Babak Sedehi has been involved in various aspects of amateur astronomy in his native Iran for many years. In 1985 he founded the first amateur astronomy club in the country, which provided various observational hand-outs and posters for hundreds of its members, as well as holding star parties and meetings. Seven years later he co-founded Nojum "Astronomy" magazine, which is still the only publication of its kind in the Middle East. At the same time he co-founded the Zarvan Company, one of the first privately owned astronomy-related companies in the region. As the Managing Director at Zarvan Co., he headed and participated in the design and establishment of several small observatories as well as a 110-seat planetarium. Babak now heads a process development team with Nokia's Research and Development Center in Vancouver, Canada. He is an active member of Astronomers Without Borders' Board of Trustees and heads the project to develop the self-sustaining AWB Foundation.
