Bedross Der Matossian, professor of Modern Middle East History in the Department of History and Hymen Rosenberg Professor in Judaic Studies, has been appointed director of genocide research at the Zoryan Institute.
The Zoryan Institute’s Board of Directors unanimously appointed Der Matossian to the position, succeeding the late Professor Vahakn N. Dadrian, who led the Institute’s Genocide Research Program for more than a decade and established an enduring scholarly legacy in the field.
“The college is proud to see Professor Der Matossian’s expertise and scholarship recognized in this way,” Pat Dussault, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said. “He has an important opportunity to help shape research and policy directions in a critical area of inquiry, and this is a clear recognition of the respect he has earned from leaders in the field.”
Born and raised in the Old City of Jerusalem, he earned his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 2008 and had also taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Chicago.
An internationally recognized scholar of the Armenian Genocide, the late Ottoman Empire and modern Middle Eastern history, Der Matossian has written or edited numerous acclaimed books, including The Concentration Camps of the Armenian Genocide and The Horrors of Adana: Revolution and Violence in the Early Twentieth Century.
In 2026, Der Matossian was awarded a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship in recognition of his pioneering research on mass violence.
Reflecting on his appointment, Der Matossian said, “I am deeply honored and humbled by the Board’s confidence.”
He described succeeding Dadrian as both an extraordinary privilege and a profound responsibility.
“His scholarship transformed the field of genocide studies and set a standard of intellectual rigor and moral courage that continues to inspire generations of researchers,” he said.
Der Matossian added that he accepts the role with humility and with a steadfast commitment to advancing the Institute’s mission through rigorous scholarship, meaningful collaboration, and the pursuit of historical truth.
His appointment marks a new chapter in the Zoryan Institute’s longstanding commitment to advancing the study of genocide through rigorous scholarship, international collaboration and public education, while building on the distinguished legacy established by Dadrian.
The Zoryan Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to scholarship and public awareness related to universal human rights, genocide and diaspora-homeland relations. The Institute supports multidisciplinary research, documentation, lectures, seminars, colloquia and publications in accordance with the highest academic standards.
