Scientific Committee

Mehrdad Hajibabaei (Chair)

Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph, Canada

Mehrdad Hajibabaei is Professor of Biodiversity Genomics and Chief Scientific Officer of the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics at the University of Guelph. His research advances environmental DNA (eDNA), metabarcoding, and large-scale biodiversity monitoring, integrating molecular ecology, bioinformatics, and evolutionary genomics. He has authored influential work on modernizing biomonitoring through genomics and leads international collaborations focused on standardization and scalable biodiversity assessment. As founder of eDNAtec Inc., he bridges academic innovation and applied implementation, promoting biodiversity genomics data for impact assessment, regulatory frameworks, and corporate sustainability. His work aims to transform how biodiversity is measured, managed, and protected globally.

Buntika Butcher

Chulalongkorn University, Thailand

Buntika Butcher is an associate professor at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. She started her job at Chulalongkorn University in 2005 and has worked actively on parasitoid wasps since then. Her main research interest is on morphological and molecular systematics, insect ecology, diversification and biogeography of the Ichneumonoidea. A lot of her work now involves DNA barcodes and their use in understanding diversity and the evolution of life history traits. She collaborates widely with other scientists in Thailand as well as internationally. In 2023, she published a book “Parasitoid Wasps of South East Asia” with Donald Quicke which she hopes will further promote research on parasitoid wasps in the region.

Manpreet Dhami

Bioeconomy Science Institute, New Zealand

Manpreet Dhami is a Senior Scientist & Research Priority Area Leader at the Bioeconomy Science Institute in New Zealand. She is also a Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland. Her research focusses on species interactions in host-associated (insect, plant, birds) and free-living microbial communities. She also develops eDNA tools across a variety of environments for the characterization of biodiversity and detection of biosecurity relevant species. She is co-leading the development of the Treaty-guided National Barcode Reference Database for New Zealand. Her research supports various stakeholders including indigenous communities safeguarding their biological resources, regulatory agencies and conservation practitioners.

Hideyuki Doi

Kyoto University, Japan

Hideyuki Doi is a Professor at the Graduate School of Informatics at Kyoto University, where he leads research in biosphere informatics and ecology. He specializes in utilizing environmental DNA (eDNA) to monitor biodiversity and manage aquatic ecosystems, alongside conducting large-scale meta-analyses on biological principles. His work also explores food web structures and the impacts of climate change on animal and plant phenology across Japan. Previously, he held academic positions at the University of Hyogo and Hiroshima University after earning his Ph.D. from Tohoku University.

Andrea Galimberti

University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy

Andrea Galimberti is Full Professor of Zoology at the University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy) and a member of the National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC). His research focuses on animal identification through integrative taxonomy, combining morphological and ecological evidence with DNA barcoding and DNA/eDNA metabarcoding. He applies these approaches to characterize invertebrate and vertebrate communities and their ecological interactions, and to develop early-warning systems for detecting conservation-priority and alien species across natural-to-urban gradients.

Maggie Hunter

US Geological Survey, USA

Maggie Hunter is a Research Geneticist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Florida, USA studying conservation and population genetics, environmental DNA and genetic biocontrol methods to inform natural resource management of invasive and imperiled species. She is a co-chair of the Geo Bon Genetic Composition Working Group and the International Union for Conservation of Nature Conservation Genetics North American Working Group.

De-Zhu Li

Shandong Agricultural University, China

De-Zhu Li is a Professor of Botany affiliated with the Center for Interdisciplinary Biodiversity Research (CIBR) and the College of Forestry at Shandong Agricultural University. He is a prominent researcher in plant systematics, molecular phylogeny, and biogeography, leading the Molecular Phylogeny and Biogeography Group (MPBG). His extensive research focuses on phylogenomics, utilizing techniques like deep genome skimming to understand the evolutionary history and genetic diversity of plant groups such as bamboos, legumes, and Rhododendron. In addition to his role at Shandong Agricultural University, he has held significant leadership positions at the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, including serving as Director and Head of the Germplasm Bank of Wild Species.

Dirk Steinke

Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph, Canada

Dirk Steinke is an evolutionary biologist involved in DNA barcoding research since 2004. His research interests involve various themes at the intersection of evolution, ecology and genomic science as well as science education and research communication. This includes questions, techniques and theory covering divergent components of evolution and biodiversity science by means of bioinformatics. A particular focus lies on DNA barcoding, metabarcoding and metagenomics. Dirk earned his doctorate from the University of Konstanz and spend two decades at the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics at the University of Guelph where he currently serves as Research Scientist.

Learn more about iBOL

The International Barcode of Life Consortium is a research alliance undertaking the largest global biodiversity science initiative: create a digital identification system for life that is accessible to everyone