Dr. Bilal Mirza
Affiliated researcher Research group(s): 1. Economics of Knowledge and Innovation 1. Economics of Knowledge and Innovation 1. Economics of Knowledge and Innovation Bilal Mirza joined the Innovation & Development Studies cohort in 2006 as PhD Researcher and successfully defended his PhD Thesis entitled "Energy poverty and rural energy markets in developing countries" on 14 December 2012, under the supervision of Prof. Adam Sizrmai and Prof. Rene Kemp. As a UNU-MERIT scholar, Bilal computed the first ever Energy Poverty Index (EPI), using the energy inconveniences and energy shortfalls that incur in rural households that has been widely cited across research publications in related to energy poverty measurements. His doctoral research also focused on the role of innovation in poverty alleviation, particularly energy poverty. Bilal has extensively presented his research work at different forums in Netherlands, United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey and Pakistan. Apart from that, he has also been involved in trainings at the UNU office in the Netherlands, particularly the Design and Evaluation of Innovation Policy (DEIP) in developing countries and played instrumental role in organizing the web-based training at Pakistan Council for Science and Technology (PCST), Pakistan. From July 2011 till June 2012, he has worked as Research Associate at Ghulam Ishaq Khan (GIK) Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology - a prestigious engineering university in Pakistan where he was involved in teaching, research and training. Bilal has been involved in trainings of policy makers and researchers at the OIC (Organization for Islamic Cooperation) Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH), Pakistan Council of Science and Technology (PCST), Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Pakistan, and National Rural Support Program (NRSP, Pakistan). Earlier, Bilal has also participated at numerous international training and conference events across Europe and Canada. In June 2011, Bilal presented his research on mutual effects of energy poverty and household income at the Canadian Economic Association conference, held at Ottawa University. Later, Bilal was invited as a speaker at the International Development Research Centre (IDRC, Ottawa) for insights on policy implications of his research on energy poverty. Furthermore, Bilal was also selected as a participant at Örebro University (Sweden) to present his research at European Development Research Network (EDRN) workshop. Presently, Bilal Mirza is based in Islamabad and is the Head of Department, Business Administration at Iqra University, Islamabad Campus. Dr. Bilal is also UNESCO Certified Innovation Policy expert, focusing on Pakistan's innovation landscape. |