Mehrdad Hariri

Mehrdad Hariri, is the Founder, President and CEO of the Canadian Science Policy Centre (CSPC), a non-profit, non-partisan organization operating as a HUB for science, technology and innovation policy in Canada. Since founding CSPC, he has helped build it into a leading national platform connecting researchers, policymakers, industry, civil society, and the broader innovation community.

Mehrdad Hariri conceptualized and founded the Canadian Science Policy Conference in 2009, now Canada’s primary multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral forum on science, technology and innovation policy. He also co-developed Science Meets Parliament, a first-of-its-kind program in Canada organized in partnership with the Office of the Chief Science Advisor, providing scientists with opportunities to learn about policymaking in Federal and provincial legislatures. He also initiated Canada’s first Awards of Excellence in Science and Innovation Policy, including Youth, Trailblazer, and Lifetime Achievement Awards, and conceptualized Canadian Science Policy Magazine. The Centre engages hundreds of trainees and early-career professionals through volunteer committees, supporting the Centre’s operations and getting experience in the field of science policy.
His work has contributed significantly to strengthening Canada’s science and innovation policy ecosystem and building bridges across sectors and regions. Mehrdad is a regular contributor to public discourse, with editorials in Nature, The Globe and Mail, and University Affairs, and Canadian Science Policy Magazine and frequent appearances on national media including CBC’s The Current and TVO’s The Agenda. His thought leadership spans science diplomacy, innovation policy.

Dr. Hariri is a Senior Fellow at the University of Ottawa’s Institute for Science, Society and Policy and has served on several boards and advisory committees, including the Journal of Science Policy and Governance, the Science and Technology Awareness Network, CATA’s Innovation Leadership Council, and the Mitacs Science Policy Fellowship Advisory Committee. He has received the King Charles III Coronation Medal and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pin and is an alumnus of Governor General Canada Leadership Conference (GGCLC). 

Mehrdad holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Tehran University and continued his education in Universite de Montreal and University of Toronto.