Sofia Detjen
Research &
Public Life
How states interpret political change — and what happens when they get it wrong.
The Inquiry
Interpretation Before Judgment
Sofia’s work examines how governments and institutions understand societies in periods of political change — how intelligence, history, assumptions and competing forms of evidence shape what policymakers are prepared to see.
Independent Research
Iran, Intelligence & Political Change
Primary-source research examining how external assessments understood political legitimacy, opposition and instability in Iran before the 1979 Revolution.
Intelligence assessments of pre-revolutionary Iran.
Archival research in London and Paris examining how American, British and European officials interpreted the social, political and economic conditions of late Pahlavi Iran — and why substantial information did not necessarily produce accurate judgment.
Selected Scholarly Work
Research in Practice
Sofia works directly with scholars and policy leaders on active research, manuscript and strategy projects across history, national security, technology policy, Islamic law and bibliography.
Ann Blair
Harvard University
Research for Ann Blair’s In the Scholar’s Workshop: Hidden Histories of Collaboration and Authorship (Princeton University Press, 2026), including structured database development, source verification, exact citations, bibliography, indexing, and editorial preparation. Sofia is formally thanked in the book’s full bibliography supplement for her work on the document.
Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall
& J. Michael McQuade
Belfer Center for Science & International Affairs
Research supporting the Belfer Center’s Initiative on Bioconvergence, Biosecurity, and Bioresilience, including background research, policy analysis, synthesis of expert consultations, and research coordination. Sofia’s contributions are acknowledged in the 2026 report Deterrence by Resilience .
Bahman Khodadadi
Law & Islamic Studies
Persian- and Arabic-source research, transliteration, literature review, bibliographic research and manuscript revision for scholarship on Islamic law, the modern state and Iran.
Kenneth Carpenter
Research tracing the publication, translation and international circulation of Benjamin Franklin’s The Way to Wealth , contributing to a comprehensive bibliography of its editions and appearances.
Published & Acknowledged Work
Contributions in Print
Selected published works that formally acknowledge Sofia’s research, bibliographic, or editorial contributions.
In the Scholar’s Workshop
Sofia contributed research, bibliography, source verification, indexing, and editorial work to the project. She is formally thanked in the book’s full bibliography supplement for her work on the document.
View Publication ↗Deterrence by Resilience
Sofia served as the initiative’s undergraduate research assistant, supporting background research, policy analysis, expert consultations, and research coordination. Her contributions are formally acknowledged in the published report.
View Report ↗Washington, D.C.
Policy Research
Historical and analytical research applied to contemporary questions of U.S. strategy, security and statecraft.
Middle East & National Security
Authored an 80-page special report assessing U.S. interests and security challenges in the Middle East, including Iran, counterterrorism, nonproliferation, maritime chokepoints and regional security cooperation. Additional work included policy memoranda, SPOT reporting and analysis of deterrence, force posture, strategic competition and regional security.
Public Life
Engagement & Responsibility
Selected international, policy and institutional work beyond Sofia’s primary research.
Harvard–Fudan U.S.–China Youth Leaders Dialogue
Moderated a U.S.–China discussion on artificial intelligence, technology competition and commercialization with academic and industry participants.
Harvard College China Forum & U.S.–China Leaders Dialogue
Participated in engagements across Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing with governmental, academic, technology and business institutions, including discussions concerning data regulation and artificial intelligence.
Hudson Institute
Research on cyber-enabled threats, geopolitical risk and U.S. national-security challenges, alongside strategic war-game simulations and policy seminars.
American Enterprise Institute
Founded and leads a Harvard reading group on national security and U.S. foreign policy focused on strategy, statecraft and contemporary security questions.
Harvard Undergraduate Foreign Policy Initiative
Led international summit and speaker programming, including planning for student delegations and engagement with foreign-policy practitioners and public leaders.
Research Practice
Methods & Languages
Work across archives, diplomatic records, political thought and contemporary policy without assuming any single source tells the whole story.
Persian — Beginner
Latin — Limited working proficiency
Formation
Study & Inquiry
Sofia’s academic work centers on history and government, with particular attention to the Modern Middle East, intelligence, political interpretation and national security.
Research & Public Life
Professional Inquiries
Research · International Affairs · National Security · Public Policy · Speaking · Professional Collaboration
Contact Sofia →