SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AND ADVANCED MATERIALS

NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY (England)



Postdoctoral Researchers 

£24,161 - £31,525



Process Scale Up and Process Transferability



Two Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) positions are available in the School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials in the area of process scale up and process transferability. The project involves the implementation of cutting edge Process Analytical Technologies (PAT) for improving bioprocessing. The developed technology will be used in the UK during early stages of product development (capitalising on early process knowledge), and then build on this valuable knowledge base during subsequent phases of development through to commercial scale manufacture, therefore reducing risk of failure and facilitating high through-put of new products. By combining PAT and conventional data, a super database to manage, organise and structure the significant quantities of batch information will be developed. This database will be used for the continuous calibration of multivariate analysis software, to generate unique process fingerprints for comparison against real time data collected from small bioreactors and large scale fermentation vessels and for process transferability. This new strategy of bioprocessing, multivariate analysis, PAT testing will facilitate licensure of future biopharmaceutical molecules.  The two positions (18 months to 2 years) are on a DTI supported project and are in conjunction with GlaxoSmithKline and the Universities of Liverpool and Strathclyde.



The research projects require expertise in knowledge management with a specific focus on mechanistic and empirical modelling for dynamic, multi-component bio-chemical processes,  data mining and feature extraction and advanced signal processing. 



The successful candidates will join an RAE Grade 5 research School which is recognised for its world class research and training and it also has an outstanding reputation for research and collaboration with industry. 



Candidates interested in either of these positions should have a PhD or equivalent experience in any of the following disciplines: Chemical or Biochemical Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics or Statistics. They should be able to demonstrate good communication skills and be willing to work for periods at company sites in the UK.  Salary will be in the range of £17,451-£26,229 per annum depending upon age, qualifications and experience.  



To apply for the positions, please send a CV and a covering letter, together with a completed Employment Record Form, to Gary Montague, Professor of Bioprocess Control, School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, Merz Court, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK. 



Further details can be obtained from Professor Gary Montague Contact details as follows  - Tel: +44 191 222 7265; Fax: +44 191 222 5292; e-mail: [log in to unmask]



Closing date for applications is 28th February 2007.