Phd Positions

Click here for current PhD opportunities in PHA. But feel free to email me to discuss projects outside these areas and alternative sources of funding.

Sheng obtained her BEng. (Hons) in Industrial Pharmacy in 2001 (China Pharmaceutical University). After completing her PhD in 2004 (Queen’s University of Belfast) in the area of lipid based microparticulate drug delivery systems, Sheng worked as a postdoctoral scientist studying the structure and stability of amorphous polymer-drug dispersions. In 2007 Sheng joined the School of Pharmacy at UEA as a lecturer and was promoted to senior lecturer in 2013.  Sheng has worked closely with leading pharmaceutical and excipient companies in the areas of pharmaceutical processing, physicochemical characterisation, and formulation development.

Sheng’s current research interests mainly focus on gaining a fundamental understanding of the behaviour of drug-polymer/lipid dispersions in solid (phase behaviour) and liquid (in biological fluids) states, and developing new approaches for stabilising supersaturated drug dispersions. By working with industrial partners as well as cross-discipline collaborators, her group is aiming to contribute to the interdisciplinary research area of enhancing drug absorption via tailoring the physical chemistry of drug formulations.

Current research interests include

• Hot melt extrusion/injection moulding for drug delivery
• Electrospinning and electrospray-formulation design and processing control
• Drug-polymer/lipid solubility and miscibility
• Phase separation behaviour of polymer-drug dispersions
• Polymer facilitated drug solubilisation in biological fluids
• Lipid-based liquid crystalline platform for drug delivery
• Effect of manufacturing processes on stability of amorphous pharmaceuticals

Material science:

• Solubility enhancement of poorly soluble drugs
• Drug-polymer/lipid solubility and miscibility
• Phase separation behaviour of polymer-drug dispersions
• Polymer facilitated drug solubilisation in biological fluids
• Microstructure and geometry controlled drug delivery system
• Pharmaceutical applications of novel natural polymers

Pharmaceutical process engineering science:

• Pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion and injection moulding
• Electrohydrodynamic processes for micro and nanoscale formulations manufacturing
• FDM 3D printing of pharmaceutical solid dosage forms
• Freeze drying of low density matrix system

Research Funding

Norwich Research Park (NRP) Translation Fund (PI)
Development of electrospun therapeutic masks; Jan 2017- Oct 2017
£50,000

INTERREG (EU) (PI)
Innovative Multi-component Drug Design (IMODE) ; Oct 2016-Oct 2019
£592,900.39
Click here to go to the IMODE research page.

Royal Society & Newton Foundation (co-PI)
Oral cancer therapy; Mar 2016-Mar 2019
£120,000

Royal Society (PI)
International Exchange Grant: Engineering nanostructured bio-responsive matrices for oral delivery of chemotherapy
Mar 2015-Mar 2017
£12,000

UEA proof-of-concept fund (PI)
Drug eluting contact lenses for galucoma treatment 2015-2016
£23,460.36

INTERREG (EU) (PI)
Advanced Material and Pharmaceutical Technology Cluster
Jan 2014-July 2015
£38,000

INTERREG (EU) (co-PI)
IDEA: Improving drugs efficacy and availability
Jun 2009-Jun 2013
£160,218.39

Evonik Industries (Germany) (PI)
Drug-polymer miscibility and its relationship with the physicochemical stability of solid dispersions
Oct 2009-Sep 2012
£75,202.01

Evonik Industries (Germany) (PI)
Nano-characterisation of hot melt extruded formulations
Jan 2007-Apr 2009
£23,040.55