Sajjad Safaei has been a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department ‘Law & Anthropology’ since June 2020. Before that, he was a doctoral candidate in the Department, earning his PhD in Anthropology from MLU Halle-Wittenberg with a thesis on barbarism versus civilization in punishment, analysed through legal, philosophical, sociological, and historical lenses. Safaei also holds an MSc and BSc in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Management. His research interests span a wide range of topics and disciplines, including but not limited to punishment, civilization and barbarism, history of violence, Middle Eastern Studies, Iranian Studies, International Relations, democratization and political reform, human rights, disarmament, and the sociology of punishment.