Research Theme: Materials and Surface Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and the Environment

Deadline: Applications will be accepted at any time until the position is filled.

Pharmacies hold vast stocks of tablets and expend a considerable amount of time measuring and dispensing doses – often cutting up pills. Patients in aged populations could take up to 20 different medications and it is a tough task to remember the dosage of each medication. Imagine a world where a pill could be printed on demand from its constituents, potentially combining different treatments into a single dose and tailoring that dose to the body mass, metabolic rate, etc of the patient. So, if one could print pharmaceuticals on demand, then it would in theory be possible to acquire ones personal medicine in a manner similar to ordering a fast-food meal!

This PhD work will develop a number of powder-based 3D printers designed to mix and dispense combinations of materials and binders necessary for the production of a ‘tablet’ to be used for pharmaceutical purposes. The work will have three main aspects: designing and constructing printing devices; coupling these devices to upstream processes, such as crystallisation; and analysis of the composition of the printed products to assess homogeneity and integrity.

The project is funded for 3/4 years and welcomes applicants from the UK and EU who have or expect to obtain at least an upper second class degree in Mechanical Engineering or general engineering. Funding will cover EU/UK fees and a stipend at current research council rates of £ 13,863 per annum. Overseas applicants need to cover the fees difference.

General enquiries should be made to Associate Professor Shoufeng Yang at s.yang@soton.ac.uk, Tel: +44 (0) 2380 59 8697, or Associate Professor Simon Coles at S.J.Coles@soton.ac.uk. Any queries on the application process should be made to

Applications will be considered in the order that they are received, and the position will be considered filled when a suitable candidate has been identified