Professor Alastair Florence

Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences

Personal statement

Director of the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Continuous Manufacturing and Crystallisation (CMAC) and associated 45 PhD Doctoral Training Centre. Leads the new world-class CMAC National Facility within the Technology and Innovation Centre (TIC) at the University of Strathclyde offering access to academic and industrial users to state-of-the art processing, analysis and characterisations facilties and support. Expertise in crystallisation and physical form control and characterisation of pharmaceuticals spanning polymorphism, solvate, co-crystal and salt formation and studies of amorphous systems. Extensive experience in the formation of pharmaceutical particles in continuous processes using a range of technologies as part of the CMAC programme. Interests also in the development and application of new technologies to control and monitor crystallisation and pharmaceutical solids.

Approaches for the characterisation of particles are also widely used and physical analysis of crystalline pharmaceuticals with a focus on the influence of crystallisation processes on structure and critical pharmaceutically relevant attributes that dictates product performance. Exploitation of X-ray powder diffraction techniques for phase identification, structure determination from powder diffraction data and in-situ phase surveys including local order using variable-temperature X-ray powder diffraction are key areas.

Has published over 120 peer reviewed research papers in these areas and currently supervises a large multidisciplinary research group including pharmacists, chemists and chemical engineers.

Expertise

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Prize And Awards

Bhattacharyya Award Ceremony: Recipient; 20/10/2025
The CrystEngComm Outstanding Paper Award: Recipient; 13/5/2025
Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (FRPS): Recipient; 2024
CrystEngComm Outstanding Paper 2024: Recipient; 2024
Best Poster Award @ CMAC Annual Open Day 2018: Recipient; 25/10/2018
Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain Conference Science Medal: Recipient; 9/2004

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Publications

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Publications

Predicting the viability of pharmaceutical formulations for continuous direct compression using machine learning approaches: Diaz Laura Pereira, Marchal Stéphanie, Kroll Paul, Hofstetter Albert, Lang Moritz, Piccione Patrick M, Brown Cameron J, Salehian Mohammad, Florence Alastair J; International Journal of Pharmaceutics Vol 698 (2026); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2026.126911
Accelerated drug development using a digital formulator and a self-driving tableting data factory: Abbas Faisal, Salehian Mohammad, Hou Peter, Moores Jonathan, Goldie Jonathan, Tsioutsios Alexandros, Tait Theo, Portela Victor, Boulay Quentin, Thiolliere Roland, Stark Ashley, Schwartz Jean-Jacques, Guerin Jerome, Maloney Andrew GP, Moldovan Alexandru A, Reynolds Gavin, Mantanus Jérôme, Clark Catriona, Chapman Paul, Florence Alastair, Markl Daniel; Nature Communications Vol 17 (2026); https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-71204-6
Automated particle characterisation and data capture pipelines in CMAC's Crystallisation Screening DataFactory: Boyle Christopher, Sandhu Parandeep, Prostredny Martin, Cardona Javier, Robertson Murray, Florence Alastair; 10th World Congress on Particle Technology (2026)
ThinkFactory 2025 : community discussion on harmonizing and accelerating self-driving laboratories: Pickles Thomas, Baird Sterling G, Salehian Mohammad, Florence Alastair J; Matter Vol 9 (2026); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matt.2026.102757
Empowering the pharmaceutical workforce for the digital future: Maclean Natalie, Abrahmsén-Alami Susanna, Clark Catriona, Dörr Frederik, Florence Alastair, Ketolainen Jarkko, Lindow Morten, Mantanus Jérôme, Rantanen Jukka, Reynolds Gavin, Robertson Amy, Markl Daniel; European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Vol 220 (2026); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejps.2026.107449
Knowledge Graph-Based Semantic Data Fabric for CMC: Naz Tabbasum, Johnston Blair, Robertson Murray, Lloyd Rhys, Florence Alastair; CMAC Open Days 2026 (2026)

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Research

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Professional Activities

Small Molecule Matters Roundtable: Participant; 6/10/2025
Crystallisation Screening DataFactory: Deep Learning Image Analysis: Contributor; 1/10/2025
PharmaTech Integrates 2025: Participant; 18/9/2025
16th PharmSci International Conference: Participant; 10/9/2025
Life Sciences Strategy 2025-2035: Participant; 21/8/2025
2025 Accelerate Conference: Speaker; 11/8/2025

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Projects

AI enabled CMC Datafactory: Markl, Daniel (Principal Investigator) Florence, Alastair (Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2025 - 30-Jan-2026
DTP 2224 University of Strathclyde | Paterson, Fraser: Florence, Alastair (Principal Investigator) Johnston, Blair (Co-investigator) Prostredny, Martin (Co-investigator) Paterson, Fraser (Research Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2025 - 01-Jan-2029
EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Cyber-physical Systems for Medicine Development and Manufacturing (CEDAR) | Awan, Muhammad Asfand Yar: Florence, Alastair (Principal Investigator) Brown, Cameron (Co-investigator) Awan, Muhammad Asfand Yar (Research Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2025 - 01-Jan-2029
CERSI for the Digital Transformation of Medicines Development and Manufacturing: Markl, Daniel (Principal Investigator) Florence, Alastair (Co-investigator) Johnston, Blair (Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2025 - 31-Jan-2026
DPN-MED: Digital Plug-and-Produce Network for Sustainable Medicines Development and Manufacturing: Fitzpatrick, Stephen (Principal Investigator) Florence, Alastair (Principal Investigator) Florence, Alastair (Co-investigator) Johnston, Blair (Co-investigator) Markl, Daniel (Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2025 - 30-Jan-2025
DPN-MED: Digital Plug-and-Produce Network for Sustainable Medicines Development and Manufacturing: Fitzpatrick, Stephen (Principal Investigator) Florence, Alastair (Principal Investigator) Florence, Alastair (Co-investigator) Johnston, Blair (Co-investigator) Markl, Daniel (Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2025 - 30-Jan-2025