Mahadeo Sukhai is the world’s first congenitally blind geneticist. He also holds adjunct faculty appointments at Queens University, OCAD University and Ontario Tech 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 also the external co-chair of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Expert Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Systemic Ableism.

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