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Biography
I qualified as a Pharmacist, graduating top of my year with First Class Honours and gained my PhD from the Chelsea School of Pharmacy (now Kings College) under the supervision of Mike Newton. After a year at the Manchester School of Pharmacy covering John Fell's sabbatical leave in 1984, I was appointed to a lectureship at Nottingham in 1985. I was promoted to Reader in 1991 and then to a personal Chair in 1996. During this period, I was also Head of Life, Health & Agricultural Sciences Division, Graduate School (1995-97). I was Head of School of Pharmacy from 2000 - 3.
I am the cofounder (with Saul Tendler) and until Jan 2008, was Head of the Laboratory of Biophysics and Surface Analysis (LBSA), a Research Division of the School of Pharmacy, (www.nottingham.ac.uk/lbsa). The LBSA has an international leading reputation and track record in scanning probe microscopy and surface chemical analysis of pharmaceuticals, polymers and biomaterials. The LBSA remain the only grouping to receive the GlaxoSmithKline International Achievement Award (2003), given for "internationally recognized work on drug delivery and new techniques for surface and interface analysis". I have been involved with the formation of a number of University spin-out companies and I am the co-founder and Chairman of a successful spin-out from the LBSA, Molecular Profiles Ltd (www.molprofiles.com) which was awarded the Queens Award for Enterprise in the category of Innovation in 2007 and 2011.
I was the President (2011-12) and Scientific Secretary of the CRS (2001-7). I have organised numerous international scientific conferences and am on the editorial boards of 6 science journals. I am a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, American Institute of Biological Engineering, UK Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, The Controlled Release Society and Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. I have published over 380 scientific papers and trained over 100 postdoctoral and postgraduate workers many of whom have successfully pursued careers in the pharmaceutical industry and over 20 have become university academics at leading international Universities.
Research Summary
My research interests focus on the study of the surface properties of biomolecular assemblies, advanced delivery systems and new generation biomaterials. Surface nanoengineering and the self-assembly… read more
Current Research
My research interests focus on the study of the surface properties of biomolecular assemblies, advanced delivery systems and new generation biomaterials. Surface nanoengineering and the self-assembly of surfaces are also an interest as is the development and characterisation of drug delivery systems. My work has involved the application of range of advanced surface analytical technique such as to define the surface properties, functionality and performance of biomolecular, pharmaceutical and biomaterial systems.
Recent studies include the development, with Morgan Alexander, of the first high throughput surface chemical analysis approach for polymer arrays which is being applied to screen biomaterial - stem cell interactions as part of BBSRC & EPSRC funded projects undertaken in collaboration with Bob Langer and Dan Anderson at MIT and Chris Denning and Lorraine Young that has been published in Nature Materials, Biomaterials and PNAS. This activity has lead to the award of a £1.3M translation award from the Wellcome Trust with the additional collaborator, Prof Paul Williams from IIII that is published in Nature Biotechnology. The first application of gentle-SIMS to pharmaceutical systems is being undertaken in collaboration with Ian Gilmore (BBSRC) at the National Physical Laboratory. Pharmaceutical nanotechnology studies (in collaboration with Clive Roberts) include the measurement of the forces of adhesion and friction of pharmaceutical powders (BBSRC with 3M), the micro- and nano-structure of solid dispersions (J & J) and drug loaded polymer stents (Abbott).
In my academic career, I have published over 380 scientific papers and supervised over 60 PhD students and mentored over 30 postdoctoral fellows, many of whom are now in senior positions within the pharmaceutical industry and 20 have been appointed to academic positions within leading international research Universities.
Memberships of Committees and Professional Bodies • Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, Royal Society of Chemistry, UK Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, American Association of Biological Engineering, and the Controlled Release Society • President (2011-12), Scientific Secretary (2001-7), Board Member (2009-13), the Controlled Release Society • Member of the Editorial Boards of Journal of Controlled Release, Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, Drug Delivery and Translational Research. • Member of American Chemical Society, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists • Member, EPSRC Peer Review College