Rate My Professor Ira Buckner

Ira S. Buckner, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and Director of Assessment in the School of Pharmacy at Duquesne University, specializing in Pharmaceutics. He earned his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics from the University of Iowa in 2008, where his dissertation work under Dr. Dale Eric Wurster focused on compression calorimetry. Buckner holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Illinois State University, awarded in 1999. Prior to his faculty position, he worked in preformulation at Abbott Laboratories and Eli Lilly and Company, gaining hands-on experience in pharmaceutical development.

Buckner has diverse scientific interests in solid-state and physical chemistry as they relate to pharmaceuticals. Ongoing projects in his laboratory focus on understanding the varied ways in which pharmaceutical solids respond to mechanical energy during processing. His research areas include mechanical characterization relevant to pharmaceutical powder compaction, interactive mixing, and processing-induced instability. He has contributed key publications to the field, including Roopwani, R., Buckner, I. S. (2011). Understanding Deformation Mechanisms During Powder Compaction Using Principal Component Analysis of Compression Data. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 418(2): 227-234; Fu, S., Thacker, A., Sperger, D. M., Boni, R. L., Buckner, I. S., Velankar, S., Munson, E. J., Block, L. H. (2011). Relevance of Rheological Properties of Sodium Alginate in Solution to Calcium Alginate Gel Properties. AAPS PharmSciTech, 12(2): 453-460; Buckner, I. S., Friedman, R. A., Wurster, D. E. (2010). Using Compression Calorimetry to Characterize Powder Compaction Behaviour of Pharmaceutical Materials. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 99: 861-870; Buckner, I. S., Wurster, D. E., Aburub, A. (2010). Interpreting Deformation Behavior in Pharmaceutical Materials Using Multiple Consolidation Models and Compaction Energetics. Pharmaceutical Development and Technology, 15: 492-499; Moore, M. D., Steinbach, A. M., Buckner, I. S., Wildfong, P. L. D. (2009). A Structural Investigation into the Compaction Behaviour of Pharmaceutical Composites Using Powder X-ray Diffraction and Total Scattering Analysis. Pharmaceutical Research, 26: 2429-2437; Stewart, A. L., Buckner, I. S., Wildfong, P. L. D. (2011). A Shared Assignment to Integrate Pharmaceutics and Pharmacy Practice Course Concepts. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 75(3): 44. Buckner teaches graduate-level courses such as GPSC 501 Manufacturing Pharmacy, GPSC 502 Pharmaceutical Formulation Development, GPSC 503 Pharmaceutical Unit Operations and Formulation, GPSC 513 Principles of Drug Action, Design and Delivery, and GPSC 518 Fundamentals of Pharmaceutical Solids. He also serves on graduate student committees in the Pharmaceutics program.