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Reza Sharif Naeini

Ph.D. (doctor),  Regular member
Expertise
Neuroscience
Principal Interest
Optogenetics & sensory systems
Secondary Interest
Neuropathic pain
Primary Affiliation

Université McGill

Secondary Affiliation
None

Biography

Dr. Sharif is a Full Professor in the Department of Physiology at McGill University and Director of the Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain. His research focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of chronic pain using both preclinical models and human tissues. After completing a B.Sc. in Biochemistry at the Université de Montréal, he obtained an M.Sc. in Psychiatry and a Ph.D. in Physiology at McGill University, supported by CIHR studentships. He then completed postdoctoral training with Prof. Éric Honoré at the Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire in France, studying ion channel biophysics with support from the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale and the Human Frontier Science Program. He subsequently joined the laboratory of Prof. Allan Basbaum at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where he investigated the anatomy and genetics of pain, supported by fellowships from IASP and CIHR. Recruited to McGill University in 2012, he progressed through the ranks to Full Professor and became Director of the Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain in 2021.

Why did you choose this career?
I began my career with a desire to better understand chronic pain and to contribute to the development of new treatments. As my training progressed, I developed a growing interest in the complexity of the nervous system, whose mechanisms remain among the most fascinating in biology. Today, my research lies at the intersection of these two passions: understanding how the nervous system generates and sustains chronic pain, and then testing these findings in human tissue to assess their clinical potential. It is this combination of fundamental curiosity and a desire to make a tangible impact on patients’ lives that continues to motivate me every day.