Job Introduction
Summer Placement Opportunity – Mixing Characterisation of Vessels Used in Pharmaceutical Processes
Location: Hoddesdon
Duration: 8 weeks (unpaid) – July & August 2025
Eligibility: Undergraduate students in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences only
Start Date: July 2025
Are you passionate about fluid dynamics, process engineering, and seeing how theory applies in real pharmaceutical manufacturing? This 8-week summer placement at our Hoddesdon site offers you the chance to explore scale-up challenges in mixing processes and gain direct experience in industrial R&D
Project Title: Mixing Characterisation of Vessels Used in Pharmaceutical Processes
What you’ll be working on:
Mixing is a critical part of pharmaceutical process scale-up—from lab bench to production plant. Predicting how solids behave in different vessels helps reduce risk during tech transfer. In this project, you’ll:
- Experimentally determine “just suspension speeds” for a variety of reaction vessels with different geometries and configurations
- Generate and analyse data to calculate Zwietering constants unique to our site’s equipment
- Update internal mixing models and databases to improve predictive accuracy and support future scale-up efforts
- If time allows compare experimental data with modelling outputs using industry-stanadrd tools
- Present your findings to senior engineers and scientists at the end of your placement
What you’ll gain:
- Hands-on experience with real process equipment and lab-scale mixing experiments
- A deep understanding of scale-up challenges in pharmaceutical process engineering
- Training in DynoChem and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools used across the industry
- Mentorship from senior engineers working at the forefront of process design and tech transfer
- A valuable project to showcase on your CV and in future applications to industry or postgraduate study
What We Offer:
- Mentorship from industry professionals.
- Exposure to cutting-edge research and development.
- Networking opportunities with experts in the field.
- A chance to make a meaningful contribution to innovative projects.
Our Company: “We are a dynamic, fast-growing company, with an enviable reputation for leading edge science, offering contract research services to some of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, solving what were believed to be unsolvable scientific challenges”.
We believe in our ability to relentlessly push forward the boundaries of scientific excellence, delivering solutions for our clients, always operating ethically and with integrity. We take pride in our professionalism and commitment to always deliver our very best work.
Pharmaron acquired the Hoddesdon campus, consisting of several purpose built scientific and administrative buildings together with a purpose-built conference area in February 2017. The research building has more than 5,000m2 of premier R&D space and houses an established Process Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry and Drug Discovery teams. In addition, a Formulation Development team was also recently established. The Hoddesdon site has state-of-the-art Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standard facilities for the development of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API), Formulation Development (FD) and Process Chemistry (PC).
Pharmaron is a premier R&D service company supporting the life sciences industry. Founded in 2004, Pharmaron has invested in its people and facilities having established diverse drug R&D service capabilities, ranging from synthetic, medicinal, and analytical chemistry, biology, DMPK, pharmacology, drug safety assessment, radiochemistry and isotopically labelled metabolism, chemical & pharmaceutical development to clinical development. With operations in China, US and UK staffed by over 21,000 employees, Pharmaron has an excellent track record in the delivery of R&D solutions to its partners in North America, Europe, Japan, and China.