He received his PhD in History from University of California, Los Angleles (1993). His areas of expertise include the Middle East, Islamic history, an Iran in the 19th century. He teaches a year long course on the History of the Islamic World, 500-present, as well as courses on Iran and Afghanistan. He has published on the Iranian Left and its role in the Iranian Revolution, and the history of Russian-Iranian relations. His book, Rebels With A Cause: The Failure of the Left in Iran, was published in 2000 and fleshes out Iran's complex political history. Additionally, he often lectures on current events in Iran at public forums.