Mirza Alas Portillo

Mirza Alas Portillo is a doctoral researcher at University College Dublin (UCD). Her research focuses on critically examining the emergence of the empty antibiotic pipeline as a concept from the 1970s. She is currently working on applying a historical approach to understand standard narratives of the dry antibiotic pipeline as a market failure.  Her work is part of the recently started Norwegian Research Council-funded international research project "How Did the Antibiotic Pipeline Run Dry?" (DryAP). As part of her doctoral research, she has co-published articles on the past and present of bacteriophage therapy and paradoxes of antimicrobial innovation. 

Before joining UCD, Mirza worked for an intergovernmental organization in Geneva, Switzerland on global health issues and has also experience working for non-governmental organizations. Her work included research and policy advice for developing countries on antimicrobial resistance, access to medicines issues, and global health governance.