1. An overview
from
Bill Dawson,
the Chair
The flagship
Academy
conference was a
huge success,
building on its
previous strengths on its return to the
East Midlands Conference Centre in
Nottingham. The balance between
academia and industry was maintained
and many young pharmaceutical
scientists had their first opportunity to
present either poster or podium
presentations which is a major strength
of PharmSci.
We had an excellent set of plenary
speakers. Professor David Jones, Pro
Vice-chancellor at Queens University,
Belfast was the Conference Science
Chair and got the conference off to an
excellent start. Dr Catherine Tuleu,
Reader in Pharmaceutics at UCL School
of Pharmacy was the APS Award winner
and discussed the key science
underpinning paediatric formulations.
The Award is sponsored by AstraZeneca.
The APS is delighted to recognise young
scientists and the Emerging Scientist
Award, sponsored by GSK was won by
Dr Wafa Al-Jamal who described her
work on novel cancer medicine
formulations. APS is pleased to partner
with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
who each year makes the RPS Science
Award. This year it was won by Dr
Bhavik Patel, Reader in the School of
Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences at
the University of Brighton. Bhavik
discussed his mechanistic approaches to
formulation of oral medicines. He was a
previous winner of the Emerging
Scientist Award at PharmSci 2013.
Finally, the prestigious APS Conference
Lecture was delivered by Professor Chris
Porter from Monash University in
Melbourne Australia, a tour de force on
the mechanisms underpinning
absorption from the GI tract.
As usual, the conference ran with 4
parallel sessions, mostly reflecting the
work of our Focus Groups, which had
PharmSci 2015 Science Chair, David Jones
It has been my great pleasure, and indeed honour, to be the Chairman of this year’s APS conference. The excellent
programme, involving both national and international contributors, was beautifully complemented by the wonderful
energy and enthusiasm of all delegates. The scope of scientific disciplines was wide and encompassed many key themes
of the pharmaceutical sciences including, drugs from natural sources, solid state pharmaceutics, formulation science,
pharmaceutical analysis, pharmaceutical microbiology, nanosciences and material sciences, to name but a few. The
excellent choice of venue and organisation allowed all delegates to move seamlessly from one room to another to attend the sessions of their
choice.
The standard of science on display at the conference was high, with many of the sessions being full to capacity, such was the interest in both
the scientific disciplines and speakers. The conference welcomed three key speakers. Firstly, the key note speaker of the conference was
Professor Chris Porter, Chair of Pharmaceutics at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University. A scientist of the
highest quality, Chris described his research on the formulation and assessment of the performance of strategies to enhance the bioavailability
of BCS Class 2 drugs. The challenges of this research were clearly articulated and allowed the audience to readily grasp this topic whilst still
appreciating its scientific complexities. Secondly, this year’s APS award winner was Dr Catherine Tuleu, Reader in Pharmaceutics at UCL School
of Pharmacy who described some of the challenges with paediatric medicines. Finally this year’s RPS award winner was Dr Bhavik Patel, Reader
in the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of Brighton who described his research on the application of
electrochemical detection techniques to develop new diagnostic methods for diseases and also its application in understanding the molecular
basis of drug action.
All delegates will have left this year’s APS conference with a renewed enthusiasm for the pharmaceutical and related sciences and an
appreciation that the state of pharmaceutical sciences research is in good health. I do hope that all delegates are able to attend next year’s
APS conference in Glasgow.
The 6th APS International
PharmSci Conference
- A Huge Success!
Newsletter
Autumn 2015
a European drug company asking how
he could recruit pharmaceutical
science students!
I have two highlights from the
conference, maybe three if you don’t
discount that I didn’t have to make my
own lunch! First, the opportunity I was
given to sit in on the skin workshop
which was chaired by the leader of the
Skin Focus Group. This was invaluable
as it drew my attention to some areas
of research that I have been struggling
to find any literature on for my
undergraduate research project. I was
able to network with professionals who
are the top of their fields and I have
been enlightened by their interest and
advice to support my project.
My final highlight was as the
conference drew to a close. As I was
having a conversation with a lady who I
later discovered used to be the
chairman of the Royal Pharmaceutical
Society (as you do), I was approached
by a formulator that I had spoken to on
the APS stand the day before. I
remember asking on the off chance if
his company took summer placement
students which he said he would look
into. I wasn’t expecting to hear
anything back, but to my surprise I was
introduced to his department manager
who I had a quick discussion with about
what I was doing and what his company
did. I was given a business card and told
to keep in touch if I was interested in a
summer placement. I later began a
discussion with him on LinkedIn - which
I had created an account for as a result
of some advice I was given at Industrial
Insights. What more can you ask for?!
It all seemed a bit of a fairy tale the day
after the conference, but you begin to
realise that life as a student is not about
writing applications and pulling all-
nighters in the library, but about
communication with like-minded
people. Sharing ideas, following your
passion.
I know that is easy to say and it can take
years to find what you’re really
interested in, but if there’s one thing to
take from this, it’s about educating
yourself about what’s out there and
making contacts. The general
perception of industry is that it is an
impossible door to open and that puts
many people off. But at the end of the
day, it is a network of people all with a
passion about what they do. If you
seize opportunities and share your
interests, you unlock a utopia.
The APS can provide you with these
opportunities to make those valuable
connections and help you decide if
industry is right for you. It’s really
helped kick start my career, I can’t urge
you enough to get involved and join
today!
Robert Oakley,
University of Nottingham
2016 will see the 7th APS International PharmSci Conference moving to the newly-opened Technology
& Innovation Centre at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.
The conference will follow in Scotland’s rich heritage in the Sciences, Mathematics and Technology
which have left a proud trail of famous scientists to inspire and encourage others to follow in their
footsteps.
Professor Yvonne Perrie, who is a Professor in Pharmaceutics/Drug Delivery, Head of Pharmacy at Aston University, is the
Conference science chair. Yvonne is an eminent fellow of the APS, and fellow of the RPS and Society of Biology. Her research
on formulation attributes that govern the mechanism of action of particulate systems for drug delivery, vaccine adjuvanticity
and diagnostics, provides the foundation for practical solutions and realistic options to enhance patient care on a global
scale.
The theme of the conference in 2016 is
Pharmaceutical Sciences: Improving World Health
The UK’s competitive edge in the pharmaceutical sciences lies in its high quality pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities
and its expertise in the development of innovative medicinal products and delivery systems. If the UK is to continue to produce world-leading
medicines that tackle global health issues we need to further invest in our capabilities. The Conference will provide a forum to help achieve this
aim.
You can become part of this conference now, by reserving the
date, suggesting a topic, offering a poster presentation, reserving
an exhibition space and many other opportunities. Please email
info@apsgb.org.
Cont’d over

2. networking opportunity and I learnt
about some exciting areas of science the
host company was hoping to explore in
the future.
These insights gave me enough
knowledge to make a decision that I
wanted to pursue further opportunities
in the field and I knew what I had to do
to make myself into the best candidate
possible. My interest in research led me
to contacting some academics at my
University and I enquired into a summer
research project. It turned out that one
of the academics needed a hand with
some research and I was offered an 8
week project. I wanted to present a
poster on my work at the APS PharmSci
conference as I knew there would be
some brilliant networking opportunities
with others from the research field I was
investigating. Unfortunately, my work
would contribute towards my
supervisor applying for a patent so my
plans misfired.
All was not lost though.
As the APS is a non- profit organisation
that seeks to enrich knowledge of the
pharmaceutical sciences through its
structured conferences, Focus Groups
and platform for informal networking; I
thought to myself that this must take a
lot of organising. So I offered to
volunteer at the PharmSci conference.
I received a quick response and before I
knew it I was finding out even more
about the APS in order to educate
visitors about the events and hot topics
it hosts at APS stand at the conference.
Theconferenceputtheicingonthecake.
The team at the APS were a really
friendly group and within moments of
entering the building I was greeted with
smiles and plenty of support for the
activities planned for me. I quickly fell
into the swing of things. Before I knew it
I was discussing the benefits the APS
offers its members and taking
recordings of peoples’ careers to give
students an insight into the types of
science opportunities available. I was
even consulted by an ambassador from
good attendances and active debate.
Posters were a highlight and we are
grateful to GSK for sponsoring prizes to
recognise the best on each of the three
days of the meeting. Others will cover
the specifics of these sessions but I
would like to highlight the SME
Showcase and Bright Ideas sessions. For
the first time we partnered with BioCity
to put on two sessions, with plenaries
by BioCity executives and presentations
by almost 20 companies. It seemed to
go well and many presenters said they
had enjoyed this excellent networking
opportunity. The Bright Ideas session
was partnered with Stevenage
Bioscience Catalyst (SBC) who have
been a regular contributor to PharmSci
over the years. This session gave young
people the opportunity to describe their
innovative ideas and the winner is
supported to see if their idea can be
reduced to practice. It was very much in
the spirit of Open Innovation which is
central to the work of SBC.
The conference would be less than
complete without a very good
Exhibition and it seemed to me that the
exhibitors enjoyed the buzz and
interactions with the participants. We
have tried to increase the time available
for the Exhibition which hopefully was
appreciated by all.
There were two key highlights at the
Black Tie Dinner at Trent Bridge Cricket
ground on Tuesday evening although it
could be considered three with an APS
welcome to Trent Bridge blazing out
from the scoreboard in our colours and
thanking out sponsors. We are very
lucky to have a number of sponsors
some of whom support the educational
aims of the conference and others who
support APS in its wider objectives.
We honoured Trevor Jones with
recognition as an Eminent Fellow of the
Academy. He is both pharmacist and
pharmaceutical scientist who has been
a huge advocate for our profession in
both academia and the industry for the
whole of his career. It was difficult to
find enough descriptive phrases to
capture his many contributions but I will
highlight his enthusiasm and his
commitment to mentoring all who enter
his ambit. The Queen honoured him
with a CBE and did so before the
Academy so we needed to catch up….
The second highlight was a presentation
from James Christie, ABPI Project
Director for the Manufacturing
Medicines Innovation Project set up
with strong government support to
ensure that the ecosystem to develop
and manufacture medicines is
maintained in a strong state here in the
UK. It is absolutely key that APS is part
of such initiatives and it was great to
have James with us.
Finally it was a pleasure to welcome
Linda Hakes as Chair of the APS. She is a
pharmacist who specialised in
pharmaceutical sciences and has had a
career in industry with links to academia
and education throughout. I am sure
you will support her as strongly as you
have helped me and the Board develop
APS over the last 3 years.
What can the Academy
of Pharmaceutical
Sciences do for you?
A student perspective of his journey with
the APS to attending the conference
I first found out about the Academy of
Pharmaceutical Sciences from an email
from one of the academics in my School
highlighting an “Industrial Insights”
opportunity. A career in industry
factored into a large part of my decision
to study pharmacy at University so I
jumped at the idea. The speakers at the
Industrial Insights conference
broadened my understanding of the
roles within the industrial sector and I
was given the unique chance to tour the
pharmaceutical plant where the
conference was hosted. The experience
gave me a more holistic view into how
the medicines I work with had been
created. The numerous processes and
teamwork that went into each drug
astounded me.
Having had a taste of the journey from
concept to product, I acted upon the
guidance I had been given at the CV
workshop and searched for further
enrichment. I stumbled across a
“Pharma Focus” day. The day mirrored
many aspects of Industrial Insights with
a greater emphasis on experiencing
some of the departments within a
company. Yet again, it was a fantastic
This year’s APS International Pharma Sci Conference again featured the Bright Ideas
competition which comes with a £500 award. This is aimed at encouraging scientists
early in their careers who have a bright idea and want to develop this to its next
stage. The conference was sponsored this year by Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst
(SBC) a joint venture between the Department for Business Innovation and Skills,
GlaxoSmithKline, the Wellcome Trust and Innovate UK. Sponsorship by SBC was
particularly appropriate as their focus is to help innovative companies in the
pharma and biotech sectors. Beverley Vaughan from SBC chaired the event.
Entrants gave a short presentation on their idea and how the award would help
move this forward. The participants in the session then voted on the ideas. The
winners this year were John Allan and Kushal Rugjee, two PhD students from Dr
Robert Ryan’s group at the Division of Molecular Microbiology in the College of
Life Science at the University of Dundee. Their idea was a novel way to chemically
target bacterial cell-to-cell signalling systems thereby disrupting formation of
biofilms and making co-administered antibiotics more effective. Given the current
emphasis on anti-microbial resistance this idea has great relevance. In addition to
the award money John and Kushal will be provided with a mentor from the APS to
help progress their idea.
In addition to the Bright Idea competition there were also presentations from Dr Joe
Boyle from the University of Cambridge and Dr Ewelina Hoffman from the
University of Hertfordshire on their innovative research and both of which had
benefited from the support and facilities offered by the SBC.
Posters and exhibition
This year’s conference had over 220
poster entries with submissions from
36 UK universities (Nottingham,
Aston, Bath, Huddersfield and Queen’s
Belfast Universities being very well
represented), 38 different companies
(AZ and Pfizer each presenting 9
posters) and entries including authors
from 26 countries making the
conference truly International. Emma
Smith supervised by Dave Berry at
Durham University and co-sponsored
by the APS Material Science Focus
Group presented a poster on
Comparing the physical properties of
racemic and single enantiomer forms
of pharmaceutical co-crystals and
their glasses which is part of the 6
weeks summer placement scheme
organised by the APS with their focus
groups.
Posters were displayed over all three days and each day GSK sponsored prizes for
the posters which were judged to have shown particularly good science and
presented it with clarity and impact.
The Exhibition hall was full at this year’s conference with 32 exhibitors ranging from
small and not so small CROs, specialist equipment suppliers, excipient companies,
pharmaceutical sciences organisations to big pharma (AZ and GSK). The hall also
included catering and poster displays ensuring that there was a buzz throughout the
day.
Cont’d over
Cont’d over

3. networking opportunity and I learnt
about some exciting areas of science the
host company was hoping to explore in
the future.
These insights gave me enough
knowledge to make a decision that I
wanted to pursue further opportunities
in the field and I knew what I had to do
to make myself into the best candidate
possible. My interest in research led me
to contacting some academics at my
University and I enquired into a summer
research project. It turned out that one
of the academics needed a hand with
some research and I was offered an 8
week project. I wanted to present a
poster on my work at the APS PharmSci
conference as I knew there would be
some brilliant networking opportunities
with others from the research field I was
investigating. Unfortunately, my work
would contribute towards my
supervisor applying for a patent so my
plans misfired.
All was not lost though.
As the APS is a non- profit organisation
that seeks to enrich knowledge of the
pharmaceutical sciences through its
structured conferences, Focus Groups
and platform for informal networking; I
thought to myself that this must take a
lot of organising. So I offered to
volunteer at the PharmSci conference.
I received a quick response and before I
knew it I was finding out even more
about the APS in order to educate
visitors about the events and hot topics
it hosts at APS stand at the conference.
Theconferenceputtheicingonthecake.
The team at the APS were a really
friendly group and within moments of
entering the building I was greeted with
smiles and plenty of support for the
activities planned for me. I quickly fell
into the swing of things. Before I knew it
I was discussing the benefits the APS
offers its members and taking
recordings of peoples’ careers to give
students an insight into the types of
science opportunities available. I was
even consulted by an ambassador from
good attendances and active debate.
Posters were a highlight and we are
grateful to GSK for sponsoring prizes to
recognise the best on each of the three
days of the meeting. Others will cover
the specifics of these sessions but I
would like to highlight the SME
Showcase and Bright Ideas sessions. For
the first time we partnered with BioCity
to put on two sessions, with plenaries
by BioCity executives and presentations
by almost 20 companies. It seemed to
go well and many presenters said they
had enjoyed this excellent networking
opportunity. The Bright Ideas session
was partnered with Stevenage
Bioscience Catalyst (SBC) who have
been a regular contributor to PharmSci
over the years. This session gave young
people the opportunity to describe their
innovative ideas and the winner is
supported to see if their idea can be
reduced to practice. It was very much in
the spirit of Open Innovation which is
central to the work of SBC.
The conference would be less than
complete without a very good
Exhibition and it seemed to me that the
exhibitors enjoyed the buzz and
interactions with the participants. We
have tried to increase the time available
for the Exhibition which hopefully was
appreciated by all.
There were two key highlights at the
Black Tie Dinner at Trent Bridge Cricket
ground on Tuesday evening although it
could be considered three with an APS
welcome to Trent Bridge blazing out
from the scoreboard in our colours and
thanking out sponsors. We are very
lucky to have a number of sponsors
some of whom support the educational
aims of the conference and others who
support APS in its wider objectives.
We honoured Trevor Jones with
recognition as an Eminent Fellow of the
Academy. He is both pharmacist and
pharmaceutical scientist who has been
a huge advocate for our profession in
both academia and the industry for the
whole of his career. It was difficult to
find enough descriptive phrases to
capture his many contributions but I will
highlight his enthusiasm and his
commitment to mentoring all who enter
his ambit. The Queen honoured him
with a CBE and did so before the
Academy so we needed to catch up….
The second highlight was a presentation
from James Christie, ABPI Project
Director for the Manufacturing
Medicines Innovation Project set up
with strong government support to
ensure that the ecosystem to develop
and manufacture medicines is
maintained in a strong state here in the
UK. It is absolutely key that APS is part
of such initiatives and it was great to
have James with us.
Finally it was a pleasure to welcome
Linda Hakes as Chair of the APS. She is a
pharmacist who specialised in
pharmaceutical sciences and has had a
career in industry with links to academia
and education throughout. I am sure
you will support her as strongly as you
have helped me and the Board develop
APS over the last 3 years.
What can the Academy
of Pharmaceutical
Sciences do for you?
A student perspective of his journey with
the APS to attending the conference
I first found out about the Academy of
Pharmaceutical Sciences from an email
from one of the academics in my School
highlighting an “Industrial Insights”
opportunity. A career in industry
factored into a large part of my decision
to study pharmacy at University so I
jumped at the idea. The speakers at the
Industrial Insights conference
broadened my understanding of the
roles within the industrial sector and I
was given the unique chance to tour the
pharmaceutical plant where the
conference was hosted. The experience
gave me a more holistic view into how
the medicines I work with had been
created. The numerous processes and
teamwork that went into each drug
astounded me.
Having had a taste of the journey from
concept to product, I acted upon the
guidance I had been given at the CV
workshop and searched for further
enrichment. I stumbled across a
“Pharma Focus” day. The day mirrored
many aspects of Industrial Insights with
a greater emphasis on experiencing
some of the departments within a
company. Yet again, it was a fantastic
This year’s APS International Pharma Sci Conference again featured the Bright Ideas
competition which comes with a £500 award. This is aimed at encouraging scientists
early in their careers who have a bright idea and want to develop this to its next
stage. The conference was sponsored this year by Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst
(SBC) a joint venture between the Department for Business Innovation and Skills,
GlaxoSmithKline, the Wellcome Trust and Innovate UK. Sponsorship by SBC was
particularly appropriate as their focus is to help innovative companies in the
pharma and biotech sectors. Beverley Vaughan from SBC chaired the event.
Entrants gave a short presentation on their idea and how the award would help
move this forward. The participants in the session then voted on the ideas. The
winners this year were John Allan and Kushal Rugjee, two PhD students from Dr
Robert Ryan’s group at the Division of Molecular Microbiology in the College of
Life Science at the University of Dundee. Their idea was a novel way to chemically
target bacterial cell-to-cell signalling systems thereby disrupting formation of
biofilms and making co-administered antibiotics more effective. Given the current
emphasis on anti-microbial resistance this idea has great relevance. In addition to
the award money John and Kushal will be provided with a mentor from the APS to
help progress their idea.
In addition to the Bright Idea competition there were also presentations from Dr Joe
Boyle from the University of Cambridge and Dr Ewelina Hoffman from the
University of Hertfordshire on their innovative research and both of which had
benefited from the support and facilities offered by the SBC.
Posters and exhibition
This year’s conference had over 220
poster entries with submissions from
36 UK universities (Nottingham,
Aston, Bath, Huddersfield and Queen’s
Belfast Universities being very well
represented), 38 different companies
(AZ and Pfizer each presenting 9
posters) and entries including authors
from 26 countries making the
conference truly International. Emma
Smith supervised by Dave Berry at
Durham University and co-sponsored
by the APS Material Science Focus
Group presented a poster on
Comparing the physical properties of
racemic and single enantiomer forms
of pharmaceutical co-crystals and
their glasses which is part of the 6
weeks summer placement scheme
organised by the APS with their focus
groups.
Posters were displayed over all three days and each day GSK sponsored prizes for
the posters which were judged to have shown particularly good science and
presented it with clarity and impact.
The Exhibition hall was full at this year’s conference with 32 exhibitors ranging from
small and not so small CROs, specialist equipment suppliers, excipient companies,
pharmaceutical sciences organisations to big pharma (AZ and GSK). The hall also
included catering and poster displays ensuring that there was a buzz throughout the
day.
Cont’d over
Cont’d over

4. An overview
from
Bill Dawson,
the Chair
The flagship
Academy
conference was a
huge success,
building on its
previous strengths on its return to the
East Midlands Conference Centre in
Nottingham. The balance between
academia and industry was maintained
and many young pharmaceutical
scientists had their first opportunity to
present either poster or podium
presentations which is a major strength
of PharmSci.
We had an excellent set of plenary
speakers. Professor David Jones, Pro
Vice-chancellor at Queens University,
Belfast was the Conference Science
Chair and got the conference off to an
excellent start. Dr Catherine Tuleu,
Reader in Pharmaceutics at UCL School
of Pharmacy was the APS Award winner
and discussed the key science
underpinning paediatric formulations.
The Award is sponsored by AstraZeneca.
The APS is delighted to recognise young
scientists and the Emerging Scientist
Award, sponsored by GSK was won by
Dr Wafa Al-Jamal who described her
work on novel cancer medicine
formulations. APS is pleased to partner
with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
who each year makes the RPS Science
Award. This year it was won by Dr
Bhavik Patel, Reader in the School of
Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences at
the University of Brighton. Bhavik
discussed his mechanistic approaches to
formulation of oral medicines. He was a
previous winner of the Emerging
Scientist Award at PharmSci 2013.
Finally, the prestigious APS Conference
Lecture was delivered by Professor Chris
Porter from Monash University in
Melbourne Australia, a tour de force on
the mechanisms underpinning
absorption from the GI tract.
As usual, the conference ran with 4
parallel sessions, mostly reflecting the
work of our Focus Groups, which had
PharmSci 2015 Science Chair, David Jones
It has been my great pleasure, and indeed honour, to be the Chairman of this year’s APS conference. The excellent
programme, involving both national and international contributors, was beautifully complemented by the wonderful
energy and enthusiasm of all delegates. The scope of scientific disciplines was wide and encompassed many key themes
of the pharmaceutical sciences including, drugs from natural sources, solid state pharmaceutics, formulation science,
pharmaceutical analysis, pharmaceutical microbiology, nanosciences and material sciences, to name but a few. The
excellent choice of venue and organisation allowed all delegates to move seamlessly from one room to another to attend the sessions of their
choice.
The standard of science on display at the conference was high, with many of the sessions being full to capacity, such was the interest in both
the scientific disciplines and speakers. The conference welcomed three key speakers. Firstly, the key note speaker of the conference was
Professor Chris Porter, Chair of Pharmaceutics at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University. A scientist of the
highest quality, Chris described his research on the formulation and assessment of the performance of strategies to enhance the bioavailability
of BCS Class 2 drugs. The challenges of this research were clearly articulated and allowed the audience to readily grasp this topic whilst still
appreciating its scientific complexities. Secondly, this year’s APS award winner was Dr Catherine Tuleu, Reader in Pharmaceutics at UCL School
of Pharmacy who described some of the challenges with paediatric medicines. Finally this year’s RPS award winner was Dr Bhavik Patel, Reader
in the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of Brighton who described his research on the application of
electrochemical detection techniques to develop new diagnostic methods for diseases and also its application in understanding the molecular
basis of drug action.
All delegates will have left this year’s APS conference with a renewed enthusiasm for the pharmaceutical and related sciences and an
appreciation that the state of pharmaceutical sciences research is in good health. I do hope that all delegates are able to attend next year’s
APS conference in Glasgow.
The 6th APS International
PharmSci Conference
- A Huge Success!
Newsletter
Autumn 2015
a European drug company asking how
he could recruit pharmaceutical
science students!
I have two highlights from the
conference, maybe three if you don’t
discount that I didn’t have to make my
own lunch! First, the opportunity I was
given to sit in on the skin workshop
which was chaired by the leader of the
Skin Focus Group. This was invaluable
as it drew my attention to some areas
of research that I have been struggling
to find any literature on for my
undergraduate research project. I was
able to network with professionals who
are the top of their fields and I have
been enlightened by their interest and
advice to support my project.
My final highlight was as the
conference drew to a close. As I was
having a conversation with a lady who I
later discovered used to be the
chairman of the Royal Pharmaceutical
Society (as you do), I was approached
by a formulator that I had spoken to on
the APS stand the day before. I
remember asking on the off chance if
his company took summer placement
students which he said he would look
into. I wasn’t expecting to hear
anything back, but to my surprise I was
introduced to his department manager
who I had a quick discussion with about
what I was doing and what his company
did. I was given a business card and told
to keep in touch if I was interested in a
summer placement. I later began a
discussion with him on LinkedIn - which
I had created an account for as a result
of some advice I was given at Industrial
Insights. What more can you ask for?!
It all seemed a bit of a fairy tale the day
after the conference, but you begin to
realise that life as a student is not about
writing applications and pulling all-
nighters in the library, but about
communication with like-minded
people. Sharing ideas, following your
passion.
I know that is easy to say and it can take
years to find what you’re really
interested in, but if there’s one thing to
take from this, it’s about educating
yourself about what’s out there and
making contacts. The general
perception of industry is that it is an
impossible door to open and that puts
many people off. But at the end of the
day, it is a network of people all with a
passion about what they do. If you
seize opportunities and share your
interests, you unlock a utopia.
The APS can provide you with these
opportunities to make those valuable
connections and help you decide if
industry is right for you. It’s really
helped kick start my career, I can’t urge
you enough to get involved and join
today!
Robert Oakley,
University of Nottingham
2016 will see the 7th APS International PharmSci Conference moving to the newly-opened Technology
& Innovation Centre at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.
The conference will follow in Scotland’s rich heritage in the Sciences, Mathematics and Technology
which have left a proud trail of famous scientists to inspire and encourage others to follow in their
footsteps.
Professor Yvonne Perrie, who is a Professor in Pharmaceutics/Drug Delivery, Head of Pharmacy at Aston University, is the
Conference science chair. Yvonne is an eminent fellow of the APS, and fellow of the RPS and Society of Biology. Her research
on formulation attributes that govern the mechanism of action of particulate systems for drug delivery, vaccine adjuvanticity
and diagnostics, provides the foundation for practical solutions and realistic options to enhance patient care on a global
scale.
The theme of the conference in 2016 is
Pharmaceutical Sciences: Improving World Health
The UK’s competitive edge in the pharmaceutical sciences lies in its high quality pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities
and its expertise in the development of innovative medicinal products and delivery systems. If the UK is to continue to produce world-leading
medicines that tackle global health issues we need to further invest in our capabilities. The Conference will provide a forum to help achieve this
aim.
You can become part of this conference now, by reserving the
date, suggesting a topic, offering a poster presentation, reserving
an exhibition space and many other opportunities. Please email
info@apsgb.org.
Cont’d over