Mehrdad Hariri

Canadian Science Policy Center (CSPC)

As Founder, CEO, and President of the Canadian Science Policy Centre (CSPC), he has established the foremost platform for non-partisan, cross-sector dialogue on science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy. Since launching CSPC in 2009, he has transformed it into a hub for national and international collaboration.

Under Mehrdad’s leadership, the CSPC presents numerous first-in-Canada programs including the Canadian Science Policy Conference that has became Canada’s leading forum for science policy, drawing key voices from academia, government, industry, and civil society, and Science Meets Parliament, a groundbreaking initiative enables scientists and parliamentarians into one-on-one conversations. The program has since expanded to BC and Ontario legislatures.

Beyond CSPC, Mehrdad is a prolific contributor to public discourse, with editorials in Nature, The Globe and Mail, and University Affairs, and frequent appearances on national media including CBC’s The Current and TVO’s The Agenda. His thought leadership spans science diplomacy, innovation policy.

His contributions have earned him numerous accolades, including the King Charles III Coronation Medal (2024) and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pin (2022). He is also an alumni of the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference (GGCLC).

Internationally, Mehrdad has interviewed Nobel Laureates, Chief Science Advisors, and ministers, positioning him as a global connector in science policy. He is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Science, Society, and Policy at the University of Ottawa and has serves on several boards and advisory committees, including Mitacs and the Journal of Science Policy and Governance and the Science and Technology Awareness Network.

Mehrdad holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Tehran University and an MSc in Cell Biology from Université de Montréal, and has completed a research Fellowship at McLaughlin Rotman Centre for Global Health of the University of Toronto.