Senior Project & Translation Engineer (554488)

Faculty of Science

To advance an innovative micro-feeder technology for high-accuracy feeding of pharmaceutical materials to enable the translation of this technology to the pharmaceutical industry. This ambitious aim will be realised by working closely with the entire project team including experts CMAC Tier 1 industry partners.

FTE: 1 (35 hours/week)

Term: Fixed Term (14 months)

CMAC is a world leading medicines manufacturing research centre that hosts a portfolio of collaborative research programmes aimed to transform the development and manufacture of medicines (www.cmac.ac.uk). Building on our long standing partnerships with a wide range of pharmaceutical manufacturers, we are excited to announce a new process technology development and translation project with CMAC’s industry partners (e.g. Pfizer).

The manufacturing of medicines utilises a range of processes where various materials are combined with the drug substance to deliver a high quality, consistent and stable drug product. A consistent feed of powdered materials into processes, such as crystallization, blending or granulation, is of paramount importance as any variations in the feed stream directly impact quality attributes of the final drug product. Rapidly changing healthcare models require transformative technologies that enable flexible, cost-effective manufacture of medicines to meet patient demands. The need to produce lifesaving medicines for small patient populations, manufacture low-dosage products with high-potency drugs for targeted cancer treatments, and just-the- right quantity of clinical material for small-scale patient studies require feeding processes capable of continuously delivering small amounts of material. Current technologies, such as screw feeders and vibrating feeders, cannot achieve the accuracy and flow rates needed for manufacturing future drug products in a continuous manner.

CMAC has developed an innovative micro-feeder that is able to accurately feed low quantities of pharmaceutical powders – equivalent to adding less than a spoonful of sugar uniformly to coffee over 30 minutes. The technology meets a clear need reaffirmed by end-users in CMAC’s network of Tier 1 pharma partners. This project will advance the current proof-of-concept prototype (TRL 3) into a working system (TRL 6) with industrial operational relevance ready for commercialisation through advancing the design, equipping it with an advanced control system, and showcasing and disseminating the value of the innovative micro-feeder.

We are currently seeking applicants for a Senior Project Engineer based at the University of Strathclyde. This is a unique opportunity to help realise the next generation of a micro-scale pharmaceutical manufacturing technology with exceptional potential to have real impact in the industry. You will have a Degree in a relevant subject (Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, Pharmaceutical Sciences or related discipline) with appropriate experience in designing, developing and/or operating process technologies.

You must have excellent verbal and written communications skills and be able to work as a member of a research team. You should be able to manage your own activities and prioritise your own workload within agreed objectives to ensure that all activities are completed to deadlines.

informal enquiries about the post can be directed to Dr Daniel Markl, PI (daniel.markl@strath.ac.uk)

Formal interviews for this post will take place in November 2023.

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