Ali Gheissari (born 1954) is an Iranian historian and sociologist. He teaches history at the University of San Diego and has research interest in the intellectual history of modern Iran and in modern philosophy and social theory. He has been visiting professor of religious studies at Brown University, Iranian Studies at St. Antony's College, Oxford, and History of Modern Iran at the University of California, Irvine. He is known for his works on the intellectual history and politics of modern Iran. He is on the Editorial Board of book series published by Brill, and has served as the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Iranian Studies.