PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences in UK | Doctorate in pharmacy, pharmacology and medicines optimisation

At the University of Brighton, UK, we welcome approaches for research degree PhD study across the broad scope of pharmaceutical sciences, through which we promote applied and impactful research into how medicines work, how they cause harm, and how they can be used more safely and effectively. 

Our staff base includes committee members of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences and we are co-founders of SIMER, the Sussex Institute for Medical Education and Research. Our supervisory offer draws on experts from the University of Brighton together with the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) to optimise your learning journey through to research publication and the real-world application of pharmaceutical research. 

Our diverse research aims to tackle global problems using multidisciplinary research approaches, with ongoing research projects covering:

• The science of medicines: using pharmaceutical science research expertise and techniques to increase our understanding of medicines including disciplinary specialism across pharmacokinetics, pharmacology and microbiology, pharmaceutical formulation, clinical bioanalysis, pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics.
• The clinical use of medicines: examining human behaviours and psychology in the context of medicines' use, health and disease. with publications that include behavioural medicine, health psychology, and paediatrics.
• Medicines-related education, training and support: Identifying and testing new approaches to educate and assess the current and future workforce with regards to pharmaceutical practices and medicines optimisation research.

Our PhD research scientists are fully embedded with our School of Applied Sciences with opportunities to interconnect with researchers across the biological, biomedical, chemical and pharmaceutical sciences co-located in the Cockcroft and Huxley Buildings. This allows experts in numerous fields of research to collaborate on projects both within their disciplines and in truly cross-disciplinary research. 

Our research teams in the school work towards applied medical research across cell biology, molecular biology, bone, tendon and muscle imaging and drug discovery that helps the systematic evaluation of disease processes at molecular cellular tissue and systematic levels.

Doctoral research projects can encompass, for example, the use of electrochemistry in biomedical research, bacterial responses to biomaterials, genomic analysis of gut microflora through to computational modelling of drug delivery systems, digital health innovation for pharmacists, and carbon capture by inorganic complexes.

Other indicative areas of pharmaceutical research include:

• pharmacokietics (the study of how the body deals with drug molecules over time)
• pharmacodynamics (how drugs interact with the body)
• pharmacogenetics (how our genes influence drug response and disposition). 
• nanoparticle and polymer drug delivery systems
• photo-dynamic nanoparticle therapy for cancer treatment
• nanotechnology for pharmaceutical, medical and food packaging
• complex fluids, ionic liquids and liquid crystals
• patents on drug delivery and formulation
• vaccines, particulate drug delivery systems and nanoencapsulation techniques
• intercellular communication 
• neuropharmacology
• biopharmaceutics, bioavailability and modelling of drugs 
• toxicology and cellular toxicity
• bioavailability of inhaled drugs 
• drugs in sport, sexual health and substance misuse
• intersection between psychology and medicines use
• prescribing methods and skills 

Research supervision for your PhD programme

You will benefit from research supervision comprising two or maximum three members of academic staff. Depending on your research specialism one of those supervisors may be from another school, another research institution, or an external partner from pharmaceutical industries, drug delivery professionals or the wider healthcare practices. 

You will identify your potential supervisor from the early stages of application and they will usually then support you throughout your programme of study, helping you carry out your research interests, guiding your learning of rigorous research methods and preparing you for the next stage of your career.

You should consider the staff listed below and contact one of them with a short draft research proposal identifying your suitability for supervision from that person's research specialism. 

Research skills and research training

The independent research programme is balanced and enhanced with a range of support from our academic community. You and your fellow postgraduate researchers will have the opportunity to attend and present at regular seminar sessions with guests from across the world of applied health science. 

There are opportunities to develop skills towards your PhD and prepare for life beyond it. These might include writing skills and project management, digital storytelling, bid writing or developing a public profile. Read more about our doctoral training provision.

As a member of the Brighton Doctoral College, you will benefit from regular opportunities on a training programme designed to support postgraduate researchers at all stages of the PhD and help them achieve their career goals. Attendance at appropriate workshops within this programme is encouraged, as is contribution to the various seminar series hosted by the schools and the annual Postgraduate Research Festival. Academic and technical staff also provide more subject-specific training.

Postgraduate degree resources for pharmaceutical sciences

You will benefit from access to international research resources, including a contemporary range of electronic resources via the university’s Online Library, as well as the physical book and journal collections housed within campus libraries. The library services are connected to national and international collections and students also have the option of inter-library loans.

You will have access to state-of-the-art research facilities on the Moulsecoomb Campus, including biochemical laboratories, microscopy laboratories, a dedicated imaging suite with optical and scanning electron microscopes, the Brighton integrated genomics facility and cell culture facilities.

Research Excellence Framework (REF)

Our researchers are internationally recognised with their research making a significant contribution to the latest UK government research assessment exercise (REF 2021): 80 per cent of our research outputs, 89 per cent of our impact and 100 per cent of our environment were classified as either internationally excellent or world leading. 

Research centres 

The University of Brighton has a system of research centres and groups, Centres of Research and Knowledge Exchange Excellence (COREs) and Research Excellence Groups (REGs) which allow researchers across the university to share work-in-progress, come together to plan future developments in research, and invite external researchers and biomedical professionals to present and meet.

Our PhD students across biomedical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, pharmacy, medicines optimisation and biomaterials are usually members of one or both of:

Centre for Lifelong Health

The research Centre for Lifelong Health is proud of its multi- interdisciplinary approach to understanding the mechanisms underlying the initiation and progression of a range of diseases/disorders and the influence that the natural ageing process has on these conditions. Our scientists consider how a range of stressors (psychological, xenobiotic, oxidative and mechanical) have on the initiation and progression of age-related disease and supports work into the mechanisms and prevention of disease as well as medicines and their use and integrated technologies.

Centre for Regenerative Medicines and Devices

The research Centre for Regenerative Medicines and Devices focuses on scientific knowledge, diagnostics and treatments based on tissue repair across priority areas in neurodegenerative diseases and sensory dysfunctions, diabetes, wound healing, cardiovascular diseases and musculoskeletal diseases.

There are also a number of smaller-scale Research Excellence Groups that our PhD biomedical science researchers have joined and benefitted from:

• Applied Chemical Sciences Research Excellence Group
• Care, Health and Emotional Wellbeing Research Excellence Group
• Public Health and Health Conditions Research Excellence Group

Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS)

Our supervision in all medical sciences is in close collaboration with colleagues at Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS). Supervisory teams can and often do include members of BSMS. Applications from those primarily supervised through BSMS still apply to the University of Brighton, while PhD and MD students at BSMS are awarded a joint degree from the University of Sussex and the University of Brighton. Research at BSMS spans basic science through to clinical projects, medical ethics and social science, offering a wide and exciting range of possibilities for postgraduate students.

We strongly recommend that you apply with the support of one of our academics. By establishing your supervisor from the early stages of application, you will be supported through the application process and can make the best start to your programme of study.

You should consider the staff listed below, select a researcher to approach and create a short draft research proposal, identifying your suitability for supervision from that person's research specialism and your place in the wider context of the department's research ambitions. Their contact details are available on their full profile.

Our primary staff supervising in the discipline are listed. For further information on university supervisory staff, including cross-disciplinary options, please visit research staff on our research website.

You might also like to consider staff at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS).

Dr Lara Barnes

I am currently part of the supervisory team for the following PhD projects

- Studying in vivo protein-protein interaction involved in colicin’s entry and activity in Escherichia coli cells using in-cell NMR

- Eco-friendly functionalisation of cellulose-based textiles with antimicrobial nanoparticles

I have supervised the following PhD projects to completion as lead or secondary/tertiary supervisor

- Elucidation of mechanisms required for the pathogenesis of Proteus mirabilis in the catheterized urinary tract through large scale random transposon mutagenesis

- Bacteriophages as a potential treatment for Pseudomonas aeruginosa mediated chest infections in cystic fibrosis patients

- Antimicrobial bioadhesive polymer complexes for the oral cavity

I am interested in further projects in the areas of biofilms, antimicrobial nanomaterials, bacteriophage therapy, alternative antimicrobial strategies.

Dr Graham Davies

Dr Laura Hunt

Laura is co-supervising a PhD student, Sarah Becker, studying the effects of psychological stress and glucocorticoid signalling on endometrial cancer.

Dr Joao Inacio Silva

I am happy to collaborate in projects and supervise post-graduate students in the broad field of medical and pharmaceutical microbiology, with a particular emphasis for projects involving clinically-relevant fungi and involving other healthcare-associated and non-academic industrial partners.

Dr Alison Lansley

I am interested the in the absorption of drugs and particulates (including air pollution) in the nose and lung and their effect on permeability (cell junctions).  A particular interest is the role of mucus and mucociliary clearance in drug/particulate delivery to the airways. Further, I am interested in the local toxicity of inhaled compounds and I have extended this to studying the health implications of treated water using cell-based assays. I have supervised 11 successful PhD students and five postdoctoral scientists.

Current projects available for supervision include: 

1. The delivery of drugs and particles to the nose and lungs, particularly the use of in vivo-reflective in vitro cell culture models of the airway epithelium (PhD/MRes) https://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S0939-6411(21)00202-2

2. The role mucus and mucociliary clearance plays in drug and particulate delivery to the nose and lungs. (PhD)

3. Use of powders to deliver drugs to the nasal cavity (PhD/MRes)

4. The role of mucus in biopharmaceutical models of the nose (absorption and biocompatibility) (PhD)

5. The use of high-speed imaging to study the role of mucus on the deposition behaviour of droplets and particles in the nasal cavity (PhD)

6. Determining the impact of ultra-fine particulate air pollution (UFPs) on mucus secretion, ciliary activity and epithelial permeability in the young and ageing lung. Do UFPs accelerate lung ageing? (PhD/MRes)

Prof Bhavik Patel

My supervisory interests are:

• Development of composite electrodes for bioanalytical monitoring;
• Exploring the signalling mechanisms of the bowel and bladder epithelium
• Development of innovative e-learning tools

Dr Dipak Sarker

My  research and supervisory interests cover materials science and nanotechnology (colloids) related subjects. These traverse synthetic inorganic chemistry (PhD - Gennaro Dichello; Dr Penko Nikolov; Dr Krassimir Genov), carbon nanotubes (PhD - Evgeniya Seliverstova), nanoparticle and gel-based drug delivery systems (PhD - Shaimaa Shagarki; PhD- Kais Shaban; PhD - Othman Al-Hanbali; PhD - Atia Naseem), nanoparticle sensor systems (Dr Yunlong Xu; Dr Samaa Salem) nanoparticle food systems (PhD - Carla DiMattia), nanoparticle biophysics systems (PhD - Georgi Georgiev) and specialist analytical techniques (Dr Karl Pavey; Dr David Howbrook). The materials science aspects (physics and engineering) of medical materials and waste have formed the basis of recent work (Dr Charis Nathan). I routinely supervise Post-doctoral study, PhD's, Masters degree students, Erasmus students and industrially-linked researcher project work in the following areas:

• Materials science - materials chemistry, polymer sciences (plastics and bioplastics), materials physics (photonics, plasmonics), mechanics and texture, design and device engineering
• Nanotechnology - novel materials, fullerenes and graphene, micro- and nanoanalytics, sensing and diagnostic systems and applications
• Condensed matter physics - complex fluids, wetting and detergency, dispersions (emulsions, foams, bubbles, droplets, gels), colloids (vesicles, micelles, nanobeads, SLNs), liquid crystals, rheology
• Drug delivery system design - nanoparticle and coarse dispersion based systems
• Sustainability and 3R's approaches (reduce, replace, recycle)
• Materials specifically for food products and medical applications
• Analytical chemistry and the theoretical basis for measurement science - physical sciences
• Recycling and re-assignment of 'waste' materials
• Packaging materials use and design
• Composite materials and civil engineering construction materials
• Environmental pollution and contamination with plastics (microplastics, nanoplastics) and plastic additives in addition to suspended and dissolved organic and inorganic pollutants
• Mathematical modelling and simulation of real-world events 
• Industrial process improvement, quality control and quality assurance

 Status: Approved post-graduate supervisor/examiner from the Brighton Doctoral College: renewed 29/03/2023 Past and present PhD students from 2001PresentSertan Kiziloz (2023- )Optimising host response biology to advance wound dressing efficacy

James Parmar

(2023-)

Encapsulation of Cannabinoids in Nanoparticles for use as Anti-infective Therapeutics

Tianyi Liu (2023-)

Stimuli-responsive 'smart' materials for textiles and other applications [School of Art and Media]

Kinza Tahir (2021-2024)

Commonwealth Scholarship (part undertaken with DKS at Brighton, part undertaken with partner institution Quaid-i-Azam University, Pakistan): Metal nanoparticles for direct use in improving crop production

Completed PhD's (UK)

Shima Khezri Azizi Far (2020-2025)

Responsive vesicular systems based on incorporated metallic nanoparticles

 Gennaro Dichello (2012-2018)

Targeting of brain tumours with photo-dynamic therapy using liposomes and encapsulated metal nanoparticles

Kais Shaban (2014-2018)Levothyroxine drug stability and formulation in fast-dissolving oral filmsShaimaa Shakargi (2014-2018)Synthesis and therapeutic use of environmentally-sensitive polymeric micelles for drug deliveryCristina Boscariol (2015-2019)The physics of impacting droplets on model solid surfaces Othman Al-Hanbali (2004-2008)A novel assay for block co-polymer non-ionic surfactants used in nanoparticle surface engineering Atia Naseem (2000-2003)Approaches to enhancing the dissolution rate of poorly soluble drugs 

Completed PhD students at Overseas Institutions

Evgeniya Seliverstova (2011-2014) [Kazakhstan]

Energy transfer mechanisms and the photo-optical effects of fluorophore-conjugated graphene

Carla Di Mattia (2005-2009) [Italy]

Photo-oxidative changes in protein-stabilised olive oil emulsions 

Georgi As. Georgiev (2005-2008) [Bulgaria]

Phase transitions in striated foam films as models of cells membranes

  Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) research project supervisions 2002-2005 - Dr David HowbrookModification of diagnostic plastics: ABgene Technologies (3 years funded project)2002-2005: Anne Van der ValkModification of diagnostic plastics: ABgene Technologies (3 years funded project)

2017-2018: Joshua Fennell

[early termination of project]

Phase change materials: ValetPro (3 years funded project)

2018-2020: Dr Chibi Takaya

[project paused to be ressumed]

Waste re-assignment - absorbent clinical waste: Medisort (3 years funded project)

2019-2020: Emma Hookham

[early termination of project]

Plasma vapour depostion of metallic materials (2 years funded project)

2021-2022: Felicity Boyce

[resumed Medisort project]

Waste re-assignment - absorbent clinical waste: Medisort (3 years funded project) 

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Dr Greg Scutt

I currently supervise PhD, MSc and undergraduate MPharm students.  The projects that my research students are studying include: investigating the mechanisms through which a common drug used to treat schizophrenia can lead to diabetes, the extent to which a new drug used to treat prostate cancer (enzalutamide) interacts with a drug used to prevent the blood from clotting, using genetics to predict patients that are at a high risk of developing an adverse drug reaction.  I supervise projects where data collection occurs in both the laboratory and the patient facing enviroment.  I am very interested in supervising students studing a range of research topics in both the laboratory, the clinic and using computer simulations, particulalry in the area of ageing, pharmacokietics (the study of how the body deals with drug molecules over time) and pharmacodynamics (how drugs interact with the body), and pharmacogenetics (how our genes influence drug response and disposition). 

Dr Sian Williams

My research and supervisory interests primarily lie in the intersection between psychology and medicines use. I am particularly interested in projects that look at factors associated with non-adherence to medication and treatment regimes. I have a particular interest in supervising practitioners who wish to pursue a research path and have been succesfully involved in the supervisory teams of 4 such PhD projects (including 1 as lead supervisor). Other supervisory and research interests include investigtaing the role of positive emotions in health outcomes and assessment of medical and pharmaceutical skills. 

Prof Mark Yeoman

My research is interested in how age-related changes in serotonergic signalling pathways contributes to dementia, age-related motor dysfunction and faecal incontinence. My groups work uses a systems biology approach to study the effects of increased age on the release of serotonin from both central neurons and peripheral enterochromaffin cells and through the use of a range of functional assays explores how these changes link with impairments in learning and memory, motor and bowel function.