Ali Massoud Ansari FRSE (Persian: علی مسعود انصاری, born 24 November 1967 in Rome[1]) is a Professor in Modern History with reference to the Middle East at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where he is also the founding director of the Institute for Iranian Studies.

[2] Ansari was educated at Colonel Brown Cambridge School Dehradun, Royal Russell School, University College London (BA), King's College London (MA), and obtained his PhD from the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).

He is also an Associate Fellow at Chatham House and sits on the Governing Council of the British Institute of Persian Studies (BIPS).

In March 2016 Ansari was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's National Academy for science and letters.

He married Marjon Esfandiary in 2010, after which he had a celebration held at Chatham House.