Dr. Zaryab Iqbal joined the Perry Honors College (PHC) as Dean in July 2025. She is also Professor of Political Science, International Studies, and Jewish Studies. Dr Iqbal came to 98ÌÃ after 18 years at Penn State, where she served on the faculty and in various leadership roles. She was previously on the faculty of the University of South Carolina, and she also held an appointment as Program Director at the National Science Foundation.
Dr. Iqbal is a seasoned educator with a deep dedication to scholarship, pedagogy, research, and academic leadership. Her research interests are in the area of international relations with a specific focus on the consequences of militarized conflict, issues related to political violence, and state failure. Her scholarship lies at the nexus of international conflict and comparative politics, combining aspects of domestic and international processes to assess the dynamics of global security and political instability. She is the author of and .
Her vision for PHC centers around fostering a learning community that empowers students to become life-long learners and problem-solvers, and does so not by prescribing them a path but rather through providing them with the tools to forge their own path. This vision takes a whole-person approach to student success and places innovation, discovery, and skill-building at the heart of the Honors experience; it conceptualizes the Honors College as a launchpad for students into the 98ÌÃ community and the workforce.
Dean Iqbal received her Ph.D. in Political Science from Emory University, her M.A. from the Korbel School at the University of Denver, and her B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a graduate of the honors program at UNC, where she was also inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.