Ali Naderi Malek

Ali Naderi Malek is a PhD student in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Arizona. He started his doctoral training at the University of Vermont and joined University of Arizona in Spring 2026 with his advisor, Provost Dr. Patricia Prelock.

Before academia took over his life, Ali was a practicing speech-language pathologist in Iran, where he ran a private clinic and worked with over 300 autistic children. His research focuses on family empowerment; specifically, how parents and caregivers can be supported to improve communication outcomes and everyday life for autistic children.

Ali is currently interested in the practical and ethical use of artificial intelligence in autism care and has published (and continues to revise) work in this area. He speaks English, Persian, and Turkish fluently, knows enough Arabic to get by, and has recently started learning Spanish, mostly out of optimism.

Outside of research, Ali is a former competitive swimmer and diver, and there is a good chance you’ll run into him somewhere outdoors; whether you’re kayaking, snowmobiling, skiing, hiking, diving, or golfing, usually convincing himself that a long hike counts as “rest,” while passersby wonder why he’s doing that activity again.