Mahadeo Sukhai is the world’s first congenitally blind geneticist. He holds adjunct faculty appointments at University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Queens University, and OCAD University. Sukhai co-leads IDEA’s Hub 4, Inclusive Environmental Design.

Sukhai is a leading expert on accessibility of graduate and post-doctoral research training in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and healthcare disciplines. He was the Vice President, Research & International Affairs and Chief Accessibility Officer at CNIB where his research program at CNIB focused on social determinants of health and inclusion for people living with sight loss in Canada. Prior to joining CNIB, Sukhai was a researcher at the University Health Network in Toronto.

Sukhai chairs the Employment Technical Committee for Accessibility Standards Canada. He is the external co-chair of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Expert Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Systemic Ableism. He also serves on the Boards for Health Data Research Network Canada and the Institute of Neurodiversity Canada, and is a member of the steering committee for Disability and Work in Canada.

Sukhai has a PhD in medical biophysics and a PhD in cancer genetics, both from the University of Toronto.