Reader in Pharmaceutical Analysis
I have a my wide experience of industry, research and professional activities in all aspects of pharmaceutical science. My main current focus is to continue to bring this to bear in my undergraduate and postgraduate pharmaceutical science teaching and to re-focus my research back to core separation science for pharmaceuticals.
I am Programme Leader for MSc Drug Discovery and Development and conduct research through supervising seven PhD students and regularly running multiple MSc projects.
Teaching and supervision
I was very closely associated with the University’s highly regarded BSc Chemical and Pharmaceutical Science course. During a period of ‘modernisation’ of teaching provision, I played a major role in the continuation of pharmaceutical sciences at undergraduate level through BSc (Hons) Biopharmaceutical Sciences and designed and subsequently led MSc Drug Discovery and Development.
While my main area of expertise is separation science and its applications in pharmaceutical R&D, I also teach several courses on pharmaceutical R&D, its regulation, and all aspects of pharmaceutical analysis. Every year, I supervise group mini-projects and ten individual student projects.
I have successfully supervised 31 PhD students, 21 as the principal supervisor.
Research interests for potential research students
I am currently seeking funding for projects on the application of modern LC to the routine QC lab and on the development of extreme selectivity to enhance modern LC. I would be more than willing to supervise self-funding students wishing to research in these areas.
Research
As befits a pharmaceutical analyst who has worked in industrial and academic environments, I have been involved in a diverse range of projects ranging from looking at the binding of metal ions to proteins to discovering new drugs in rat urine to preparative separation of enantiomers of novel psychoactive substances.
While I retain an interest in the isolation of active constituents from medical plants and related topics, my current research focus is on the application of modern LC to the routine QC lab and the development of extreme selectivity to enhance modern LC.
My teaching and research activities reflect my areas of expertise. However, my principal interest is in the application of modern liquid chromatography to the analysis of drugs. Within this, chiral separations have always been a continuing interest.
Over and above my extensive teaching and associated administrative duties, I have found time for >80 research publications, >100 invited external presentations, 31 successful PhD supervision, and editing or co-editing 5 books (“Chiral Liquid Chromatography”, Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Applications of Liquid Chromatography”, HPLC: Fundamental Principles and Practices”, “Chirality in the Natural and Applied Sciences” and “Drug Stereochemistry (3rd edition)”).
I have obtained £750K in external research funding and made contributions to successful departmental funding bids in excess of £2 million. I am a longstanding member of The Chromatographic Society (President, 2007–2009) and the British Pharmacopoeia Expert Advisory Group (MC1).
I have delivered short courses nationally and internationally (Canada, USA, Brazil, India), consulted widely in the UK and on chiral patent cases in North America, chaired the 8th International Symposium on Chiral Discrimination, and served on seven other international symposium committees (also Secretary, Permanent Scientific Committee, International Symposium on Chromatography (2010–2016). I have served on editorial advisory boards for four international journals and currently referee for ten journals.