Halla Thorsteinsdóttir

Dr. Thorsteinsdóttir is a Principal Investigator in the Commercialization pillar and is an Associate Professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. 

She completed her doctoral studies in Science and Technology Policy in 1999 at SPRU – Science and Technology Policy Research, University of Sussex, Britain. Prior to that, she completed a master’s degree in Development Economics from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa Canada as well as a master’s degree in Psychology from the same university.

Dr. Thorsteinsdóttir’s research is focused on health biotechnology innovation in developing countries. Her past topics have, for example, focused on identifying and prioritising the top 10 biotechnologies for improving health in developing countries; examining the global public goods characteristics of genomics; and analysing health innovation systems in developing countries. Dr. Thorsteinsdóttir’s current projects focus on examining collaboration in health biotechnology both between Canada and developing countries (north-south collaboration) and amongst developing countries (south-south collaboration) as well as examining regenerative medicine innovation systems in several developing countries.

Dr. Thorsteinsdóttir is the recipient of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Institute of Genetics Maud Menten New Principal Investigator Prize (2005-2006) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, New Principal Investigator Award (2007).