pharmacy phd king's college

• Institute of Pharmaceutical Science
• Life Sciences & Medicine
• Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences

Organisation profile

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/biohealth/research/divisions/ips/about/index.aspx

King’s College London has a strong tradition in pharmaceutical science, world class pharmacology, clinical pharmacology and therapeutics. This has led to the creation of a number of spin out companies, including MedPharm and Proximagen Neuroscience plc, as well as having the  Quintiles Drug Research Unit at our Guy’s campus fully embedded within King’s College London. 

The Institute of Pharmaceutical Science (IPS) was created in November 2010 to bring together the relevant research groupings across King’s College London. By developing an integrated and cohesive multidisciplinary approach, we are working to enable accelerated drug discovery, enhanced identification of drug targets for drug development, improved therapeutic agents, and efficient drug delivery systems. 

In addition to the established groups of Chemical Biology, Pharmaceutical Biophysics, Drug Delivery, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and Clinical Practice and Medication Use, IPS is closely linked to Clinical Pharmacology, the Quintiles Drug Research Unit at Guy’s, the Biomolecular Spectroscopy Centre, cancer research, the Institute of Psychiatry, and Translational Medicine, thus creating strong alliances between the basic sciences and clinicians in our partner NHS trusts. This association facilitates the identification and evaluation of medicines, and the more effective, safer prescription of therapies to improve healthcare regionally and nationally. 

King’s College London, along with our associated NHS Trusts, is also part of King’s Health Partners which has Pharmaceutical Sciences as a strong Clinical Academic Group  (CAG). IPS will take a leading role in this exciting initiative.

As part of the King’s Health Partners relationship we are working to establish a King’s College London Drug Discovery/Development Unit to work closely with research divisions, the Joint Clinical Trials Office (JCTO) and the technology transfer team to identify unique opportunities for new drugs, formulations and delivery devices that can be taken to phase 1/2a trials before licensing to third parties. An Advisory Board composed of leading academic advisers from King’s College London, industry and the regulatory sector, aims to select suitable drug discovery and development projects. This will foster and guide an expansion of our research activities in Pharmaceutical Science in collaboration with the biotech and pharma Industries. 

 IPS has expertise in the development of a broad range of biological assays and analytical techniques for the evaluation of novel drugs and mechanisms of action. When coupled with in house  in-vivo  models and access to key patient groups through our Health Service partners, this provides a firm foundation from which to grow our Drug Discovery initiative. At the same time, our expertise in the areas of formulation and drug delivery provides opportunities for the development of novel and innovative methods for both the delivery and the targeting of medicines. 

In addition, those working in the clinic have relevant expertise in both preliminary proof-of-concept studies and early clinical trials enabling us to fully exploit the output from the Discovery and Development activities, while providing key direction in these projects to ensure viable and useful end products can be delivered.

IPS also has considerable research strengths in pharmacology and clinical pharmacology, analytical science and medicinal chemistry, including molecular modelling. Within IPS there is particular strength in pulmonary pharmacology with excellent collaboration existing between pharmacologists and drug delivery specialists; this includes work on an MRC-supported project to investigate the safety and tolerability of inhaled nanoparticles. 

Members of the IPS are also actively involved in improving the use of medicines in clinical practice. Significantly, King’s Health Partners acts as the hub for the South London Health Innovation Education Cluster (HIEC) – this is leading to the creation of a Centre for Effective Medicines Use, an initiative currently led by IPS.

Impact and Innovation

The IPS at King’s College London, in collaboration with our NHS Trust partners, are working hard to improve the nature, substance and quality of healthcare and its delivery in London and beyond, as well as contributing to UK plc. Academics in IPS have a multiplicity of collaborations with industry (e.g., Pfizer, GSK, Vifor, GW Pharma, Verona Pharma, Helperby, Novartis, Unilever, Reckitt) which have led to the award of research grants, consultancy agreements, CASE studentships and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. We are committed in the IPS to facilitate the training of better scientists and clinicians and to encourage faster translation and adoption of the output of research and innovation in pharmaceutical sciences into practice. We already collaborate widely internationally and aim to ensure that IPS becomes the premier pharmaceutical science research and teaching institution inexorably bound to clinical practice in the UK and beyond.

An article  on the activities of IPS have been published in the  Public Service Review UK Science and Technology 02  (page 46).

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• Drug Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science 100%
• Patient Medicine and Dentistry 57%
• Therapeutic Procedure Medicine and Dentistry 55%
• Protein Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 39%
• Chemotherapeutic Agent Medicine and Dentistry 30%
• Cells Medicine and Dentistry 29%
• Clozapine Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science 28%
• Antipsychotic Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science 27%

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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Joan Abbott

• Institute of Pharmaceutical Science - Emeritus Professor

Person: Emeritus

Bambang Very Enthusias B. Abdillah Akbar

Person: Doctor of Philosophy

Sumayah Abdul-Jabbar

• Institute of Pharmaceutical Science - Maplethorpe Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Person: Research

Research output

• 202990 Citations
• 3794 Article
• 185 Meeting abstract
• 162 Review article
• 153 Literature review
• 127 Chapter
• 103 Conference paper
• 61 Editorial
• 29 Comment/debate
• 11 Meeting Abstract
• 8 Other contribution
• 7 Poster abstract
• 5 Book/Film/Article review
• 4 Short survey
• 2 Conference contribution
• 2 Other chapter contribution
• 2 Digital or Visual Products
• 1 Commissioned report
• 1 Entry in encyclopedia/dictionary
• 1 Foreword/postscript
• 1 Special issue

Research output per year

ABC block copolymer micelles driving the thermogelation: Scattering, imaging and spectroscopy

Research output : Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Advanced waveform analysis of the photoplethysmogram signal using complementary signal processing techniques for the extraction of biomarkers of cardiovascular function

An evaluation of naloxone transit for opioid overdose using drones: a case study using real-world coroner data.

• 4 Not started
• 970 Finished

Projects per year

Benchmark MyTemp 65HC Digital Incubator for Drosophila

Parsons, R. & Vivanco, I.

Alzheimer's Research UK

1/03/2024 → 31/05/2024

Project : Research

Developing and validating an in vivo tool for screening inhibitors of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase as therapies for Alzheimer’s disease

Parsons, R. , Hirth, F. & Vivanco, I.

1/03/2024 → 15/06/2024

Non-invasive sonic brain biopsies

MRC Medical Research Council

1/01/2024 → 28/02/2025

• 43 Participation in conference
• 42 Publication peer-review
• 22 Types of External academic engagement - Membership of external research organisation
• 20 Types of External academic engagement - Contribution to the work of national or international committees and working groups
• 11 Types of Public engagement and outreach - Media article or participation
• 10 Editorial activity
• 10 Invited talk
• 9 Types of External academic engagement - Invited talk
• 8 Types of Business and Community - Work on advisory panel to industry or government or non-government organisation
• 7 Membership of committee
• 4 Types of External academic engagement - Membership of peer review panel or committee
• 3 Participation in workshop, seminar, course
• 3 Examination
• 1 Hosting an academic visitor
• 1 Membership of board
• 1 Types of Business and Community - Other
• 1 Visiting an external academic institution

Activities per year

ReThink3R 2.0 Summer School

Manasi Nandi (Invited speaker)

Activity : Talk or presentation › Invited talk

NC3R Midlands symposium

Gordon research conference drug safety keynote lecture.

Manasi Nandi (Keynote speaker)

Student theses

73-deoxychondropsin a: a novel inhibitor of bone resorption sourced from a great barrier reef sponge.

Supervisor: Long, P. F. (Supervisor) & Grigoriadis, A. E. (Supervisor)

Student thesis : Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Philosophy

A behavioural evaluation of the potential of nNOS inhibitors to control dyskinesia in animal models of Parkinson’s disease

Supervisor: Salvage, S. (Supervisor) & Jenner, P. (Supervisor)

A biophysical investigation of a membrane-active cyclodextrin-inliposome formulation for antibiotic delivery

Supervisor: Dreiss, C. (Supervisor), Jones, S. (Supervisor) & Harvey, R. D. (Supervisor)

AAPS Pharmaceutical Research Meritorious Manuscript Award

Albed Alhnan, Mohamed (Recipient), 2018

Prize : Prize (including medals and awards)

• Manuscripts 100%

Alexei Likhtman Prize for Young Scientists

Omar, Jasmin (Recipient), 8 Sept 2021

• Polymer Physics 100%

Awarded a 5 year RCUK Fellowship

Moon, Lawrence (Recipient), 2001

Prize : Fellowship awarded competitively

Diminishing biofilm resistance to antimicrobial nanomaterials through electrolyte screening of electrostatic interactions

Jones, S. & Harper, R. , King's College London, 26 Sept 2018

DOI : 10.18742/rdm01-407 , https://kcl.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Diminishing_biofilm_resistance_to_antimicrobial_nanomaterials_through_electrolyte_screening_of_electrostatic_interactions/16473825

Soft, adhesive (+) alpha tocopherol phosphate planar bilayers that control oral biofilm growth through a substantive antimicrobial effect

Jones, S. , King's College London, 15 Feb 2018

DOI : 10.18742/rdm01-266 , https://kcl.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Soft_adhesive_alpha_tocopherol_phosphate_planar_bilayers_that_control_oral_biofilm_growth_through_a_substantive_antimicrobial_effect/16473768

An atom-efficient, single-source precursor route to plasmonic CuS quantum dots

Bergstrom Mann, P. , Fairclough, S. , Ma, M. , Hogarth, G. , Thanou, M. , Green, M. , Mcgregor, I. & Long, N., King's College London, 10 Jul 2017

DOI : 10.18742/RDM01-209

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Pharmaceutical Sciences

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The Pharmaceutical Sciences Clinical Academic Group (CAG) is unique as the world’s only formal healthcare/academic partnership in pharmaceutical sciences.   

The Pharmaceutical Sciences CAG brings together more than 1,850 staff and students from each of the partner organisations within King’s Health Partners, with the aim of improving practice, research and education in pharmaceutical sciences. It includes a variety of professional groups, including pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy assistants, scientists, healthcare professionals, undergraduate and postgraduate students and administrative staff.

Read the latest news from our Pharmaceutical Sciences CAG

Our CAG draws together all aspects of the use of medicines, from drug discovery through first-in-man studies, through to formulation technology and prescribing safety to post marketing pharmacoepidemiology (the study of the uses and effects of drugs in large numbers of people).

Our range of services includes pharmacy departments at Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts, the Institute of Pharmaceutical Science at King’s College London, a pharmaceutical production facility at Guy’s Hospital, King's Health Partners Clinical Trials Supplies, the Medicines Information Centre at Maudsley Hospital and the Toxicology Unit at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. 

We work closely with specialist services such as cancer, cardiovascular and emergency services. Working across our acute and community sectors, we are maximising beneficial outcomes for our patients from medicines, through medicines optimisation.

This sees our CAG focusing on safety, governance, professional collaboration and patient engagement in the formulation, prescribing and research into medicines.   

Our CAG runs several education and training programme for healthcare professionals and pharmacy and pharmacology students. They include:

• A four year MPharm degree
• BSc Pharmacology, Pharmacology with Molecular Genetics
• an MSc degree in Pharmaceutical Medicine
• MSci Integrated Pharmacology and Physiology for Research
• a pre-registration training year for pharmacy graduates, which includes working across King’s Health Partners
• international paediatric pharmacy internships
• a clinically-enhanced independent prescribing course for pharmacists and nurses
• a postgraduate research programme (PhD) embedded in IPS across the three research groups: Drug Discovery, Drug Development and Medicines Use.

Staff in our CAG contribute to a large number of courses that are run at King’s Health Partners including undergraduate medicine and postgraduate medical specialty courses. Academics in our Institute of Pharmaceutical Science provide substantial teaching in a wider range of undergraduate and postgraduate taught course delivered within teaching departments in:

• pharmacology
• biochemistry
• physiology.

Key achievements in education include:

• Our MPharm degree was re-accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) for the maximum six years, with no conditions or recommendations
• King's College London Pharmacy and Pharmacology ranked 20th in the world in the 2023 QS World University Rankings by subject .

Our research is governed by the need of clinical practice. Increasingly, collaborative research with NHS colleagues forms a major part of our work, producing 250 full research papers since the CAG's inception, including papers in the BMJ  ( British Medical Journal ) and  The Lancet .  We have established a PhD programme for NHS pharmacists and scientists, with 14 doctorates already awarded and eight still in progress.

The Institute of Pharmaceutical Science has wide ranging expertisethat reflects our ‘bench to bedside’ expertise from drug discovery, drug development through to medicines use in the real-world.

Members of our CAG have a multiplicity of collaborations with industry that have led to the award of research grants, consultancy agreements, Collaborative Awards in Science and Engineering (CASE) studentships, knowledge partnerships and the setting up of their own companies. 

King’s Health Partners Clinical Trial Pharmacies

At any one time, King’s Health Partners Clinical Trial Pharmacies supports around 650 clinical trials of medicinal products. We collaborate across all pharmacy units in the partnership to support this clinical research. We aim to be a centre of excellence for providing pharmacy services and drug management solutions for clinical research. We review all clinical trials of investigational medicinal products as part of an approval process for research and development in each of our partner trusts. We also work with researchers to ensure clinical trials are set up efficiently and provide support in designing effective trials.

Innovations and achievements

• Read about how our clinical academic collaborations are improving the lives of our patients in  Innovation Impact Stories
• See 70 examples of key achievements from across our partnership in our  CAGraphics booklet .

Our clinical academic group has dissolved artificial boundaries between research, practice, teaching and training, and between the NHS and academic. Our clinicians teach, our researchers practice and our teachers research. This structure is enabling us to attain our key strategic goal of assuring the translation of research findings related to drugs and medicines into practice as quickly as possible, which ultimately benefits our patients who safely receive the right medicine, in the right formulation at the right time.

Pharmaceutical Sciences Clinical Academic Group Leader

Prof David Taylor, Professor of Psychopharmacology, King’s College London; Director of Pharmacy and Pathology, South London and Maudsley NHS FT. 

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Pharmaceutical Science

King's College London

www.kcl.ac.uk

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings is the only global university performance table to judge research-intensive universities across all of their core missions: teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.

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The Institute of Pharmaceutical Science (IPS) is concerned with gaining a detailed understanding of human disease and employing this knowledge to discover, design, develop and ultimately deliver drugs to the patient with a view to improving the management of disease. There is also a strong interest in the appropriate use of medicines. IPS is one of the largest Research Divisions in the health schools and is organised in five groups: Chemical Biology, Drug Delivery, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Pharmaceutical Biophysics, and Clinical Practice and Medication Use. There is a vibrant PhD programme with more than 100 students.

In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, based on the research volume metric, the Institute ranked 5th out of 25 Pharmacy Departments in the U.K. Particular areas of research strength include expertise in Systems Biology, Molecular Biophysics, Medicinal Chemistry and Metal Biology. IPS has strong links with many of the other research divisions at King’s College London and consequently has developed a critically-important central role in the total research effort of the College. Staff have a substantial number of collaborations at a local, national and international level. Following the accreditation of King’s Health Partners, Academic Health Sciences Centre, the Institute joined three NHS trust pharmacy departments (Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts) and the Guy’s Drug Research Unit (Quintiles) to form the Pharmaceutical Sciences Clinical Academic Grouping. The aim is to cement the collaboration between staff in the Institute and the NHS Trusts and achieve excellence in service provision, in research, and in education and training. Opportunities are available for graduate research in a wide variety of pharmaceutical subjects ranging from the discovery, design, analysis and formulation of drugs to drug metabolism, pharmacokinetics and toxicology as well as pharmacology, clinical pharmacy and pharmacy practice.

Course study environment

The Institute has excellent facilities for molecular biology, cell culture, confocal microscopy, radioisotope, spectroscopy, DNA sequencing, and oligonucleotide synthesis. We are also well set up for in vitro and in vivo gene transfer and the generation and maintenance of genetically modified cells/animals.

Facilities are available for human metabolic studies and for clinical pharmacological studies including non-invasive measurements of body function. Students receive techniques and research methods training from academic and appropriately-trained technical staff.

Central facilities available to staff & students within the Institute include state-of-the-art library and IT facilities, with an extensive collection of books, journals and electronic databases available to all students. Each PhD student is provided with desk space and computer access.

The Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine has strict procedures in place to ensure adherence to good laboratory practice, overseen by the Faculty Safety Manager. In accordance with College policy and procedures, risk assessments are undertaken by the supervisors and the students prior to the commencement of the project. These assessments (and the associated working procedures) are kept under review and modified as necessary.

Students are encouraged to attend the Institute’s in-house seminar programme featuring internationally-renowned academics from UK and overseas institutions, as well as relevant seminars in the other research divisions at King’s. The interdisciplinary nature of the Institute enables postgraduates to benefit not only from exchange of information that takes place in the regular laboratory meetings (postgraduate students give seminars within these fora) but also from cross-fertilization of ideas provided by the five groups. In addition, staff and students within the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine interact with the Dental Institute, the Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery, as well as the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience.

Every year, all postgraduate students participate in a one-day research symposium which provides the forum for them to present posters or oral communications. The symposium is attended by staff, students and representatives from Research Councils, charities and industry. Students are also encouraged to present their work at national and international conferences and the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine has a travel bursary scheme available to support such activity.

Postgraduate training

At entry, all new research students in the Institute are inducted into the King's Graduate School, and attend courses that provide training on risk assessment, radiation protection, genetic hazards, research on human subjects and the legal basis of animal experimentation. Students are also trained on the nature and ethics of research, organisation of study and experimentation, presentation skills, and approaches to the use of computing, statistics facilities, library and information retrieval. Students acquire further training in transferable skills through the Researcher Development Programme (RDP), which is mandatory for continued registration as a PhD student. King's has implemented a new software package Skills Forge - incorporating a learning needs analysis, a personal development log and an online booking system. In their final year of study, all PhD students are required to attend further courses dealing with thesis preparation, interview skills, and careers. The specialist training demanded for individual research projects is provided by the appropriate academic and/or technical staff within the appropriate research laboratories, either in the College or externally.

• A Diploma Magistra with high grades will be considered for programmes requiring a UK Master's degree.
• Please provide a description of the research project you wish to undertake, information on your previous research experience and, for self-funded applicants, details of how you plan to fund yourself. Applicants with personal funding should attach confirmation of this to the applications
• IELTS (Academic)
• Scholarships
• Graduate School international PGR student scholarships
• International student research funding
• The Professor Sir Richard Trainor PhD scholarships
• Professor Anthony Guest PhD Scholarship

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Course type

Qualification, university name, postgraduate pharmacy courses at king's college london, university of london.

4 courses available

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About Postgraduate Pharmacy

Pharmacy is the science and technique of preparing and dispensing the drugs studied and produced by pharmacologists. It links health with chemical sciences to ensure the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs.

Students of pharmacy will study the science of developing, preparing and issuing medicines. This highly precise science combines elements of pharmacology, chemistry and medicine and is central to the treatment of diseases and the overall health of our society.

There are more than 180 postgraduate pharmacy programmes available at around 50 universities in the UK including postgraduate diplomas, MSc degrees and doctoral research pathways.

What to expect

The courses are typically one to three years long and may be offered as full-time or part-time degrees. The curriculum may include coursework in research methods, cognitive development, learning disabilities, and more.

Postgraduate students will develop advanced knowledge of relevant pharmaceutical theories and study methods, carrying out applied work on developing new medicines and pharmaceutical models based on their findings.

There are several career opportunities available for individuals who have completed a postgraduate course in pharmacy including becoming a medical writer, a toxicologist, a pharmacologist, a pharmacist, or a medical sales representative.

Related subjects:

• Anesthesiology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Child Dentistry
• Dental Health Education
• Dental Hygiene
• Dental Technology
• Dermatology
• Diagnostic Imaging
• Endodontics
• Forensic Medicine
• Geriatric Medical Studies
• Medical Sciences
• Medical Technology
• Orthodontics
• Parenting and Carers
• Periodontics
• Pharmacology
• Prosthetics
• Prosthodontics
• Surgery, Medicine and Dentistry

• Course title (A-Z)
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Clinically Enhanced Pharmacist Independent Prescribing (CEPIP) PG Cert

King's college london, university of london.

Our Clinically Enhanced Pharmacist Independent Prescribing (CEPIP) post-graduate course is part-time, flexible and competency-based. This Read more...

• 9 months Part time degree: £3,710 per year (UK)
• 9 months Part time degree

Pharmaceutical Analysis, Technology and Biopharmaceuticals MSc

Better medicines can change lives. Here at King’s, our renowned pharmaceutical science and pharmacology research is helping us develop Read more...

• 1 year Full time degree: £15,840 per year (UK)

Pharmacology MSc

Our Pharmacology MSc will give you a deep understanding of pharmacology, and allow you to put this into practice through laboratory Read more...

• 1 year Full time degree: £14,940 per year (UK)

Pharmaceutical Discovery, Development and Use. (Joint PhD with the University of Sao Paulo)

A 4 year joint PhD programme in pharmaceutical sciences is offered between the Institute of Pharmaceutical (IPS) Science at King’s and Read more...

• 4 years Full time degree: £6,540 per year (UK)

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Qualification:, related subjects:.

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As the link between patients and medicine, pharmacists must be experts on prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications, understanding use, side effects and mixtures of medicine. These are the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D) schools and programs. Each school's score reflects its average rating on a scale from 1 (marginal) to 5 (outstanding), based on a survey of academics at peer institutions. Read the methodology »

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School of Pharmacy MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

The UCL School of Pharmacy is a world-leading centre for pharmacy education and research in pharmacy and biomedical sciences. The School has maintained this status over decades, being recently ranked 4th in the QS World Rankings by Subject (Pharmacy and Pharmacology 2023). Furthermore, London was ranked 1st in the QS Best Student Cities 2023 list, making it an ideal location in which to study.

UK tuition fees (2024/25)

Overseas tuition fees (2024/25), programme starts, applications accepted.

Applications closed

• Entry requirements

A UK taught Master’s degree, or a minimum of an upper second-class UK Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, chemistry, microbiology pharmacy, pharmacology, or other relevant subject, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

If you are intending to apply for a time-limited visa to complete your UCL studies (e.g., Student visa, Skilled worker visa, PBS dependant visa etc.) you may be required to obtain ATAS clearance . This will be confirmed to you if you obtain an offer of a place. Please note that ATAS processing times can take up to six months, so we recommend you consider these timelines when submitting your application to UCL.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website .

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

Students work in several core research areas:

• understanding the underlying basis of challenging human diseases
• identification of new drugs and drug targets
• medicine development, leading to effective medicines with optimised delivery, and minimising effects
• pharmacy practice and medicines management, specialising in the influence of human behaviour on medicine use

Who this course is for

Our PhD programme is intended for students who wish to obtain high quality scientific training that will enable them to conduct independent research.

What this course will give you

In addition to an advanced hypothesis driven research project yielding top flight publications which change thinking in their chosen fields, students also acquire generic and transferable skills while undertaking their PhD. For example, students graduate with skills enabling excellent scientific presentation, both written and verbal, time management - an essential skill in today's busy world - and networking.

Students have ample opportunities to practice the art of networking with their peer group, both within the school and outside, as students often talk about their work within the school and many students travel the world speaking to scientists about their research work.

The foundation of your career

Understanding the approach of industry to the complex process of discovering, developing, formulating and licensing a medicine provides students with an outlook and expertise valued by employers. Recent PhD students have gone into research roles in the pharmaceutical industry and in universities in the UK and around the world. Others have found careers in regulatory affairs, the NHS or scientific publishing, drug licensing and clinical trial research.

Employability

Recent PhD students have gone into research roles in the pharmaceutical industry and in universities in the UK and around the world. Others have found careers in regulatory affairs, the NHS or scientific publishing, drug licensing and clinical trial research.

The School attracts the leading figures in the field to our diverse programme of events, seminars, lectures, debates and conferences, focusing on critical issues in pharmacy, biomedical research and pharmaceutical industry.

Teaching and learning

PhD research involves a wide variety of learning methods, but your self-directed research activities will be crucial. You can expect to be supported by your supervisor to develop your research skills, as well as learning from other colleagues in our thriving research community. 

Assessment will involve an upgrade from MPhil to PhD, and then the final viva examination.

An agreement is made by students and supervisors as to how their hours are divided between contact and self-directed study. Full-time research equates to approximately 37 hours per week and part-time research hours would not normally be less than 50% of the full-time equivalent 37 hours per week).

Research areas and structure

Research Clusters:

• Age-Related Medicines Development And Use: The cluster aims to cultivate the research in the development of medicines tailored to the needs of patients accross the whole of the life course
• Drug Discovery And Therapeutic Target Identification: The cluster aims to participate in all the stages of early phase drug discovery from chemical biology approaches to new target identification and validation
• Fabrication And Synthetic Technologies For Advanced Drug Delivery: The cluster seeks to develop new dosage forms to optimise drug action
• Medicine Use and Optimisation
• Pharmacoepidemiology And Medication Safety: Researchers are engaged in projects to improve safety and benefit outcomes in the use of medicines
• Translational Neuroscience: Researchers use a wide range of molecular, cellular and whole organism models as well as theoretical approaches to study normal brain function and uncover the fundamental causes of neurological and psychiatric diseases
• Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics

Research environment

Students participate in research projects in one of four research departments in the School of Pharmacy:

• Research Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry
• Research Department of Pharmaceutics
• Research Department of Pharmacology
• Research Department of Practice and Policy

An agreement is made by students and supervisors as to how their hours are divided between contact and self-directed study. Full-time research equates to approximately 37 hours per week and students and supervisors decide how those hours are divided between contact and self-directed study.

An agreement is made by students and supervisors as to how their hours are divided between contact and self-directed study. Part-time research hours are agreed by the supervisor and student, but would not normally be less than 50% of the full-time equivalent (37 hours per week).

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk . Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team .

Fees and funding

Fees for this course.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees .

Additional costs

Your research degree may be subject to an Additional Fee Element (AFE). The AFE (also known as bench fees) is an additional cost, incurred by yourself or your sponsor. It is levied to cover the costs related to consumables, equipment and materials etc which are not included in the tuition fee. As each research project is unique in nature, the AFE is calculated on a student by student basis and is determined by your academic supervisor.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs .

Funding your studies

We post studentship information throughout the year. Please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/pharmacy/study/mphil-phd/studentships-and-funding for new opportunities.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website .

Our diverse academic environment will give you the opportunity to develop strong transferable research skills and will support a wide range of future research and employment opportunities.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Got questions? Get in touch

School of Pharmacy

[email protected]

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Program Overview

The Pre-health Professions Program at King’s College provides all of the resources you need to successfully enter a graduate program in Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine, Chiropractic Medicine, Podiatry, Optometry, Nursing, Physical Therapy, Pharmacy, Physician Assistant, Athletic Training, and other clinical health professions. We offer a wealth of individual and group opportunities for our students as they progress from freshman year through admittance into their professional program.

King’s College offers 5-year BS/MS Programs for students wishing to pursue  Physician Assistant or Athletic Training careers. These programs are composed of a pre-professional and professional phase. King's also offers a competitive undergraduate Nursing program including an RN to Bachelor of Science Degree and the Dual Degrees in Nursing (DDN) program.  We encourage you to learn more about these exciting programs!

The Exercise Science Occupational Therapy Track (3+3 OTD track) BS/OTD program requires six years of academic studies, including six months of clinical fieldwork and a 14-week doctoral capstone experience. This accelerated degree program leads to an entry-level Clinical Doctorate after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science with a Minor in Neuroscience.

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For students wishing to pursue admittance to graduate programs in Pre-Health, King’s College offers:

• Personalized advising for each student
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From molecules to medicines: using science to transform health

The Institute of Pharmaceutical Science is organised into four Departments that work together towards the development of toxicological and forensic science, the discovery of novel medicines & new formulations that can be evaluated in the clinic, and providing a better understanding of how to optimise the use of existing medicines by patients and healthcare professionals.

Find out more about our Departments below.

Analytical, Environmental & Forensic Sciences

The Department aims to develop and improve forensic science methodologies and to explore and…

Drug Discovery

The Department brings together scientific expertise in a broad range of areas, from medicinal…

Medicines development

The Department develops novel materials, formulations, drug delivery devices, manufacturing,…

Medicines Use

The Department provides expertise on the evaluation, optimisation and risk associated with…

Our Cross-cutting Research Themes

Antimicrobial Research Theme

The Antimicrobial theme is a collaborative and interdisciplinary effort, involving academic staff…

Cancer Diagnostics & Therapeutics

Coming soon - Cancer Diagnostics & Therapeutics Research Theme

Respiratory Medicines Theme

Coming soon - Respiratory Medicines Theme

Our Research Centres

Centre for Adherence Research & Education

The Centre for Adherence Research & Education (CARE) provides a research and learning hub for…

Centre for Pharmaceutical Medicine Research

The UK has a strong tradition of medicines development and the Centre for Pharmaceutical Medicine…

Laboratory to bedside

Our laboratory-based research is located in the Franklin Wilkins Building on the Waterloo Campus and focuses on innovation in drug discovery and drug delivery technologies.

Our clinical researchers work closely with local teaching hospitals through King’s Health Partners and include training, education and research in optimising medicines use.

Institute of Pharmaceutical Science - PhD opportunities

PhD Opportunities at the Institute of Pharmaceutical Science - this is an enabling and rich…

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Moscow police chief, who oversaw University of Idaho killings case, to retire and run for sheriff

The man who guided the Moscow Police Department through the University of Idaho killings and the national spotlight that accompanied them is retiring this spring to run for Latah County sheriff.

Police Chief James Fry, 54, will retire May 1 after three decades with the department, including the last eight years as chief, to focus on his bid for sheriff. The primary election is May, and the general election is November.

Fry said he still wants to be involved in law enforcement, still has energy and wants a new challenge.

“Although it’s similar, it’s still new and I think it will be a good challenge,” Fry said. “And if I don’t get elected for some reason, then I will go look for something else.”

Sheriff Richie Skiles said he learned Wednesday of Fry’s intention to run against him. Skiles will seek a third term in November.

He said Fry did a good job as police chief and wished him the best in his retirement.

Fry started as a reserve officer in 1993 and was hired as a patrol officer in 1995. He rose through the ranks before becoming chief in 2016.

Fry graduated from the University of Idaho with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal justice, according to a city of Moscow news release.

He graduated in 2019 from a 10-week training course at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Fry told the Moscow-Pullman Daily News at the time the opportunity is presented to 1% of law enforcement personnel in the U.S.

In November 2022, Fry was thrust into the national limelight after four UI students – Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin – were stabbed to death at the women’s rental home just off the university’s campus.

Fry provided updates on the case at news conferences packed with national and local media and was watched across the country. He and his department, which has over 30 officers, faced criticism by some who said Fry did not provide enough information, and that his department was not equipped to handle a quadruple homicide investigation.

Seven weeks after the killings, police arrested Washington State University graduate student Bryan Kohberger in Pennsylvania.

Fry said the stress that accompanied the Kohberger case played “somewhat of a role” in his decision to retire.

“We moved through that whole process even though it was stressful; we got the job done and we did it right,” Fry said of the homicides investigation. “So, no matter how people think of me, the ultimate thing is we held the integrity of the case at the highest level just like we still are today until it’s completed.”

Moscow Mayor Art Bettge said the harsh criticism Fry and his department received nationally weighed on Fry.

“The chief had to take a lot of that stress on himself because he had to keep the rest of the force focused and working on the case and solving the case,” Bettge said.

The narrative changed drastically when Kohberger was arrested, he said.

“Suddenly, Moscow police and Chief Fry are looking like geniuses,” Bettge said. “That had to be gratifying, but the stress leading up to it had to be blood-pressure raising and just horrific to endure.”

Bettge said Fry handled the chaos as professionally as anyone could have.

“I would say he handled that very professional in the face of some very negative headwinds that went on, and that’s the acme of a professional, is your ability to do your job regardless of what’s been thrown at you by outside entities and people who don’t know the full story,” Bettge said.

Bettge described Fry as a “nice, quiet leader.”

“He preferred to be a little more on the quiet side and just lead by example and make the hard decisions as necessary, but it wasn’t about him,” Bettge said of Fry’s tenure as chief.

Fry lives in Troy, Idaho, with his wife of 32 years, Julie. They have four grown children. Julie Fry was elected as the Latah County Clerk in 2022.

Fry and Bettge said they’re proud of the community policing philosophy Fry has helped maintain where protecting and serving residents trumps enforcement.

“We really do work hard with the community and try to build relationships with the community, and I think that has been fostered over the years,” Fry said.

Bettge said, “Community policing was an ideal to which the chief held himself to a high standard, and that percolated throughout the department and has left us with a police department that the citizens of Moscow respect and appreciate what they do.”

Fry said law enforcement changed in several ways in his 30 years.

Moscow police has seen changes of its own during Fry’s tenure as chief. The department got a new police station, brought in its first drug dog and implemented body cameras on officers in the last few years.

The city will start the process for the selection and appointment of the next police chief over the next few weeks, the city said. Bettge said the goal is to hire a new chief by the time Fry retires. Fry said he expects he’ll be involved in the hiring process.

Fry said he wants to be remembered as a chief who did his job to the best of his ability, worked hard to build relationships in the community and made the city safer and better for everyone.

“It’s been a great honor to actually be able to serve this community and work with the officers that we have,” Fry said. “We have a phenomenal group of men and women who do a great job, and I’m very proud of the fact I got to be a part of that.”

Providence Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital: 20 years of caring

At just four days old, Elliott Naftzger underwent her first open-heart surgery.