About the Project
Crystallization, a key separation and purification unit operation in the pharmaceutical industry, involves downstream processing steps to isolate the material before final formulation. These steps include solid-liquid separation via filtration, cake washing to displace residual mother liquor, and cake drying using heated gas and agitation to prevent agglomeration. While crystallization governs particle size and shape distributions (PSSDs), subsequent filtration and agitated filter drying (AFD)…
determine product quality, bulk handling characteristics, and chemical purity. Despite extensive research, these unit operations have been investigated in isolation, overlooking inter-unit dependencies. Recently, we have addressed part of this shortcoming, particularly in the filtration step. The developed experimental strategies and predictive models are currently being trialed at a major pharmaceutical company.
Building upon our previous successes with the filtration step, in this proposed project we will advance our understanding of the drying step. We will develop a computational tool to predict the drying of particle ensembles within an agitated filter dryer (AFD). AFD involves coupled, multi-physical transport phenomena occurring simultaneously, including convective solvent evaporation, localized thermal gradients, mechanical shear-induced particle attrition, and capillary-driven agglomeration, among others. The current lack of mechanistic models capturing this coupled interplay forces the pharmaceutical industry to rely heavily on empirical, trial-and-error recipe development, which leads to sub-optimal manufacturing pipeline contributing to higher manufacturing costs and poor sustainability metrics.
The primary deliverable of the project is an open-source, fully documented, and experimentally validated agitated drying simulation package integrated into a particle dynamics simulator (MercuryDPM) developed by one of the the co-supervisors. This integration ensures long-term sustainability and wider impact. In addition, the project will lead to publications in high impact journals. The project provides a comprehensive end-to-end unified digital process development pipeline, which upon adoption by pharmaceutical manufacturers will lead to faster drug development timelines and shorter time-to-market.
What you will gain
- Supervision by three experienced academics (two from Chemical Engineering – Dr. Rajagopalan and Prof. Niasar and one from Mathematics – Prof. Thornton)
- Access to world-class university labs
- Strong publication and presentation opportunities
- Industrially relevant research experience and not just academic training
- Exposure to industrial partners (AstraZeneca, Bayer, MSD, etc.) through projects undertaken in the research group
- Skills in process design, optimization, scale-up, and regulatory compliance
- A realistic, high-probability pathway into an academic or industry career after graduation
This project is expected to start in September 2027.
Before you apply: We strongly recommend that you contact the supervisors for this project before you apply.
How to apply: To be considered for this project you must complete a formal application through our online application portal. If you already have an applicant account this link will directly open an application for PhD School of Engineering Scholarships. If you don’t already have an applicant account, please follow the instructions here.
When applying, please specify the full title and supervisor/s of the project, details of your previous study, and names and contact details of two referees. You must also upload a Supporting Statement describing the motivation to apply to the project, your CV and transcripts of awarded and in-progress university qualifications. Please note late or incomplete applications will not be considered.
Equality, diversity and inclusion are fundamental to the success of The University of Manchester and central to all our activities. A diverse research community strengthens creativity, productivity and quality, while increasing the societal and economic impact of our work. We welcome applicants from all career paths, backgrounds and sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation or transgender status.
We welcome applications from candidates returning to study after a career break or experience in other roles. Flexible study arrangements may be available, including part-time study at 50%, 60% or 80%, subject to the requirements of the project and funder.
Eligibility: The standard academic entry requirement for this PhD is an upper second-class (2:1) honours degree (or international equivalent) in Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering OR any upper-second class (2:1) honours degree and a Master’s degree at merit (or international equivalent) in Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering.
This project will remain open until filled.
If your application is submitted by 1st November 2026, you can expect a decision by 18th December 2026.
If your application is submitted by 15th January 2027, you can expect a decision by 30th March 2027.
Self or externally funded students can also be considered for this project.
FSE_SoE
Funding Notes
Funding for this project covers tuition fees, UKRI minimum annual stipend (currently £21,805/annum) and up to a £2.5k/annum research training support grant for the full duration of the 3.5-year programme.