UCLA has established the Pourdavoud Center for the Study of the Iranian World, the first center in the Western Hemisphere that aims to advance the knowledge of ancient Iranian languages, history and religions.
The center is named for the late Ebrahim Pourdavoud, a pioneering scholar of ancient Persia and a professor in Europe, Iran and Iraq. The center was made possible by a gift from his granddaughter, Anahita Naficy Lovelace, and her husband, James Lovelace.