Dr. Omid Harandi has a strong background in genetics and biology. His fascination with molecules and cells has taken him from plant genetics to molecular immunology and infectious diseases, mapping genes such as Polycythemia, in understanding better the triggers of blood-related diseases, namely leukemia. He works extensively in stem cell research and their role in rehabilitating the body from afflictions such as cancer, anemia and HIV. In 2008, he was awarded the “Omid Harandi Award” for outstanding contribution to the Genetics Program at The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University. Originally from Iran, he has worked in the United States for over ten years.

Omid’s fellowship with Bioversity took place before his gravitation towards human genetics. At the time, his interest in the Pistachio tree (Pistacia vera L.) stemmed from planting the Kerman Province variety on his family farm while growing up. His fellowship provided an opportunity to further his study on the genetic diversity of cultivated and wild varieties of Pistachio in Iran. Working with Pennsylvania State University and the National Research Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (NRCGEB) in Tehran, he evaluated the chromosome numbers of different species of pistachio and used DNA markers to "fingerprint" the genotypes of different pistachio plants in order to identify different traits and varieties. The research was important for providing information for improved breeds of pistachio, but also for providing knowledge to allow for in situ and ex situ conservation.

At present, Omid is a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts; exploring the fundamental aspects of normal and leukemia stem cells.