Affiliated Expert, Biosecurity
Mayra Ameneiros is a Senior Fellow at the International Biosecurity and Biosafety Initiative for Science (IBBIS). She has over 16 years of experience working at national, regional and international levels, where she has acquired expertise in biosecurity, biorisk management, biothreats, and research security.
Ameneiros is a member of the WHO Health-Security Interface Technical Advisory Group (HSI-TAG), providing independent advice to WHO on strategic priorities and plans of action related to the health-security interface, including preparedness and response to deliberate events and to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats.
Ameneiros serves on the Board of Directors of NextGen, acting as liaison to the Global Health Security Agenda Consortium’s (GHSAC) Steering Committee and APP3 Group on Biosafety and Biosecurity, in addition to the NGO working group of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).
She is a Senior Advisor for several US organizations actively contributing to capacity building efforts throughout Latin America, promoting awareness of biorisk management, biosecurity, cyber-biosecurity, research security, responsible conduct in the life sciences and dual-use research.
Ameneiros was a 2022 Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Initiative (ELBI) Fellow at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and a 2022 Arms Control Negotiation Academy (ACONA) Fellow at Harvard University’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies. Before her current engagements, she served as a Research Associate at King’s College London, Centre for Science and Security Studies. She is a member of the Safety and Security Committee at the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) and a member of The International Working Group on Strengthening the Culture of Biosafety, Biosecurity and Responsible Conduct in the Life Sciences.
Ameneiros holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) and Master of Science (MSc) in Biochemistry, with a specialization in Biotechnology. She is a certified professional in biorisk management and biosecurity accredited by the International Federation of Biosafety Associations (IFBA), where she has also acted as a Mentor of the IFBA Global Mentorship Program.
