Alkorta Idiakez, Itziar

Itziar Alkorta Idiakez (San Sebastian, 1967) is a Permanent Lecturer on Civil Law at the UPV/EHU's School of Law. Her doctoral thesis, directed by Dr. Gil Rodríguez, tackled the regulation of assisted human reproduction (2001). She completed her post-doctoral training at the Hastings Center for Bioethics in New York and the Bioethics Center at the University of Pennsylvania. That stage of her training culminated with the publication of a leading piece on reproductive rights, having been published by Aranzadi-Thomson in 2003.

Later on, she participated in Research Consortiums as a Bioethics specialist under the last three European research framework programmes.  Said programmes led to high-impact publications in English-speaking editorials and journals (Palgrave, Macmillan), as well as recommendations for the European Parliament regarding biotechnology regulations. Her international reputation was strengthened by her stay as a guest professor at the University of Bordeaux during the 2016/2017 academic year, as well as by her recent participation as Lecturer at the International Congress on Biocommodities held at the University of Sydney in September of 2018.

Her work has had public ramifications in terms of research and training, as well as Basque culture. As the Secretary-General of the Basque Studies Society/Eusko Ikaskuntza, she drove the creation of the Eleria Legal Journal, among other programmes. She has served as the Vice-Rector of Innovation and Quality at the UPV/EHU, Secretary of Jakiunde, Academy of Science, Art, and Literature, and Deputy Minister of Universities and Research for the Basque Government (2012) as the individual responsible for reforming the 2014 University Study Plan. She is currently Vice President of the Iura Vasconiae Foundation, where she manages the Basque Private Law collection. Likewise, she is the Director of the OCEAN I3 training-research programme under the UPV/EHU - Université de Bordeaux Cross-Border Campus programme, in Sokoa (Donibane Lohitzune).