Born in Austria to an Iranian father and an Austrian mother, Manoutchehr Eskandari-Qajar has the unique distinction of being an Austrian citizen with familial connections to the 19th-century royal family of Persia. A chance discovery of the Austrian Fulbright Student Program led him to apply, and decades later, Manoutchehr is grateful for the unexpected path the Fulbright Program led him down in Santa Barbara, California. We recently sat down with Manoutchehr to discuss his Fulbright experience, how the US has changed since his grant in 1980, and his most recently published book.

00:00 Intro
00:58 What motivated you to apply to the Austrian Fulbright Student Program in 1980 and what did you study?
03:44 How did your expectations of the US compare and contrast with the lived experience as an Austrian Fulbright student?
05:55 You have lived in the US for several decades now. How has the country changed since you received your grant in 1980?
07:20 You became professor emeritus in December 2022. How did your Fulbright experience impact the trajectory of your career?
08:24 Your most recent book deals with the arrival of photography in Austria and Persia. What makes this book the first of its kind and what interested you in the topic?
11:59 What advice do you have for future applicants and program participants?