional and personal journey.

Pierre Le Ber

Pierre Le Ber is an engineer and PhD in pharmacology with over 30 years of experience in life-sciences research, both in biotechnology companies and academic research. His international career, extensive travels and multilingual family life have constantly renewed his desire to immerse himself in other cultures and ways of seeing the world.

Passionate about the history of science and science education, and as the father of two daughters, Pierre is particularly sensitive to the invisibility of women in science and society in general, which unfortunately persists in many countries. The right of women to education, on an equal footing with men, remains a major challenge for the development of our societies.

Maryam Mousavi

Maryam Mousavi immigrated to Canada in her twenties, gaining a second chance to build a life grounded in safety, opportunity and belonging. This experience deepened her understanding of the challenges women face under systems of gender-based restriction and strengthened her commitment to justice and inclusion.

Originally trained in optometry, Maryam built her career on empathy, listening and trust—values that continue to guide her humanitarian and advocacy work. Motivated by a growing commitment to human rights and social justice, she later pursued a master’s degree to expand her knowledge and transition towards advocacy and research.

Maryam has contributed to international human-rights and humanitarian initiatives, including research for the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, where she prepared profiles of Iranian and Afghan humanitarians for the Aurora Prize nomination process. She currently serves as the lead researcher for the Gender Apartheid Project, directing its academic research on gender apartheid in Iran and Afghanistan.

Faramarz Kohan

Faramarz Kohan’s academic background is in theoretical chemistry, and he has worked as a researcher and lecturer in Austria and Germany. His current focus is on applying analytical and scientific approaches to better understand broader socio-economic and political dynamics, and to support efforts aimed at exploring pathways toward democratic progress and inclusive leadership within the Iranian community.

He is the president of Kavian Association, an effort to establish a democratic institution for the Iranian diaspora. Faramarz joined the Together Against Gender Apartheid campaign due to the vital importance of the women’s movement and its central influence on the pursuit of freedom and dignity in Iranian society. The philosophical basis of this work draws from concepts of modern theories of justice, with particular attention to promoting the economic empowerment of women.