Faculty profile

Mehrdad Hajibabaei

Professor (Integrative Biology & Biodiversity Institute of Ontario)Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of Guelph

Mehrdad Hajibabaei

Professor (Integrative Biology & Biodiversity Institute of Ontario)

Department of Integrative Biology

College of Biological Science

University of Guelph

Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Supervision signals

Professors usually supervise graduate students in their department's programs.
16 publications in the last five years, latest in 2026.
Senior (last) author on 7 recent papers, a sign of leading a research group.
Principal investigator on 2 research grants (2 NSERC), most recently in 2015.

These signals come from public records, including federal and provincial funding decisions. Ask the professor or the graduate program whether they are taking new students.

Academic metrics

Publications

807

Citations

Collaborators

Grants

Publications by year

Counts cover the publications linked to this profile. Citations and the h-index appear when the source records them.

Profiles and links

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Signals and details

Research

Read how they describe their research on their University of Guelph profile.

Evolutionary biology

Latest papers

Fine-Scale Ecological Biomonitoring in a Large, Complex Agriculturally Impacted Watershed via eDNA Metabarcoding.
Molecular ecology · 2026 · senior author
Biomonitoring 2.0 Refined: observing local change through metaphylogeography using a community-based eDNA metabarcoding monitoring network.
BMC biology · 2025 · senior author
Morphological and metabarcoding dietary analysis of the cunner wrasse (Tautogolabrus adspersus) revealed significant regional variation, with large overlap between its common prey species and biofouling animals living on salmonid sea cages.
Journal of fish biology · 2025

All 80 publications

Latest funding

Centre for Biodiversity Genomics
CFI · 2025 · Co-investigator
$9,208,765
Centre for Biodiversity Genomics
CFI · 2022 · Co-investigator
$8,987,000
BIOSCAN: Tracing the Patterns of Life on a Changing Planet
SSHRC · 2020 · Co-investigator
$8,000,000

All 9 grants and awards

80 publications.

Fine-Scale Ecological Biomonitoring in a Large, Complex Agriculturally Impacted Watershed via eDNA Metabarcoding.

Silva BSML, Riley AC, Craiovan E, Wright M, Watson K, Lapen DR, Hajibabaei M

Molecular ecology2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1111/mec.70377 PMID: 42136385

Biomonitoring 2.0 Refined: observing local change through metaphylogeography using a community-based eDNA metabarcoding monitoring network.

Riley AC, Wright M, Porter TM, Maitland VC, Baird DJ, Hajibabaei M

BMC biology2025Senior author

DOI: 10.1186/s12915-025-02284-x PMID: 40598117

Morphological and metabarcoding dietary analysis of the cunner wrasse (Tautogolabrus adspersus) revealed significant regional variation, with large overlap between its common prey species and biofouling animals living on salmonid sea cages.

Bender CJD, Moir CD, Hajibabaei M, Boulding EG

Journal of fish biology2025

DOI: 10.1111/jfb.70013 PMID: 40040259

Sequence signatures within the genome of SARS-CoV-2 can be used to predict host source

Rudar J, Kruczkiewicz P, Vernygora O, Golding GB, Hajibabaei M, Lung O

Microbiology Spectrum20246 citations

DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03584-23

A pile of pipelines: An overview of the bioinformatics software for metabarcoding data analyses.

Hakimzadeh A, Abdala Asbun A, Albanese D, Bernard M, Buchner D, Callahan B, Caporaso JG, Curd E, Djemiel C, Brandström Durling M, Elbrecht V, Gold Z, Gweon HS, Hajibabaei M, Hildebrand F, Mikryukov V, Normandeau E, Özkurt E, M Palmer J, Pascal G, Porter TM, Straub D, Vasar M, Větrovský T, Zafeiropoulos H, Anslan S

Molecular ecology resources2024

DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13847 PMID: 37548515

Global arthropod beta-diversity is spatially and temporally structured by latitude.

Seymour M, Roslin T, deWaard JR, Perez KHJ, D'Souza ML, Ratnasingham S, Ashfaq M, Levesque-Beaudin V, Blagoev GA, Bukowski B, Cale P, Crosbie D, Decaëns T, deWaard SL, Ekrem T, El-Ansary HO, Evouna Ondo F, Fraser D, Geiger MF, Hajibabaei M, Hallwachs W, Hanisch PE, Hausmann A, Heath M, Hogg ID, Janzen DH, Kinnaird M, Kohn JR, Larrivée M, Lees DC, León-Règagnon V, Liddell M, Lijtmaer DA, Lipinskaya T, Locke SA, Manjunath R, Martins DJ, Martins MB, Mazumdar S, McKeown JTA, Anderson-Teixeria K, Miller SE, Milton MA, Miskie R, Morinière J, Mutanen M, Naik S, Nichols B, Noguera FA, Novotny V, Penev L, Pentinsaari M, Quinn J, Ramsay L, Rochefort R, Schmidt S, Smith MA, Sobel CN, Somervuo P, Sones JE, Staude HS, St Jaques B, Stur E, Telfer AC, Tubaro PL, Wardlaw TJ, Worcester R, Yang Z, Young MR, Zemlak T, Zakharov EV, Zlotnick B, Ovaskainen O, Hebert PDN

Communications biology2024

DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06199-1 PMID: 38720028

Looking for the sponge loop: analyses of detritus on a Caribbean forereef using stable isotope and eDNA metabarcoding techniques.

Olinger LK, McClenaghan B, Hajibabaei M, Fahner N, Berghuis L, Rajabi H, Erwin P, Lane CS, Pawlik JR

PeerJ2024

DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16970 PMID: 38410802

Decision Tree Ensembles Utilizing Multivariate Splits Are Effective at Investigating Beta Diversity in Medically Relevant 16S Amplicon Sequencing Data

Rudar J, Golding GB, Kremer SC, Hajibabaei M

Microbiology Spectrum20234 citationsSenior author

DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02065-22

Comparative analysis of fish environmental DNA reveals higher sensitivity achieved through targeted sequence-based metabarcoding.

McCarthy A, Rajabi H, McClenaghan B, Fahner NA, Porter E, Singer GAC, Hajibabaei M

Molecular ecology resources2023Senior author

DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13732 PMID: 36366953

Influence of plant species, mycorrhizal inoculant, and soil phosphorus level on arbuscular mycorrhizal communities in onion and carrot roots.

Ilyas U, du Toit LJ, Hajibabaei M, McDonald MR

Frontiers in plant science2023

DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1324626 PMID: 38288412

Centre for Biodiversity Genomics

Co-investigatorCFI2025Innovation Fund: Innovation Fund 2025 Stream 3 (Core Facilities)

Principal investigators: Hebert, Paul

Keywords: DNA-based identification, plants, animals, AI, Machine learning, ecoregions, biodiversity assessment, nanopore sequencing, informatics, microscopy, biodiversity DNA sequencers, liquid handlers, freezers, computational hardware, construction

$9,208,765

Centre for Biodiversity Genomics

Co-investigatorCFI2022Major Science Initiatives Fund: 2023 Major Science Initiatives Fund competition – Funding for facilities not funded in the 2017 competition (eligible for maximum 40 percent from the CFI)

Principal investigators: Hebert, Paul

Keywords: DNA barcoding, metabarcoding, eDNA, informatics platforms, biodiversity inventory and curation; global biosurveillance Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding, BOLD - Barcode of Life DataSystems, mBRAVE

$8,987,000

BIOSCAN: Tracing the Patterns of Life on a Changing Planet

Co-investigatorSSHRC2020New Frontiers in Research Fund - Transformation

Principal investigators: Hebert, Paul

$8,000,000

BIOSCAN: Tracing the Patterns of Life on a Changing Planet

Co-investigatorSSHRC2020New Frontiers in Research Fund - Transformation

Principal investigators: Hebert, Paul

Keywords: Global change biology Ecological & environmental policy Machine learning Metagenomics Systematics & taxonomy Biodiversity genomics Data Science Environmental management Environmental law Conservation Evolution Statistical ecology Environmental economics Ecosystem Sustainability

$8,000,000

Biodiversity monitoring through environmental DNA analysis

Principal investigatorNSERC2015Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Hajibabaei, Mehrdad

$21,000

Biodiversity Institute of Ontario

Co-investigatorCFI2014Major Science Initiatives Fund: Major Science Initiatives 2014 Special Competition

Principal investigators: Hebert, Paul

Keywords: DNA barcoding, DNA sequencing facility, informatics platform, Biodiversity inventory and curation Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding,Barcode of Life DataSystems, Collections

$2,150,000

Canadian centre for DNA barcoding

Co-investigatorNSERC2011Major Resources Support Program - Infrastructure

Principal investigators: Hebert, Paul

$450,000

Integrative & Innovative Biodiversity Analysis from the Tundra to the Tropics

Co-investigatorCFI2011John R. Evans Leaders Fund: John R. Evans Leaders Fund – Funding for research infrastructure

Principal investigators: Smith, Alexander

Keywords: cryptic species, protected areas, climate change, food webs, forest pests, genomics, molecular ecology, DNA barcoding, DNA sequencing, environmental monitoring

$374,919

Next generation biodiversity analysis

Principal investigatorNSERC2010Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Hajibabaei, Mehrdad

$120,000

From public funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998 with their latest competition results, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Genome Canada, the Canadian Space Agency, Canada Research Chairs, the Fonds de recherche du Québec, Ontario research funding, Michael Smith Health Research BC, the Canadian Cancer Society, Heart & Stroke and Brain Canada.

Profile data last refreshed on September 27, 2026 from the university directory, publication records and public research funding records.

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Mehrdad Hajibabaei

Research

Latest papers

Latest funding

Fine-Scale Ecological Biomonitoring in a Large, Complex Agriculturally Impacted Watershed via eDNA Metabarcoding.

Biomonitoring 2.0 Refined: observing local change through metaphylogeography using a community-based eDNA metabarcoding monitoring network.

Morphological and metabarcoding dietary analysis of the cunner wrasse (Tautogolabrus adspersus) revealed significant regional variation, with large overlap between its common prey species and biofouling animals living on salmonid sea cages.

Sequence signatures within the genome of SARS-CoV-2 can be used to predict host source

A pile of pipelines: An overview of the bioinformatics software for metabarcoding data analyses.

Global arthropod beta-diversity is spatially and temporally structured by latitude.

Looking for the sponge loop: analyses of detritus on a Caribbean forereef using stable isotope and eDNA metabarcoding techniques.

Decision Tree Ensembles Utilizing Multivariate Splits Are Effective at Investigating Beta Diversity in Medically Relevant 16S Amplicon Sequencing Data

Comparative analysis of fish environmental DNA reveals higher sensitivity achieved through targeted sequence-based metabarcoding.

Influence of plant species, mycorrhizal inoculant, and soil phosphorus level on arbuscular mycorrhizal communities in onion and carrot roots.

Centre for Biodiversity Genomics

Centre for Biodiversity Genomics

BIOSCAN: Tracing the Patterns of Life on a Changing Planet

BIOSCAN: Tracing the Patterns of Life on a Changing Planet

Biodiversity monitoring through environmental DNA analysis

Biodiversity Institute of Ontario

Canadian centre for DNA barcoding

Integrative & Innovative Biodiversity Analysis from the Tundra to the Tropics

Next generation biodiversity analysis

Frequent collaborators

Brian Golding

Dirk Steinke

Thomas Edge

Glen Van Der Kraak

Eric Emilson

Alain Stintzi

Daniel Figeys

Robert Beiko

Donald Baird

Nathan Basiliko

Glen Van Der Kraak