Marc Haber

Dr. Marc Haber is an Associate Professor in the Department of Cancer and Genomic Sciences at the University of Birmingham, where he leads the Human Genome Diversity group and directs the Health Data Science Programme at the Dubai campus. His work focuses on understanding human genetic variation across populations, particularly those historically underrepresented in genomics research.

• University: University of Birmingham
• School: College of Medical and Dental Sciences
• Department: Department of Cancer and Genomic Sciences
• Role: Associate Professor, Group Leader, Programme Director

Dr. Haber earned his PhD in Biomedicine from Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, and holds BSc and MSc degrees in Molecular Biology from Lebanese American University. His postdoctoral research was conducted at the Wellcome Sanger Institute under Chris Tyler-Smith.

• PhD: Biomedicine, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona
• MSc & BSc: Molecular Biology, Lebanese American University

His research lies at the intersection of population genetics, bioinformatics, and health data science. He investigates human migration, admixture, adaptation, and disease susceptibility using both modern and ancient DNA. His group prioritizes populations from the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, and the Caucasus, integrating genetic data with historical, archaeological, and health records to reconstruct human evolutionary history and its medical implications.

His recent publications reveal a strong trend in ancient DNA analysis, particularly from the Near East and Africa, with a focus on reconstructing population continuity, admixture events, and adaptive responses to environmental pressures such as agriculture and disease. His work spans human evolution, medical genomics, and the development of computational tools for analyzing large-scale genomic datasets.

Dr. Haber has not received specific scientific awards mentioned in the text, but his work has been featured in top-tier journals including Cell, Nature, Science, and The American Journal of Human Genetics, and covered by major media outlets such as The Guardian, The New York Times, and National Geographic.

He actively mentors graduate students and advises research projects in population genomics. He has secured funding to support his research group and has established a new MSc programme in Health Data Science at the Dubai campus. His team includes members working on East Asian demography, T2D genomics, ancient DNA methods, and South Asian ethnic diversity.

Dr. Haber leads the Human Genome Diversity group, which uses cross-disciplinary approaches combining genetics, bioinformatics, and historical data to study human population structure and disease risk. The group has been instrumental in generating the first ancient DNA data from Eastern Arabia and has made significant contributions to understanding the genetic legacy of the Crusaders, Canaanites, and Armenian origins.