PhD Title: A Drug Delivery Challenge: Cracking the Code of Mass Transport in Disordered Systems

PhD Supervisor: Gabriele Sosso

Background:

I am a first year student at the CDT for Modelling Heterogenous Systems (HetSys). I am focusing on drug delivery and mass transport in complex biological systems. In particular, I am looking into Amorphous Solid Dispersions (ASDs). ASDs have attracted attention over the last few decades due to their ability to promote increased oral bioavailability. Despite this, poorly water soluble drugs constitute to a very large proportion of pharmaceuticals in development. This stems from the fundamental problem that ASDs are thermodynamically unstable, and so great care must be taken when manufacturing them and storing them. My current interest in ASDs lies in the concept of a sustained release ASD, which I believe to be the future of drug delivery. This is due to their ability to administer strong and addictive painkillers in a controlled fashion, that has the potential to reduce the risk of addiction.

Before joining the HetSys CDT, I attained a Master's degree in Mathematics and Physics with a First Class (with Honours) at the University of Warwick. My dissertation focused on two things: bacterial chemotaxis in different system geometries and the removal of biologically disadvantaged stagnation points produced in the flow generated by pusher class squirmers. This project was supervised by Professor Matthew Turner, with whom I have unwavering respect for as an academic and as a person. It is because of him I developed a strong interest in biological physics.

My other interests include (but are not limited to):

• Transport processes
• Statistical mechanics
• Epidemiology