*** MSc or PhD position available / Position au MSc ou au PhD disponibles ***
If you are interested in algorithms in bioinformatics, theory or practice, I am looking for motivated students for the two following projects:
If you are interested in algorithms in bioinformatics, theory or practice, I am looking for motivated students for the two following projects:
- 1) Sofware and Algorithms to Compare Evolutionary Networks: Click here
- 2) Theoretical Complexity of Algorithmic Problems in Phylogenetics: Click here
Google Scholar page
manuel.lafond at USherbrooke.ca
+1 819-821-8000 ext. 62034
manuel.lafond at USherbrooke.ca
+1 819-821-8000 ext. 62034
That picture is getting old. If you must know how I am aging,
see this picture, or this picture.
I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Université de Sherbrooke. As of June 2026, I am also the Chair of Undergraduate Studies in the department.
In my research, I work on the design of algorithms in bioinformatics with a focus on phylogenetics and graph theory. My research includes theoretical and practical approches for the reconstruction and comparison of evolutionary scenarios. While I have worked on Darwinian trees for some time, I have recently gained interest in phylogenetic networks, which allow non-tree-like scenarios such as lateral gene transfer and hybridization - while also allowing me to apply graph theory to computational biology. I mainly develop algorithms for NP-hard problems, for example to compute edit distances between networks, using techniques from parameterized complexity and approximation algorithms.
I am also an avid follower (and occasional contributor) of the theory of algorithms, and I enjoy applying the latest developments in parameterized and approximation algorithms to practical problems in computational biology. At the same time, I enjoy working on empirical and (semi-)applied papers from time to time, see references below.
Prior to my current position, I was an NSERC postdoctoral fellow at the University of Ottawa with David Sankoff (2016-2018) and I obtained my PhD at the University of Montreal with Nadia El-Mabrouk (2012-2016).
Some publications that I like to put forward:
Unrelated: students who use LLMs in their homework, listen to this YouTube video: What AI does to the minds of novice coders
In my research, I work on the design of algorithms in bioinformatics with a focus on phylogenetics and graph theory. My research includes theoretical and practical approches for the reconstruction and comparison of evolutionary scenarios. While I have worked on Darwinian trees for some time, I have recently gained interest in phylogenetic networks, which allow non-tree-like scenarios such as lateral gene transfer and hybridization - while also allowing me to apply graph theory to computational biology. I mainly develop algorithms for NP-hard problems, for example to compute edit distances between networks, using techniques from parameterized complexity and approximation algorithms.
I am also an avid follower (and occasional contributor) of the theory of algorithms, and I enjoy applying the latest developments in parameterized and approximation algorithms to practical problems in computational biology. At the same time, I enjoy working on empirical and (semi-)applied papers from time to time, see references below.
Prior to my current position, I was an NSERC postdoctoral fellow at the University of Ottawa with David Sankoff (2016-2018) and I obtained my PhD at the University of Montreal with Nadia El-Mabrouk (2012-2016).
Some publications that I like to put forward:
- Max Dupré la Tour, Manuel Lafond, Ndiamé Ndiaye. "On the Hardness of Recognizing Graphs of Small Mim-Width and Its Variants.", ICALP 2026. Credits to Max and Ndiamé, paper would not exist without them.
- Max Dupré la Tour, Manuel Lafond, Ndiamé Ndiaye. "Recognizing Leaf Powers and Pairwise Compatibility Graphs is NP-Complete.", SODA 2026. Credits to Max and Ndiamé, paper would not exist without them.
- Manuel Lafond, Céline Scornavacca. "Rehabilitating the benefits of gene tree correction in the presence of incomplete lineage sorting". Peer Community Journal, 2026.
- Reza Kalhor, Guillaume Beslon, Manuel Lafond, Céline Scornavacca. "A rigorous framework to classify the postduplication fate of paralogous genes". Journal of Computational Biology, 2024.
- Lafond, Manuel. "Recognizing k-leaf powers in polynomial time, for constant k.", SODA 2022.
- Lafond, Manuel, Mona Meghdari Miardan, and David Sankoff. "Accurate prediction of orthologs in the presence of divergence after duplication.", ISMB 2018.
Unrelated: students who use LLMs in their homework, listen to this YouTube video: What AI does to the minds of novice coders
CV Summary
Last update : September 2023 (which is hopefully not too far in the past)
Positions
| 2023-... | Associate Professor, Université de Sherbrooke |
| 2018-2023 | Assistant Professor, Université de Sherbrooke |
| 2016-2018 | Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Ottawa (with Dr. David Sankoff) |
Education
| 2012-2016 | PhD in Computer Science, University of Montreal. Advisor: Nadia El-Mabrouk Thesis ranked Exceptional, on the Dean's list of honor, 4.3/4.3 GPA |
| 2011-2012 | MSc in Computer Science, University of Montreal. (fast-track to PhD) |
| 2005-2010 | BSc in Computer Science and Software Engineering (internship program), UQAM. |
Committee Participation
| - Program chair of the RECOMB-CG 2026 conference. |
| - Co-organizer of the Novel Mathematical Paradigm for Phylogenomics workshop (Banff, 2025). |
| - PC Member of WABI every year since 2019. |
| - PC Member of ISMB every year since 2018. |
| - PC Member of RECOMB-CG every year since 2018. |
| - PC Member of IWOCA 2025, 2023 |
| - PC Member of APBC 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 |
| - PC Member of GLBIO 2025, 2024, 2023 |
| - PC Member of ISBRA 2026, 2025, 2023, 2022 |
| - PC Member of SOFSEM 2020, 2019 (computational biology session) |
| - PC Member of ICCABS every year since 2018 |
| - Organizing Committee of RECOMB-CG 2018 |