15 PhD Positions Available – MSCA Doctoral Network IDEAS | Amorphous Pharmaceutical Materials

Doctorat / PhD Profil chercheur : First Stage Researcher (R1) Type de contrat : Temporary Date limite de candidature : 31 Oct 2027 - 23:59 (Europe/Paris) Programme UE : Horizon Europe - MSCA Référence : MSCA-DN IDEAS Domaine : Technology » Nanotechnology

15 fully funded PhD positions are available across Europe within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network IDEAS (Improving Drug Efficacy with next-generation Amorphous materials and trained expertS). About the IDEAS Doctoral Network The IDEAS project is a European research and training network funded through the Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Networks programme and coordinated by the University of Lille (France) . Approximately 70–90% of new chemical entities and drug molecules under development suffer from poor aqueous solubility , representing a major challenge for pharmaceutical development. Since the early 2000s, amorphous formulations have emerged as one of the most promising strategies to improve drug solubility and bioavailability. Yet, their intrinsic physical instability continues to limit their widespread industrial application. IDEAS aims to change this! By bringing together leading expertise in materials science, physics, chemistry, pharmacy and pharmaceutical technology , IDEAS will develop a more rational and science-based understanding of the amorphous state and move beyond the largely empirical approaches currently used in pharmaceutical development. The network brings together a strong European consortium of 10 beneficiaries (7 universities, 2 large companies and 1 SME) together with 6 associated partners , including academic and industrial organisations across 10 European countries . At the heart of IDEAS is the training of 15 Doctoral Candidates , who will work collaboratively on key scientific and technological challenges related to amorphous pharmaceutical systems. Their research will contribute to: • developing more sustainable and eco-friendly manufacturing technologies for amorphous materials; • achieving science-based control of their structural, dynamic and physical properties; • understanding and improving the physical stability of amorphous formulations; • exploring a broad range of pharmaceutical materials and formulation strategies; • enabling the efficient production of high-quality amorphous drug products. Beyond their individual research projects, the Doctoral Candidates will benefit from a comprehensive interdisciplinary and intersectoral training programme , including workshops, specialised courses, summer schools, network meetings and secondments between academic and industrial partners. Through this combination of cutting-edge research, international mobility, interdisciplinary science and close interaction with industry , IDEAS will train a new generation of scientists capable of addressing major challenges in pharmaceutical materials science and strengthening Europe’s academic and biotech/pharmaceutical innovation capacity. 15 Doctoral Candidate positions will be offered within the IDEAS network. DC 1 - Bridging order and disorder: structural and dynamical insights into coupled co-crystallisation and co-amorphisation strategies for enhancing drug dissolution Host Institution & PhD enrolment: University of Pisa - UNIPI (Pisa, Italy) Contacts: Prof. S. Capaccioli (UNIPI) and Prof. M. Geppi (UNIPI) This doctoral project aims to unravel the fundamental structure–dynamics–dissolution relationships underlying co-crystallised and co-amorphous pharmaceutical systems. By integrating advanced solid-state characterisation and spectroscopy techniques, the project will establish a unified mechanistic frame-work explaining how structural organisation and molecular mobility influence dissolution enhancement. The ultimate goal is to enable the rational design of hybrid solid forms (e.g., semi-ordered amorphous/co-crystals) with tuneable solubility and physical stability. DC 2 - Design and phase diagram of eutectic and amorphous binary mixtures of APIs and excipients for enhanced dissolution and stability Host Institution & PhD enrolment: Polytechnic University of Catalonia - UPC (Barcelona, Spain) Contacts: Prof. M. Romanini (UPC) and Prof. C. Cazorla (UPC) This doctoral project aims to explore both the equilibrium and non-equilibrium phase behaviour of small-molecule binary mixtures comprising API and coformer or API–API combinations, and to elucidate their fundamental physicochemical properties. Particular emphasis will be placed on understanding eutectic phase formation and the potential of such systems to yield amorphous mixtures with improved kinetic stability and dissolution performance. Graph-based machine learning (ML) models will be employed to predict binary choices of APIs or API-excipient capable of forming eutectic mixtures with the desired compositions and melting points. DC 3 - Influence of elevated pressure on co-amorphous pharmaceuticals Host Institution & PhD enrolment: University of Silesia in Katowice - USK (Katowice, Poland) Contact: Prof. M. Paluch (USK) This doctoral project aims to elucidate the impact of elevated pressure on the structural, dynamical, and thermodynamic properties of co-amorphous pharmaceutical systems. Understanding the effects of pressure is of critical importance, as numerous industrial pharmaceutical processes such as tableting, encapsulation, hot-melt extrusion, and high-pressure homogenization expose materials to mechanical stresses. These stresses can either trigger crystallisation or enhance amorphous stability, yet the role of pressure in modulating amorphous–crystalline transitions remain insufficiently understood. By integrating advanced high-pressure experimental techniques with data-driven algorithms, this project seeks to unravel the mechanisms through which pressure influences the stability and phase transformations of co-amorphous systems. DC 4 - Co-amorphous engineering: understanding and controlling the properties of co-amorphous systems prepared by diverse manufacturing routes Host Institution & PhD enrolment: Université Catholique de Louvain - UCLouvain (Belgium) Contact: Prof. T. Leyssens (UCLouvain) This doctoral project aims to advance the new field of “co-amorphous engineering” investigating how various manufacturing techniques, including spray-drying, freeze-drying, hot-melt extrusion, high-energy milling, and melt-quenching, impact the structure, molecular dynamics, physical stability, solubility, and dissolution behaviour of low-molecular-weight co-amorphous systems. Through an integrated experimental strategy, the project will establish robust process–structure–property relationships to guide the rational design of physically stable, high-performance co-amorphous formulations. DC 5 - Molecular-level mapping of intermolecular interactions governing the formation and stability of pharmaceutical co-crystals and co-amorphous systems Host Institution: Janssen Pharmaceutical (Beerse, Belgium) PhD enrolment Duration: University of Lille- ULille (France) Contacts: Dr. F. Ngono Mebenga (Janssen Pharmaceutica), Prof. N. Correia (ULille), Prof. F. Affouard (ULille) The main objective of this doctoral project is to achieve a precise molecular-level characterisation of the intermolecular interactions governing the formation and stability of pharmaceutical co-crystals and co-amorphous systems. This project will deliver a precise, molecular-scale understanding of how specific intermolecular interactions (hydrogen bonding, π–π stacking) drive nucleation (in solvent environment), structure, stability and improved biorelevant dissolution in both pharmaceutical co-crystals and co-amorphous systems. By integrating advanced spectroscopy, diffraction, calorimetry, solid-state NMR, and molecular modelling (MD simulation, DFT computation) with targeted case studies, we will build quantitative structure–interaction–property relationships. DC 6 - Modelling and molecular understanding of drug–polymer interactions in amorphous solid dispersions (ASD) Host Institution& PhD enrolment: University of Lille - ULille (France) Contacts: Prof. F. Affouard (ULille), Prof. E. Dudognon (ULille) This doctoral project aims to provide fundamental molecular-level insights into API–polymer interactions that dictate the formation and stabilization of ASDs. By integrating multi-scale computational modelling, data-driven machine learning approaches, and complementary experimental validations, the DC will develop a predictive framework linking molecular structure to macroscopic performance of amorphous formulations thereby enabling the rational design of next-generation ASD formulations. DC 7 - Next-generation polymers with controlled microstructure and topology for enhanced stability and release Host Institution & PhD enrolment: University of Silesia in Katowice - USK (Katowice, Poland) Contacts: Prof. K. Kamiński (USK) and Prof. M. Tarnacka (USK) This doctoral project aims to design, synthesise, and characterise next-generation biocompatible polymers and copolymers with precisely tailored microstructure, chain topology, and amphiphilicity to achieve controlled stabilization and dissolution of selected APIs. By integrating advanced polymer synthesis, comprehensive physicochemical characterisation, and collaborative computational modelling, the project will uncover the structure–property relationships that govern polymer-mediated stabilization and release in amorphous solid dispersions (ASD). DC 8 - Chiral control of stability and release in ASDs Host Institution & PhD enrolment: Université Catholique de Louvain - UCLouvain (Belgium) Contact: Prof. T. Leyssens (UCLouvain) This doctoral project aims to provide a molecular-level understanding of how excipient chirality governs the physical stability and performance of ASDs, establishing new design principles for chiral excipient selection and formulation. DC 9 - Hybrid eutectic–polymer systems for ASDs of high-melting…