Dr. Saghar (Sara) Shahidi-Birjandian

Dr. Saghar (Sara) Shahidi-Birjandian

Founding Partner, Mediator, and Conflict Resolution Specialist

Dr. Saghar Shahidi-Birjandian is a mediator, facilitator, and conflict resolution specialist whose practice spans interpersonal, organizational, intercultural, and systems-level conflict. A founding partner of Mediated Solutions and a member of the Mediate BC Associate Roster, she works with individuals, workplaces, governments, institutions, and communities to resolve disputes, strengthen communication and decision-making, and address the conditions that allow conflict to emerge or become entrenched.

Trained in facilitative mediation through New York University, the New York Peace Institute and Mediate BC, Saghar brings a culturally grounded, trauma-informed, and systems-informed approach to her practice. Her mediation work includes workplace and civil disputes, contract and professional conflicts, human rights-related matters, and intercultural and identity-based conflict. She also designs and facilitates processes for teams and organizations navigating complex communication challenges, ethical and values-based disagreements, organizational change, and difficult decisions.

Beyond resolving individual disputes, Saghar works with organizations and groups to strengthen their capacity to manage conflict before it escalates. This includes facilitated policy and strategy development, collaborative governance and decision-making processes, communication and accountability frameworks, conflict prevention initiatives, and customized training in mediation, negotiation, ethical decision-making, and respectful communication. Her work is particularly suited to situations where interpersonal dynamics intersect with institutional structures, competing interests, cultural differences, or broader systemic challenges.

Saghar holds a Ph.D. in Politics and International Studies from SOAS, University of London, an M.Sc. in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Victoria, with a concentration in Philosophy of Law and Ethics. Her academic and applied work in transitional justice, human rights, atrocity prevention, conflict transformation, and ethics informs a practice grounded in the understanding that conflict rarely exists in isolation from the systems, relationships, values, and competing obligations surrounding it.

Whether working with two people through facilitative mediation or supporting a complex organizational process, Saghar's approach is practical, collaborative, and prevention-oriented. She supports people in pursuing their interests while also understanding what is driving the conflict, identifying what needs to change, and developing solutions that are workable, respectful, and capable of lasting beyond the immediate intervention.