Zahra Hassanzadeh

Iranian engineer who pioneered women's participation in STEM fields during the Pahlavi era

Zahra Hassanzadeh (1925-1998) shattered gender barriers in Iranian engineering during the mid-20th century. As the first woman to graduate from Tehran University's engineering faculty in 1948, she became a symbol of female empowerment in a male-dominated society. Her work on infrastructure projects like the Karun River Dam (1950s) challenged traditional gender roles while advancing Iran's industrial development.

She co-founded the Society for Women Engineers in 1955, which remains active today through its website. Hassanzadeh's 1962 technical manual Construction Techniques for Arid Regions (available at Internet Archive) became a standard reference for Middle Eastern engineering projects.

Her advocacy led to the creation of Iran's first women's technical college in 1970, now part of the Isfahan University of Technology. Despite political challenges, she continued mentoring female engineers until her death, leaving a legacy documented in the book Builders of Iran: Women in Engineering (2010).

Her story is preserved in the Engineering History Museum archives and celebrated annually during National Engineers Week in Iran. Hassanzadeh's contributions paved the way for modern Iranian women in STEM fields.