
Formulation and healthcare engineering
We have a strong track record in fundamental research into formulation science, product engineering and process modelling. Our particular strength lies in mechanistic analysis, multiscale modelling, material synthesis and characterisation, process optimisation and innovation for a wide range of formulated products.
Facilities
Our research facilities are primarily housed in two recently refurbished research laboratories: The Analytical Lab and the Particle Engineering Lab.
Analytical Lab
The Analytical Lab is equipped with a wide range of facilities for:
Materials synthesis
- High-temperature chamber and tube furnaces
- Rotavaps
- High energy ultrasound probes, etc.
Comprehensive electrical characterisation
- High-resolution potentiostat/galvanostat
- DC loads
- DC power supply
- High-resolution desktop multimeters, etc.
Physiochemical analysis equipment
- TGA
- SEM
- Gas pycnometer
- FTIR
- Raman spectroscopy analyser
- Particle size analyser
- H2-TPR
- Access to the comprehensive equipment such as FESEM, TEM, XRD, XPS analysers campus-wide.
SOFC cell construction and testing rigs
- Screen printer
- Tape caster
- Cell test fixture
- EIS analysis rig, etc.
Particle Engineering Lab
The Particle Engineering Lab is equipped with the following characterisation and processing equipment:
Particle characterisation
- Size and shape distribution; 0.5 – 30,000 μm (QicPic)
- Moisture content (Mettler Toledo).
- In situ nano-indentor (Alemnis)
- Nanosizer (NanoSight NS500).
Particle breakage
- Conical mill (Erweka CM 60)
- Rotary cutting mill.
Powder flowability
- Schulze RST.XS.s shear cell; 0.1 – 20 kPa
- Freeman FT4 Powder Rheometer; dynamic flowability, permeability, aeration
- Freeman Uniaxial Powder Tester; < 100 kPa
- Funnel flow testers (Granuflow, Flowdex)
- Custom-built die filling systems; linear (passive) and rotational (active).
Other facilities
- Temperature and humidity conditioning
- Roller compactors
- High speed camera (Phantom v1612)
- DEM and DEM-CFD simulation software: EDEM, Rocky DEM, BlazeDEM, ABAqus, Star-CCM
- Instron mechanical testing machines
- Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM).
- Franz diffusion cell
- Ultrasound reactors (22kHz-2MHz).
Ongoing projects
Improving the productivity of topical drug delivery through in situ academic entrepreneurship
Principal investigator: Tao Chen
Start date: February 2021
End date: July 2022
A novel nanoemulsion for optimised wound recovery: A topical antibiotic-free approach
Principal investigator: Dr Lian Lui
Start date: January 2021
End date: December 2023
Developing an in-silico - spectroscopic imaging toolkit for assessing skin penetration
Principal investigator: Dr Tao Chen
Start date: October 2020
End date: September 2023
Precise deposition of complex particles for structured functional products
Principal investigator: Dr Colin Hare
Start date:
End date:
In-silico analysis of tissue specificity of dermal exposure deposition and absorption kinetics
Principal investigator: Dr Tao Chen
Start date: September 2020
End date: September 2024
Start date:
End date:
Start date: September 2018
End date: September 2023
Meet the team
Academic staff

Dr Bahman Amini Horri
Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering

Dr Natalie Belsey
Senior Lecturer & Senior Research Scientist at NPL

Dr Qiong Cai
Reader in Chemical and Process Engineering

Professor Tao Chen
Professor

Dr Colin Hare
Visiting Senior Lecturer of Chemical Engineering

Dr Oleksiy Klymenko
Lecturer

Dr Judy Lee
Reader, Director of Learning and Teaching for Chemical and Process Engineering

Professor Guoping Lian
Professor

Dr Lian Liu
Research Centre manager

Dr Michael Short
Lecturer of Chemical and Process Engineering

Professor Rex Thorpe
Professor of Chemical Engineering

Dr Dimitrios Tsaoulidis
Asst Professor (Lecturer) in Chemical & Process Engineering

Professor Charley Wu
Professor of Chemical Engineering
Visiting staff

Dr Michele Marigo
Visiting Senior Lecturer

Dr Mikio Sakai
Visiting Professor

Dr Eirini Velliou
Visiting Senior Lecturer
Researchers

Lucy Coleman
Project: Multi-scale modelling of dermal absorption, disposition, systemic circulation and liver metabolism of xenobiotics

Omar Ismail
Project: A combined experimental and numerical study of powder flow through forced feeders in tableting systems

Dr Marv Khala
Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Francisco Fidelis Kisuka
Project: DEM modelling of heat generation induced by friction of low stresses

Yufan Liu
Project: Chemical safety assessment using omics and machine learning technology

Azza Mahmoud
Postgraduate Research Student

Lisa Purk
Project: Biofilm formation of Listeria monocytogenes on a novel triphasic viscoelastic food model and the application of a novel mild preservation technique; cold plasma

Aman Rastogi
Project: Heat generation and transfer during reaction in granular materials

Dr Juan Daniel Sebastia Saez
Associate Tutor & Research Fellow in Chemical Engineering

Samadhi Silva Silva
Project: Computational modelling of the effect of product formulations on skin penetration

Paweenuch Teerasumran
Project: In-situ gelation of antiperspirant actives

Styliani Totti
Research Fellow

Ling Zhang
Technical Project Manager