SOAS Alumnae: celebrating International Women’s Month with voices from our community

'Reporting on Iran is a professional responsibility and a personal one'

Dr Sanam Mahoozi (MSc Economics with Middle East Studies, 2010) is a journalist reporting on Iran for The New York Times. She is also an academic with a PhD in journalism and has written both scholarly articles on Iran and daily news stories about the country, as well as extensive work on technology and the environment.

Since the protests in late December, her work has been entirely focused on covering Iran, which for her is 'a professional responsibility and a personal one.'

'Recent events and escalating tensions involving Iran are a reminder of how fragile the situation in the region remains,' she adds. 'Alongside the human and political consequences, Iran is also facing serious environmental challenges, particularly related to water scarcity and environmental degradation, which continue to affect people’s daily lives and the country’s future.'

Support from women in senior roles

SOAS helped Sanam lay the foundation of her knowledge of the economy in the Middle East, while also offering a rich social environment with a very good academic reputation.

Be persistent and identify your goal, role and dream job. Start contacting and following people at organisations you want to work for on social media to establish a foundation.

Reflecting on her career, she highlights the importance of women in senior positions supporting those at earlier stages of their journey: 'I had a number of female editors and colleagues who gave me chances to publish articles. It can be very hard to get that first article published, and I had my first break in journalism given to me by a female editor.'

Looking to the future, she hopes to see 'more diversity and positions in senior roles to be given to women from all parts of the world, including Iran.'

Her guidance for aspiring journalists is clear and practical: 'Be persistent and identify your goal, role and dream job. Start contacting and following people at organisations you want to work for on social media to establish a foundation.'

Bridging cultures through sound 

From navigating cross‑cultural strategy at one of the world’s biggest record labels to performing on international stages, Yijia’s career sits at the intersection of creativity, research, and global collaboration.

Blending industry insight with deep cultural understanding, she is helping to redefine what global music can be. 

Her advice for women entering the music industry is to 'understand inequalities but don’t internalise them. Protect your well-being, it’s foundational to your success.'

Creating cross‑cultural pathways in the global music industry 

In her current role within the international division of a major global record label, Yijia focuses on cross‑cultural strategy and global artist development, particularly between the UK and China.

Her work centres on how music travels across borders: building long‑term partnerships, shaping culturally informed campaigns, and creating space for meaningful artistic collaboration. 

'Much of my work draws on both industry insight and academic research. With a background in ethnomusicology and musicology, I approach strategy not simply from a commercial perspective, but through cultural context — thinking about how sound, identity, and narrative resonate differently in different spaces.'

Alongside her industry work, she continues to perform and create. A singer‑songwriter, traditional vocalist, and guzheng player, she released her latest album, TU, as an exploration of memory, consciousness and identity. Many of the songs were recorded with The Sages, the cross-cultural band project she formed at SOAS. 

Her performances have taken her to the Royal Albert Hall, WOMAD, and international TED and TEDx stages.

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Across all these spaces, her mission remains the same: to use music as a form of dialogue that bridges past and present, East and West. 

A career built on curiosity and cultural connection 

Yijia’s journey began in China, where she first gained recognition as a songwriter and performer through the television show Sing My Song. Seeking a deeper understanding of global music traditions, she moved to the UK to study ethnomusicology at SOAS, later completing a Master’s in Musicology at Oxford. 

SOAS helped me see my own culture and heritage in a new light. That perspective is invaluable when working in intercultural communication and exchange. 

Her decision to study at SOAS was driven by curiosity: 'I remember seeing photos of people playing gamelan, a shakuhachi player with a basket on their head, and a kora, and I didn’t know what any of these instruments were. That curiosity inspired me to apply.'

SOAS, she says, transformed her understanding of global musical traditions: 'It helped me see my own culture and heritage in a new light. That perspective is invaluable when working in intercultural communication and exchange.'

Along the way, Yijia founded cross‑cultural band projects, appeared on BBC Radio 3, worked across live music environments, and navigated the industry as a self‑managed musician. These diverse experiences gave her what she calls a '360‑degree perspective of the music industry'. 

Gender, leadership, and changing the industry from within 

Yijia’s path has not been without challenges. As a female musician in the pop music industry, she recalls experiences of ageism, pressure regarding appearance, and unsolicited advice from senior men about her future. 

Having women in leadership genuinely changes the dynamic. It creates a more supportive and empowering environment.

'These experiences were difficult, but they strengthened my resolve. They partly motivated me to work within the industry so that change can happen from inside the system.'

Role models and networks have been essential, as well as female leadership within her label: 'Having women in leadership genuinely changes the dynamic. It creates a more supportive and empowering environment.'

Looking ahead, she hopes to see more structural support for women, particularly those from ethnic minority backgrounds, across funding, leadership and long‑term career opportunities. 

To her younger SOAS self, Yijia would say that the hardest moments will not last forever: 'There are always communities and support systems around you. Learning to care for yourself during transitions is part of growing up.'

We’ll be releasing new stories across March, so keep an eye out for what’s coming next!