Born in France in 1965, Nimâ Machouf grew up in Montreal until the age of 8 when her parents returned to Iran after completing their studies. At 18, she had to leave Iran following political repression and has been living in Montreal ever since.

Nimâ holds a Ph.D. in Epidemiology (public health) and works as a researcher in the field of AIDS. Nimâ has always been very active socially and politically, both in her host community and in the Iranian community, from student associations to an Iranian community center. She also served for 8 years on the Board of Médecins du Monde (Doctors of the World) and ran for the municipal elections with Projet Montréal.

Nimâ has worked or taken part in missions in many countries of Africa and Central America. She has just returned from an international election observation mission to Mexico.