Engineering powders for the next generation of biologics

This PhD project explores how dry powder carriers can be engineered to deliver low amounts of sensitive biologic drugs by inhalation, combining aerosol science, particle engineering, and computational modelling with industry translation.

The project is embedded in an ARC Linkage collaboration between Macquarie University, the University of Sydney, and Aptar Pharma, a global leader in inhalation drug delivery systems. The research focuses on understanding how dry powder carrier particles can be designed to enable reliable delivery of biologic drugs such as peptides and proteins using next-generation dry powder inhalers.

The student will investigate how particle size, surface chemistry, formulation composition, and dose loading influence aerosolisation, dispersion, and lung deposition. Experimental work will be combined with computational fluid dynamics to provide mechanistic insight into pow...