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UCC announces new research drive for Future Pharmaceuticals
- Applications open for seven new academic positions at UCC.
- Closing date for applications is 12pm (Irish Standard Time) on Thursday, 22 June 2023.
University College Cork (UCC) has launched a new era of research aimed at developing and manufacturing the safe, effective, and affordable medicines of tomorrow.
Located at the heart of Ireland’s Pharma region, UCC has unveiled UCC Futures - Future Pharmaceuticals, the next phase of the University’s ambitious new programme of research recruitment and prioritisation. This latest stage will advance the knowledge underpinning the discovery, development and manufacture of pharmaceuticals, from small molecules to biopharmaceuticals.
UCC Futures - Future Pharmaceuticals will advance understanding of the development and production of new medicines at scale to ensure they are available to patients, ensuring that affordable products are designed to ensure efficacy and safety in a patient-centric approach.
Professor John F. Cryan, UCC Vice President for Research and Innovation said: “We are delighted to launch the next phase of the UCC Futures recruitment programme – Future Pharmaceuticals. Located at the heart of a globally significant cluster of pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies, University College Cork will further enhance its established research in pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals, contributing to the global understanding and development of new medicines.”
As part of this new initiative, UCC today announces that applications are sought for seven academic positions as part of UCC Futures – Future Pharmaceuticals. The appointment of researchers of excellence, from Lecturer to Professor, across multiple Schools, will connect disciplines and promote interdisciplinary research opportunities across all Colleges, particularly within the College of Science, Engineering & Food Science, Tyndall National Institute and Cork University Business School.
UCC Futures – Future Pharmaceuticals brings together complementary expertise in synthesis, biocatalysis, solid state characterization, drug-target discovery and characterization, molecular biology, drug formulation and delivery, advanced process control, process optimization, machine learning, underpinned by advanced analytical techniques, leading to interdisciplinary approaches to complex challenges in discovery, formulation selection, and process development.
Collaboration with strategic partners at a national level include NIBRT, the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, and SSPC, the SFI Research Centre for Pharmaceuticals, and substantive engagements with industry through collaborative research projects, support for PhD students, participation in research-led teaching, and adjunct appointments.
These academic posts are a key part of the UCC Futures – Future Pharmaceuticals recruitment programme. Applications are particularly welcome from those with a disruptive and transformative research focus and from those at the intersections of disciplines.
Professor Anita Maguire, Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at UCC, said: “Exciting opportunities for interdisciplinary research within the context of Future Pharmaceuticals are envisaged, building on existing research expertise within the University and our strategic partners, and enriched by complementary expertise in new research areas through these new appointments.”
Dr Darrin Morrissey, NIBRT Chief Executive Officer said: “NIBRT is developing a strategic partnership with University College Cork with the objective of building up Ireland's senior research talent base and our scientific capabilities with the long-term aim of supporting the evolution of the biopharmaceutical manufacturing sector in Ireland. We are excited to be working with UCC, one of Ireland's leading higher education institutes on this hugely important strategic initiative.”
About UCC Futures
UCC Futures is an ambitious new programme of research prioritisation coupled with an innovative academic recruitment strategy across ten indicative areas of strategic importance that will build a foundation for economic, societal and cultural resilience and prosperity. UCC Futures provides the creative, inclusive and transformative interdisciplinary platform that mines the frontiers of curiosity inquiry at the intersection of disciplines. This ambitions new programme of research prioritisation coupled with an innovative academic recruitment strategy across ten indicative areas of importance that encompass the Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, STEM, Health, Business and Law.