About Dr Shaper

Dr. Shaper Mirza holds a BSc (Honors) degree from the University of Karachi and a PhD from The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Her doctoral research focused on the mechanisms underlying nasal colonization by the Gram-positive pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae. Specifically, her work examined the interaction between the human mucosal protein lactoferrin and pneumococcal surface proteins, as well as its effects on colonization by S. pneumoniae. During her PhD, Dr. Mirza received numerous accolades, including a student travel grant for the Gordon Conference on Structure and Functions of Lactoferrin held in Hawaii in 2005, the Gail Castle Award for the best poster presentation as a PhD student, and the Gail Castle Award for the best post-doctoral presentation.