Mahan Ghafari

Mahan Ghafari is an evolutionary biologist and independent investigator leading the Ghafari Research Group, currently based in the Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on understanding how pathogens evolve—across hosts, over time, and through molecular and structural changes. 

Mahan’s group brings together concepts from phylogenetics, population genetics theory, and epidemiology to develop new tools and methods for quantifying evolutionary dynamics and reconstructing the histories of pathogens with epidemic and pandemic potential. This work supports high-resolution outbreak reconstruction, molecular surveillance, and evolutionary risk forecasting. By identifying unique evolutionary signatures of pathogens in different host environments, it contributes to the development of early-warning tools for detecting potential threats from emerging infectious diseases. 

His research is currently supported by a Wellcome Trust Early Career Award and includes collaborations across molecular and structural biology, epidemiology, and public health. Mahan also supervises undergraduate and postgraduate students and contributes to teaching and mentoring within the Department of Biology and Nuffield Department of Medicine.