University College Dublin
PhD student
Position
Extremophilic ω-transaminases for synthetic applications
Project title/area
€18,000 stipend + full fees per annum for 4 years
Salary scale
Dr. Francesca Paradisi (francesca.paradisi@ucd.ie)
Supervisor
contact details
Sept 2015
Potential start
date
Expertise required and tasks to be undertaken
A PhD student will work under the supervision of Dr F. Paradisi (UCD) on platform project
P2 (WP2). This student should ideally have a B.Sc. in Chemistry/Chemical Biology,
Biotechnology or Biochemistry. The student will clone the two selected -transaminases
from Haloferax volcanii and Halomonas elongata into suitable vectors contain an Nterminus His-tag for amplification into H. volacanii and E. coli respectively. Both enzymes
will be expressed and purified by Ni-affinity chromatography. Enzymes will be fully
characterized for kinetic parameters, substrate specificity, salt requirements, solvent
tolerance, optimal working conditions and stability. The enzymes will be screened for
crystallisation and the students will be trained in these techniques. The student will generate
a library for both enzymes via random mutagenesis (MEGAWHOP) aiming for a high
degree of mutations. Each library will be screened for selectivity towards ketones (vs
aldehydes) using a reporting system and it will be performed in 96 well plates with UV
spectroscopy. Enatioselectivity will be also evaluated. The best mutants will then be
sequenced, purified and characterised.
PhD student
Position
Enantioselective cascade to polycyclic heterocycles
Project title/area
€18,000 stipend + full fees per annum for 4 years
Salary scale
Prof. Patrick Guiry (patrick.guiry@ucd.ie)
Supervisor
contact details
Sept 2015
Potential start
date
Expertise required and tasks to be undertaken
A PhD student will work under the supervision of Prof. P. Guiry (UCD) on targeted project
T3 (WP3). This student will have an Honours B.Sc. in Chemistry or a Medicinal Chemistry.
The student will undertake tasks associated with WP3 which is concerned with the
development of an enantioselective cascade approach to polycyclic heterocycles. A study of
Zn and Cu as the transition metals and a range of variously substituted bisoxazoline ligands
will be undertaken to optimise enantioselectivity (and diastereoselectivity in the Michael
addition) and subsequent enolate quench to diastereoselectively generate the final two of
five contiguous chiral centres. The possibility of developing an organocatalytic approach
will also be investigated. Ultimately we aim to use this methodology to prepare a range of
novel ergot alkaloids with exciting potential biological activity. Purification of compounds
will be performed using distillation, recrystallisation and column chromatography. New
material will be characterised using the full range of modern spectroscopic techniques
(especially NMR spectroscopy) and mass spectrometry. The products of catalysis in turn
will also be analysed in this manner, in addition to chiral GC, HPLC and UPLC for % ee
www.sspc.ie
determination and NMR for % de determination.
PhD student
Position
Controlling reactivity and product formation in API-like processes
Project title/area
€18,000 stipend + full fees per annum for 4 years
Salary scale
Prof. Brian Glennon (brian.glennon@ucd.ie)
Supervisor
contact details
Sept 2015
Potential start
date
Expertise required and tasks to be undertaken
A PhD student will work under the supervision of Prof. B. Glennon (UCD) on targeted
project LT1 (WP2). This student should ideally have a B.E. in Chemical Engineering or
related discipline and will work on the development of kinetic models to describe catalytic
reactions in API processes. The student will use a standard reaction work-station to collect
the necessary kinetic data, using in-line tools such as FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, in
addition to standard off-line analysis to determine the necessary process trajectory
information, including side-product and impurity formation, to facilitate process model
development. The student will collaborate with the chemistry PhD students working on
WP2 to design and implement the necessary experimental design plan to successfully
determine the appropriate kinetic data and to develop a suitable process model. The student
will further collaborate with the control system group working on WP1 and WP2 to assist in
the study of model-predictive control applications in API process control.
PhD student
Position
Crystal Growth Studies
Project title/area
€18,000 stipend + full fees per annum for 4 years
Salary scale
Prof. Brian Glennon (brian.glennon@ucd.ie)
Supervisor
contact details
Sept 2015
Potential start
date
Expertise required and tasks to be undertaken
A PhD student will work under the supervision of Prof. B. Glennon (UCD) on platform
project P5 (WP3). This student should ideally have a B.E. in Chemical Engineering or
related discipline and will work on the development of crystal growth models to describe
growth behaviour in batch crystallisation. The student will use a standard crystallisation
work-station to collect the necessary kinetic data. Specific areas of interest are the impact of
temperature, solvent matrix, surface properties and seed form on kinetic parameters. Tools
available include FBRM, FTIR spectroscopy, in-process PVM, SEM, HPLC and laser
diffraction size analyser. In addition, the impact of the hydrodynamic flow field will be
assessed.
www.sspc.ie
PhD student
Position
Crystallisation Process Modelling and Design
Project title/area
€18,000 stipend + full fees per annum for 4 years
Salary scale
Prof. Brian Glennon (brian.glennon@ucd.ie)
Supervisor
contact details
Sept 2015
Potential start
date
Expertise required and tasks to be undertaken
A PhD student will work under the supervision of Prof. B. Glennon (UCD) on platform
project P6 (WP5). This student should ideally have a B.E. in Pharmaceutical Engineering or
related discipline and will work on the development of integrated processes for combined
isolation and formulation. The use of continuous processing and process modelling will be
investigated as tools to deliver improved process performance. The student will be expected
to develop both the experimental platform and the associated process modelling capability to
successfully integrate this work with the other associated work packages. A range of
experimental equipment, an engineering workshop and PAT monitoring systems are
available for use in the project, along with the associated process engineering modelling
software packages.
PhD student
Position
Process Crystallisation for Size Control
Project title/area
€18,000 stipend + full fees per annum for 4 years
Salary scale
Prof. Brian Glennon (brian.glennon@ucd.ie)
Supervisor
contact details
Sept 2015
Potential start
date
Expertise required and tasks to be undertaken
A PhD student will work under the supervision of Prof. B. Glennon (UCD) on targeted
project LT2 (WP1). This student should ideally have a B.E. in Chemical Engineering or
related discipline and will work on the development of technologies and the associated
methods to deliver specific API characteristics. The student will focus on methods for the
delivery of specific size, form and shape. Batch, semi-batch and continuous crystallisation
methods will be investigated, in addition to wet milling. The scalability of the methods will
be investigated. This student will work with students on Platform projects P4 and P5 to
investigate the impact of both thermodynamics and kinetics on the chosen size control
strategy. A wide range of PAT and processing systems, including 1 – 1000 mL vessels,
continuous cascades, plug flow systems and a flash crystalliser, are available for
investigation. Additional vessel designs can be developed, if required.
www.sspc.ie
www.sspc.ie
University of Limerick
PhD student
Solution Structure Studies and Molecular Modelling of
Growth Processes
€18,000 stipend + full fees per annum for 4 years
Salary scale
Prof. Åke Rasmuson (ake.rasmuson@ul.ie)
Supervisor contact details
2015
Potential start date
Expertise required and tasks to be undertaken
Position
Project title/area
A PhD student will work under the supervision of Prof. Å.C. Rasmuson (UL) on platform project P5
(WP2&4). The student should ideally have BSc/MSc in chemistry of BEng/MEng in Chemical
Engineering. The objective is to develop a greater understanding of solvation and desolvation, and the
molecular solute-solute interactions in solution, and the role of these in the nucleation and growth of
crystals of molecules with conformational flexibility and multitude of functional groups, and to identify
whether and if so why such systems are harder or slower to crystallise. The work will use FTIR,
Raman, dynamic light scattering (DLS), nano-particle tracking (NPT), and synchrotron radiation SAXS
to investigate the conditions in undersaturated and supersaturated solutions. The conformational
distribution in solution will be modeled by molecular dynamics and quantum mechanical methods
analyzing molecular conformation and energetic pathways between these conformations. The
molecular dynamics studies will further examine of the structuring in solution, solvation and
desolvation, and molecular clustering. Initial optimisation of clusters will locate low energy packing
and subsequent molecular dynamic simulation in suitable solvent boxes will offer insight into
solvent/cluster interactions.
PhD student
Solubility and Phase Diagram Measurement and Analysis of
Multi-Component Phase Diagrams
€18,000 stipend + full fees per annum for 4 years
Salary scale
Prof. Åke Rasmuson (ake.rasmuson@ul.ie)
Supervisor contact details
Sept 2015
Potential start date
Expertise required and tasks to be undertaken
Position
Project title/area
A PhD student will work under the supervision of Prof. Å.C. Rasmuson (UL) on platform project P4.
The student should ideally have a BEng/MEng in Chemical Engineering. The student will undertake
tasks associated with WP1 and WP5, which are concerned with phase diagrams of multi-component
crystals. This will build on previous research of the PI and collaborators. The objective is to develop a
greater understanding of multi-component phase diagrams and their application in the designed
creation of new functional materials. The work will include experimental determination of phase
diagrams, measurement of the thermodynamic properties of the component phases and of the resultant
co-crystals where possible, and investigation of the relationships between these properties and the
resultant phase diagrams. The work will also include evaluation of existing methodologies for the
construction of binary and ternary phase diagrams, and development of improved methodologies. This
will include investigation into how the solvent and the temperature adjust the form of the phase
diagram (e.g. size and location of regions of phase stability). Molecular and thermodynamic modeling
will be used to develop suitable models to aid in the prediction of successful co-crystal formation and
prediction of properties for systems.
www.sspc.ie
PhD student
Position
Crystal Growth Studies and Molecular Modelling of Growth Processes
Project title/area
€18,000 stipend + full fees per annum for 4 years
Salary scale
Prof. Åke Rasmuson (ake.rasmuson@ul.ie)
Supervisor
contact details
Sept 2015
Potential start
date
Expertise required and tasks to be undertaken
A PhD student will work under the supervision of Prof. Å.C. Rasmuson (UL) on platform
project P5 (WP3&4). The student should ideally have a BEng/MEng in Chemical Engineering
or the corresponding degrees in chemistry. One objective is to develop a greater understanding
of the crystal growth process in relation to large, highly flexible molecules and to identify
whether such systems are harder or slower to crystallise. The work will involve both
computational and experimental studies. The growth process will be investigated for specific
faces of single crystals grown under the microscope, and for crystals freely suspended by
agitation, and data evaluated against current theories. Overall growth rate of the crystals will
also be determined and data fit to known empirical relationships. The conformational
distribution in solution will be modeled by molecular dynamics and quantum mechanical
methods; energetic pathways between the crystal conformations and these ones will be
subsequently determined to evaluate the barriers to growth. Molecular dynamics studies on the
solution growth to determine the competition between solvent and solute molecules will also
be performed.
PhD student
Position
Process Crystallisation for Size Control
Project title/area
€18,000 stipend + full fees per annum for 4 years
Salary scale
Dr Patrick Frawley (Patrick.Frawley@ul.ie)
Supervisor
contact details
Sept 2015
Potential start
date
Expertise required and tasks to be undertaken
A PhD student will work under the supervision of Dr P. Frawley (UL) on targeted project LT1
(WP1). This student will have an Honours B.Sc. in Mechanical/Chemical
Engineering/Physics. The aim of this project is to investigate the start-up and steady-state
operation of crystallisation cascades with the aim of selecting the optimum operating
parameter space to achieve predefined product crystal physical properties such as size, shape
and their distributions. The start-up phase of most continuous processes involves some degree
of lag time where the system must be allowed to reach steady state operation. During this lagtime, product material may be unusable/unsuitable resulting in material waste. Optimisation of
this start-up process using advanced process modelling capabilities would lead to reduced lagtimes and - as a direct result - a reduction in material and energy wastes leading to a cleaner,
more economical and more environmentally sound operation. The aim of this optimisation will
be to determine the optimum initial conditions as well as the set of operating conditions
required to take the process to steady-state operation in as short a time as possible.
www.sspc.ie
PhD student
Position
Process Crystallisation for Size Control
Project title/area
€18,000 stipend + full fees per annum for 4 years
Salary scale
Dr Patrick Frawley (Patrick.Frawley@ul.ie)
Supervisor
contact details
Sept 2015
Potential start
date
Expertise required and tasks to be undertaken
A PhD student will work under the supervision of Dr P. Frawley (UL) on targeted project
LT1 (WP1). This student will have an Honours B.Sc. in Mechanical/Chemical
Engineering/Physics. The student will undertake tasks associated with WP1 which is
concerned with understanding how the presence of solutes, other than the targeted product,
may be influential upon the kinetics of crystallisation. Foreign molecules such as degraded
products, by- products and additives, may interfere with the nucleation as well as the growth
process. The crystal growth may be disrupted because of the incorporation of the impurities
into the crystal lattice or because of their adsorption at the surface of the crystal. New step
wise methodologies need to be developed utilising all PAT available to develop methods to
model impurity incorporated crystallisation processes. There exists a need for
interdisciplinary research in attempting to build advanced impurity population balance
models and for CFD-population balance simulations for predicting impurity content on scale
up. The overall aim is to develop best practice methods for modelling, predicting and
optimising pharmaceutical processes which consider impurity incorporation.
www.sspc.ie
Trinity College Dublin
PhD student
Position
Metal-Free Catalysts for Oxidative Coupling
Project title/area
€18,000 stipend + full fees per annum for 4 years
Salary scale
Prof. Stephen Connon (connons@tcd.ie)
Supervisor
contact details
Sept 2015
Potential start
date
Expertise required and tasks to be undertaken
A PhD student will work under the supervision of Prof. S. J. Connon (TCD) on targeted
project T2 (WP1). This student will have a B.Sc. in Chemistry. The student will design and
synthesise a suite of azolium-ion precatalysts for the oxidative coupling of aldehydes to both
alcohols (to generate esters) and amines (to generate amides) using air as the terminal oxidant.
The project will involve considerable synthetic organic chemistry initially, followed by a
systematic optimisation study to identify the most efficient system/conditions. Initially the
student will concentrate on simple substrates (which nevertheless are beyond the scope of
current technology). When these have been incorporated into the methodology, scope
expansion studies will commence; with the aim of developing a broad-scope oxidative
coupling methodology applicable to ligation/peptide synthesis (i.e. the coupling of aldehydes
to amino acids to generate peptides and -amino aldehydes to thiols to generate thioesters for
use in Native Chemical Ligation etc.).
www.sspc.ie
Dublin City University
Position
Project title/area
PhD student
New Technologies for Cleaner Processes - New biodegradable ionic
liquids
€18,000 stipend + full fees per annum for 4 years
Dr Nick Gathergood/Dr Andrew Kellett (andrew.kellett@dcu.ie)
Salary scale
Supervisor contact
details
Sept 2015
Potential start date
Expertise required and tasks to be undertaken
A PhD student will work under the supervision of Dr N. Gathergood (DCU) on target project T3
(WP2). This student should ideally have a B.Sc. in Chemistry or Pharmaceutical Sciences and interest
in green chemistry. The student will undertake tasks associated with WP2 which is concerned with the
design, synthesis, toxicity, ecotoxicity, biodegradation studies and application in catalytic
methodologies of environment friendly ionic liquids. This WP will build upon on-going research
activities of the current green chemistry for the pharmaceutical industry projects in Dr Gathergood’s
group. Developing cleaner synthetic routes to prepare the ionic liquids (high atom economy
transformations) will be examined. The student will investigate the design of biodegradable ionic
liquids and complete iterative SAR studies based on toxicity and biodegradation screening, using a
range of experimental techniques (e.g. antibacterial, antifungal, Daphnia Magna, Microtox,
cytotoxicity, and biodegradation). Low toxicity and biodegradable ionic liquids will be selected as
preferred co-(solvents) for investigation in catalysis studies in other Strand 1 projects.
Further Information and Questions:
For further information, please contact SSPC Education and Outreach Officer, Dr Sarah Hayes
E-mail: sarah.hayes@ul.ie
Phone: 061-234915
To apply to any of these positions please send a cover letter stating which project you wish to apply
for and how you are suitable for the position, along with a 2 page CV, highlighting relevant research
and work experience.
www.sspc.ie