Ali A. Saeidi is Associate Professor of Economic Sociology and Social Policy at the Faculty of Social Science, University of Tehran. He received his doctorate from Royal Holloway, University of London in 1999.

During 1999-2001 he was Research Associate at the Center for Middle East Studies, University of London working on a research project on the oral history of economics in Iran during the Pahlavi period. His research focuses on the oral history of economics in Iran, family businesses and Iranian contemporary economic history. He has published five biographies on businessmen and technocrats during the Pahlavi era.

Since 2001, Ali's other publications include 'Challenges for Family Capitalism during the Pahlavi Period: 1941-1979' in Iran Namag, Vol 5, No 4, 2020; 'Charismatic Political Authority and Populist Economics in post-Revolutionary Iran' in Third World Quarterly, Vol 22, No 2, 2001; 'Dislocation of the State and Emergence of Political Factionalism in Post-Revolutionary Iran' in Journal of Political Geography, Vol 21, No 4, 2001; 'Accountability of para-governmental organizations: the case of Iranian Foundations' in Journal of Iranian Studies, Vol 37, No 3, 2004; 'Persian wine tradition and symbolism: evidence from the medieval poetry of Hafiz' co-authored with Professor Tim Unwin in Journal of Wine Research, Vol 15, No 2, 2004 and 'The Effects of Constant Touch on Consumer Behavior: The Case of Iranian Mobile Users' in Mobile Entertainment edited by K. Moore and J. Rutter, 2004.