PhD Student
Pharm.D. (Doctor of Pharmacy)
M.Phil. Pharmaceutics
Email asim.zubair@postgrad.otago.ac.nz
About Asim
Asim Masoom Zubair is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Medicine at the University of Otago, Christchurch. As a pharmaceutical scientist, his work sits at the interface of clinical pharmacology and formulation science.
He trained as a pharmacist completing a five-year professional Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) followed by an MPhil (Master of Philosophy) in Pharmaceutics, graduating with university distinction by earning a place on the Roll of Honour
His background is highly international, spanning research and industry roles across Europe and Asia. During his undergraduate studies, he was selected for an international research fellowship (IRF) at the University Medical Center Groningen (the Netherlands), where he investigated the personalised pharmacological management of comorbid tuberculosis and diabetes. Prior to joining Otago, Asim was based in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he worked for four years.
Now based in New Zealand, Asim brings his drug delivery, formulation, characterisation, and translational toolkit to the Neurology of Myopathies (NoM) Lab, where his expertise complements the group's mission to identify, engineer, and evaluate therapies for muscular dystrophies. Beyond his research, Asim is a dedicated advocate for global health and science communication. He has represented his peers at the United Nations Youth Assembly in New York (2018) and taken on various leadership and scientific editorial roles, including with Euromeds and as President of the IUB Science Society. In 2021, his frontline pharmaceutical service during the COVID-19 pandemic earned him the United Kingdom's prestigious Diana Award, with his advocacy featured across international media such as Express Tribune and BBC News Urdu.
Research
His doctoral research, supported by a scholarship from Marsden Grant, Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi, focuses on understanding metabolic dysfunction in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Specifically, his project aims to identify and evaluate novel therapeutic strategies for treating the condition.
Awards
- Roll of Honor Award, IUB, Pakistan (2020)
- The Diana Award, United Kingdom (2021)