Dr. Mehrdad Hajibabaei

Associate Professor
Centre for Biodiversity Genomics &
Department of Integrative Biology

Dr. Mehrdad Hajibabaei is an internationally recognized expert in molecular evolutionary biology and environmental/ecological genomics and bioinformatics. He has been one of the pioneers in the use of high-throughput genomics technologies, such as Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) for the assessment of biodiversity in samples as varied as bulk environmental water, soil and sediments to gut contents and diet analysis (e.g. eDNA metabarcoding). He has played a leadership role in establishing and managing large scale research projects and collaborative networks such as the International Barcode of Life (iBOL), Biomonitoring 2.0 and STREAM. He has independently raised over $10M in research funds from various agencies. Hajibabaei has served on advisory and review panels for major initiatives, international organizations, and major funding agencies. He has collaborated with regulatory agencies (e.g. US EPA, US FDA, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Parks Canada) and various industrial partners.