Professor Daniel Markl

Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences

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Personal statement

Daniel Markl’s research focuses on the coupling of advanced measurement techniques with digital process and product design to improve the way medicines are made. He obtained a BSc (2010) and MSc (2012) in telematics with a focus on neural networks and a PhD (2015) in chemical engineering from Graz University of Technology. Daniel secured an Erasmus Mundus in 2010, which allowed him to study modelling and control system design for one year during his MSc at the Lund University. During his PhD he was employed by the Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering (RCPE) GmbH, where he was in the group Process and Manufacturing Science and involved in several projects at the interface of pharmaceutical engineering, materials science and process modelling. He continued as Senior Scientist and Scientific Project Leader at RCPE after completing his PhD. In 2016 he joined Professor Zeitler’s group (Terahertz Applications Group) as a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Cambridge. Daniel worked for two years in the Terahertz Applications Group before becoming a Chancellor’s Fellow and Lecturer at the University of Strathclyde in the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences (SIPBS).

Daniel is Associate Director at the Centre for Continuous Manufacturing and Advanced Crystallisation (CMAC) - check out the Centre and Research Activities at CMAC: www.cmac.ac.uk

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Area of Expertise

Has expertise in:

  • Material characterisation of solid dosage forms using various advanced technologies (i.e. optical coherence tomography, terahertz imaging and spectroscopy, X-ray computed tomography).
  • Pharmaceutical engineering inclduing compaction process, hot-melt extrusion, fluid-bed and pan coating.
  • Advanced data processing using machine learning principles.
  • Mechanistic modelling of disintegration process (swelling and liquid imbibition process).
  • In-line and on-line process monitoring.

Prize And Awards

President of Pharmaceutical Solid State Research Cluster
Recipient
2020
Fellowship of Higher Education
Recipient
2020
AAPS Pharmaceutical Research Meritorious Manuscript Award
Recipient
2019
Best Poster Award
Recipient
2016
Erasmus Mundus
Recipient
2010

More prizes and awards

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Publications

Quality by digital design to accelerate sustainable medicines development
Mustoe Chantal L, Turner Alice J, Urwin Stephanie J, Houson Ian, Feilden Helen, Markl Daniel, Al Qaraghuli Mohammed M, Chong Magdalene WS, Robertson Murray, Nordon Alison, Johnston Blair F, Brown Cameron J, Robertson John, Adjiman Claire, Batchelor Hannah, Benyahia Brahim, Bresciani Massimo, Burcham Christopher L, Cardona Javier, Cottini Ciro, Dunn Andrew S, Fradet David, Halbert Gavin W, Henson Mark, Hidber Pirmin, Langston Marianne, Lee Ye Seol, Li Wei, Mantanus Jérôme, McGinty John, Mehta Bhavik, Naz Tabbasum, Ottoboni Sara, Prasad Elke, Quist Per-Ola, Reynolds Gavin K, Rielly Chris, Rowland Martin, Schlindwein Walkiria, Schroeder Sven LM, Sefcik Jan, Settanni Ettore, Siddique Humera, Smith Kenneth, Smith Rachel, Srai Jagjit Singh, Thorat Alpana A, Vassileiou Antony, Florence Alastair J
International Journal of Pharmaceutics (2025)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2025.125625
Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre : research highlights from an industry-academia-government collaboration
Jolliffe Hikaru Graeme, Prostredny Martin, Mendez Torrecillas Carlota, Bordos Ecaterina, Ahmed Bilal, Velazco Maria, Tierney Colette, Devlin Michael, Cabezudo Garcia Nicolas, Markl Daniel, Robertson John
CMAC Open Day 2025 (2025)
Unveiling the origin of spurious features in THz-TDS of powder compacts
Gorecki Jon, Murphy Keir N, Markl Daniel, Burnett Andrew D, Naftaly Mira
IEEE Transactions on Terahertz Science & Technology (2025)
https://doi.org/10.1109/tthz.2025.3549944
Particle-based investigation of excipients stability : the effect of storage conditions on moisture content and swelling
Ibrahim Isra, Carroll Mark, Almudahka Anas, Mann James, Abbott Alexander, Winge Fredrik, Davis Adrian, Hens Bart, Khadra Ibrahim, Markl Daniel
RSC Pharmaceutics Vol 2, pp. 369-386 (2025)
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4PM00259H
Spatial and temporal visualization of polymorphic transformations in pharmaceutical tablets
Gasol-Cardona Julia, Ward Martin R, Gutowski Olof, Drnec Jakub, Jandl Christian, Stam Danny, Maloney Andrew G P, Markl Daniel, Price Stephen W T, Oswald Iain D H
Angewandte Chemie International Edition Vol 64 (2025)
https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202412976
A hybrid system of mixture models for the prediction of particle size and shape, density, and flowability of pharmaceutical powder blends
Salehian Mohammad, Moores Jonathan, Goldie Jonathan, Ibrahim Isra, Mendez Torrecillas Carlota, Wale Ishwari, Abbas Faisal, Maclean Natalie, Robertson John, Florence Alastair, Markl Daniel
International Journal of Pharmaceutics: X Vol 8 (2024)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpx.2024.100298

More publications

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Research Interests

My research focuses on the coupling of small-scale experiments, advanced measurement techniques and digital process and product design to improve the way medicines are made. The lab’s multidisciplinary research focuses on drug product manufacturing and in particular on the manufacturing of pharmaceutical tablets. Our research aims to provide the fundamental understanding that is needed for the design of future medications, where the release behaviour and the quality is designed into the solid dosage form. The lab particularly focuses on:

  • Continuous manufacturing: The pharmaceutical industry is introducing continuous manufacturing coupled with real-time release testing to deliver higher quality medicines more effectively to patients. Both patients and manufacturers will benefit from this transition through lower manufacturing costs, better control over product quality, higher flexibility in response to market demands, and the facilitation of more complex medications in an increasingly challenging economic environment. We aim to develop a scientifically sound understanding of the physical structure of the solid oral dosage forms, which is needed for the manufacture of 21st century high-quality medication with targeted release behaviour. Our research will develop the fundamental basis for linking raw material attributes, critical process parameters and critical quality attributes for continuous manufacturing of solid oral dosage forms. 
  • Innovative process analysers: Accurate and continuous monitoring of processes has significant benefits for the pharmaceutical industry as it has the potential to reduce the cost of manufacturing through limiting waste and speeding up the development process whilst enhancing the product quality. This can only be achieved by the use of innovative process analysers which are capable of assessing the quality of a large number of samples in a short period of time. We aim to develop cutting-edge technologies for at-line/on-line and in-line monitoring of critical quality attributes, which are currently not accessible. One of the main technologies in our research is terahertz imaging and spectroscopy as it has outstanding characteristics in terms of its ability to penetrate in the majority of pharmaceutical materials and its measurement speed. 
  • Digitally designed drug products: We aim to develop modelling approaches coupled with experimental methods that enable digital and rapid formulation design of pharmaceutical tablets through the coupling of process and product models. This includes the characterising and mathematical description of particle, granular material and compact characteristics that facilitate the development of models of every step involved in the dissolution process.

Check out the group website on TheMarklLab.com

Professional Activities

Feasibility/Collaboration Proposal: Model calibration as a Tool for Material Characterisation
Speaker
2023
From Particles to Drug Product Performance and Stability
Speaker
2023
Integrating Terahertz Spectroscopy and Mechanistic Models for Enhanced Understanding of Pharmaceutical Products
Speaker
2023
Sensor Enabled Automation
Contributor
14/9/2022
Rise of Robotics Panel
Speaker
2022
Mechanistic Understanding of Long-term Performance of Oral Medicines. 9th BBBB International Conference on Pharmaceutical Sciences
Speaker
2022

More professional activities

Projects

INtegrated Spectroscopy and Photonics for Increased productivity and Resource Efficiency in MEDicines manufacture: Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing Expression of Interest
Nordon, Alison (Principal Investigator) Littlejohn, David (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
NF987
Markl, Daniel (Principal Investigator) Macdonald, Janine (Co-investigator)
25-Jan-2024 - 19-Jan-2024
Industrial CASE Account - University of Strathclyde 2024 | Jahangir, Reehab
Markl, Daniel (Principal Investigator) Li, Jun (Co-investigator) Jahangir, Reehab (Research Co-investigator)
01-Jan-2024 - 01-Jan-2028
SHARPEN: SHARing data to accelerate Pharmaceutical manufacturing Efficiency across trusted Networks
Johnston, Blair (Principal Investigator) Florence, Alastair (Co-investigator) Markl, Daniel (Co-investigator)
01-Jan-2024 - 31-Jan-2026
Industrial CASE Account - University of Strathclyde 2024 | Chang, Maria
Markl, Daniel (Principal Investigator) Abbas, Faisal (Co-investigator) Chang, Maria (Research Co-investigator)
01-Jan-2024 - 01-Jan-2028

More projects

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Contact

Professor Daniel Markl
Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences

Email: daniel.markl@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 444 7115