Jafar
Background: Bachelor’s in Economics, Persian Gulf University, Iran, Master’s in Energy Economics, Tarbiat Modares University, Iran, & Master’s in Resource Economics and Sustainable Development, University of Bologna, Italy
Placement: Ragon Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital
Learn more about the Fellowship here.
Originally from Afghanistan, Jafar has an extensive educational and professional background spanning economics, public policy, and research. After completing both a Bachelor’s in Economics and a Master’s in Energy Economics from his home country, Jafar worked in government as a Policy Analyst for four years. In this role, he was responsible for coordinating sectoral research and economic impact analyses of national reforms, evaluating small business policies and household assistance programs, and more.
Due to the political instability in his home country, Jafar moved to Italy, where he continued his education. Here, he received a Master’s in Resource Economics and Sustainable Development from the University of Bologna.
After the completion of this program in 2025, Jafar moved to Massachusetts. When he first relocated, he was applying to policy analyst roles that he felt fit his experience, saying,
“I wanted to transfer my skills and knowledge to a new job.”
When Jafar started hitting a roadblock in his job search, he was forced to take on a survival job as a way to support himself. But he did not give up on his original goals. Jafar started consulting with professionals who could teach him about the job market, saying,
“One of these people told me I was both overqualified and underqualified. I had the experience from my home country, but lacked the US working experience.”
He also worked with other career development services, such as JVS, to assist in his job search. His advisor at JVS was the one who guided him in ABN’s direction.
After about six months in the US, Jafar learned about the Immigrant Professionals Fellowship. He says,
“When I heard about the program, I understood that it was for people like me.”
He read about ABN’s mission to help skilled immigrants re-establish their careers and saw success stories from previous fellows, and knew he could benefit from the program. Jafar was specifically interested in the Research Administration track because of his previous experience as a Research Assistant in Afghanistan.
Jafar received both soft skills training and technical Research Administration training as a part of the Fellowship program. He says,
“When I started the fellowship, the first trainings were about cultural orientation, which was helpful to understand work expectations in the US.”
He also reflects positively on the trainings as a way to connect with fellow immigrant professionals, saying,
“The training helped me understand that I am not alone. When people are in a group and facing a challenge, they are more hopeful about finding solutions.”
Jafar has started working with Massachusetts General Hospital in the Ragon Institute. In this placement, Jafar will be able to contribute his research skills to a US institution. He says,
“The Ragon Institute has been a very friendly environment, and the grant management team has been supportive.”
The Immigrant Professionals Fellowship has placed over 80 skilled immigrants in professional roles, helping them to re-establish their careers in the US. Jafar highlights his own personal experience with the Fellowship, saying,
“I found the program very supportive and helpful. The people who are supporting ABN are supporting an important mission.”
We envision a day when the skills of immigrant professionals are highly valued and they can use their past experiences to build their careers, support their families, and make meaningful contributions to our society.
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