Mark Edward Siddall 
Siddall’s career has been devoted to uncovering biodiversity and evolutionary histories for the most successful animal life-history strategy of all time: parasitism. His research has encompassed bacteria, single celled protozoon parasites like Giardia and malaria parasites to commercially significant shellfish pathogens, parasitic worms, and even blood-feeding ectoparasites like leeches, bed bugs and bot flies.
Mark received his Ph.D. in Parasitology from the University of Toronto (after a BSc in Microbiology and Immunology). He is recipient of the Henry Baldwin Ward Medal from the American Society of Parasitologists, later serving as its President, and is a Resident Fellow of the Explorers Club.
At the American Museum of Natural History and Professor at the Richard Gilder Graduate School he led the museum in adopting and leveraging emergent DNA sequencing and imaging technologies to advance biodiversity sciences. In addition to over 160 peer reviewed publications, he is author of the whimsical book Poison: Sinister species with deadly consequences.
Anchored in a deep a tradition of fieldwork that spans the globe, Siddall has led numerous expeditions, most recently including Madagascar, Cambodia, the Lower Amazon and South Sudan.
Siddall’s scientific endeavors in comparative genomics range from sequencing whole genomes, like those of bed bugs and leeches, to investigations mining bioactive genes expressed as venoms and antimicrobial agents. His metagenomic iDNA work has expanded the use of DNA leftover in blood-feeding vectors as a measure of animal diversity in protected tropical forests.
Siddall is a committed science communicator having made numerous appearances at the American Museum of Natural History, at venues around New York City, nationally and internationally. and through the Entertainment Exchange of the National Academy of Sciences.
His award-wininng exhibitions include The Power of Poison, Life at the Limits/Animal Superheroes, Picturing Science, and Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease.