Platform Leadership

Our leadership team brings together expertise from diverse voices, career stages and complementary skill sets to lead our shared pursuit of a world-class bioinformatics skill development ecosystem.

Management Team

Regional Coordinators

Platform Advisory Committee

The Canadian Bioinformatics Hub is overseen by an expert Platform Advisory Committee (PAC), which is responsible for the success and sustainability of the Hub and its overall governance. 

Paul Pavlidis, PhD (Chair)
Professor of Psychiatry
Department of Psychiatry
University of British Columbia

Melissa Burke, PhD
Training Manager
Australian BioCommons

Marta Lloret Linares, PhD
Data Science Learning Associate Director 
AstraZeneca

Alison Symington, PhD
Strategic Life Science Consultant 
Life Sciences Ontario

Verena Ras, PhD
Bioinformatics Program Manager 
University of Cape Town

Pierre-Étienne Jacques, PhD
Professor
Department of Biology Bioinformatics
Universté de Sherbrooke

Geert van Geest, PhD
Bioinformatician and Trainer
Universität Bern and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics

Mohamed Helmy, PhD
Adjunct Professor
Veterinary Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO)
University of Saskatchewan

Rebecca Tamarchak, PhD
Head of Strategy, Governance and Partnerships
Ontario Institute of Cancer Research

IDEA Committee

The Canadian Bioinformatics Hub is committed to fostering Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) across all its activities. Our IDEA Committee provides expert guidance on the development and implementation of these principles throughout the platform. 

Julie Hussin, PhD (Chair)
Associate Professor
Department of Biochemistry
Université de Montréal

David Wishart, PhD
Distinguished University Professor
Faculty of Science
University of Alberta

Jude Kong, PhD 
Assistant Professor
Department of Mathematics
University of Toronto

Kaetlyn Philips, MSc
PhD Student
University of Calgary 

Mahadeo Sukhai, PhD 
Director of Research and Chief Inclusion & Accessibility Officer
Canadian National Institute for the Blind

Wyeth W. Wasserman, PhD
Professor
Department of Medical Genetics
University of British Columbia

Community Outreach Committee

The Community Outreach Committee (COC) leads the Canadian Bioinformatics Hub’s portfolio of community activities which extend learning beyond the classroom, through networking, mentorship and professional development to strengthen our community across Canada. 

William Hsiao, PhD (Chair)
Associate Professor, MSHRBC Scholar
Faculty of Health Sciences
Simon Fraser University 

Arvind Mer, PhD
Assistant Professor 
Faculty of Medicine
University of Ottawa

Testimony Olumade, MSc
PhD Student 
Department of Immunology
University of Manitoba

Robin Haw, PhD
Program Manager 
Genome Informatics and Computational Biology
Ontario Institute for Cancer Research

Education Advisory Committee

The Education Advisory Committee (EAC) provides expert advice and leadership for the training portfolio of the Canadian Bioinformatics Hub, verifying that programs address identified gaps and align with regional and sector-specific training needs. 

Guillaume Bourque, PhD (Chair) 
Professor
Department of Human Genetics
McGill University

Finlay McGuire, PhD 
Assistant Professor 
Faculty of Computer Science
Dalhousie University

Rihannon Cameron 
PhD Student 
Simon Fraser University

Karen Cranston, PhD
Computational Biologist, Staff Scientist 
University Health Network 

Partnerships Committee

The Partnerships Committee (PC) cultivates and sustains relationships with key stakeholders to expand the Hub’s training and community portfolios, its impact and to drive long-term sustainability.

Shraddha Pai, PhD (Chair)
Early-Career Investigator 
Ontario Institute for Cancer Research

Dan Sinai
President and CEO 
Episign Inc. 

Shenmiao (Ivy) Li 
PhD Student
McGill University

Abdoulaye Baniré Diallo, PhD
Professor
Université du Québec à Montréal

Jennifer Geddes-McAllister
Associate Professor, Canada Research Chair
Director, Bioinformatics Graduate Program
University of Guelph

CBW Educational Advisory Committee 2024