Mohammad Geldi Geldi Nejad is a Ph.D. candidate in musicology and ethnomusicology at Brown University. He holds an M.A. in ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University (2023). Before studying in the United States, he earned an M.A. from the Turkmen National Conservatory and a B.A. from the State Music College in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. His research interests include borders and musical styles, the music of Central Asia, and the music of the Turkic-speaking world.

Türkiye and Turkmenistan are strengthening their economic and political partnership, and Mohammad’s research examines the cultural dimensions of this growing relationship. As a professional Turkmen folk musician, he has observed similarities between Turkmen and Turkish folk music—such as strumming techniques and the modes used in playing stringed lutes—through his performances among other Turkish folk musicians. Through ethnographic fieldwork among these musicians, he aims to better understand how cultural practices reflect broader geopolitical trends between the two nations.