Organisation/Company Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
- BarcelonaTECH Department Physics Research Field Physics » Computational physics Physics » Chemical physics Technology » Pharmaceutical technology Chemistry » Computational chemistry Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Application Deadline 30 Nov 2026
- 23:59 (Europe/Madrid) Country Spain Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Offer Starting Date 1 Mar 2027 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe
- MSCA Reference Number IDEAS-DC2-UPC Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number 101312168 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No Offer Description 3-year PhD position financed in the framework of the MSCA Doctoral Network IDEAS General

job description
* manage and carry out the individual research project;
* participate in the joint IDEAS training and network activities;
* take PhD courses;
* write scientific articles and the PhD thesis;
* participate in national and international congresses and scientific meetings;
* research stay at external research laboratories or company sites;
* disseminate the research outcomes;
* participate in the undergraduate teaching of students. DC 2 – Design and phase diagram of eutectic and amorphous binary mixtures of active pharmaceutical ingredients and excipients for enhanced dissolution and stability. Context: Understanding and exploiting eutectic and amorphous phase behaviour offers a powerful route to enhance the dissolution and stability of poorly soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Eutectic systems, comprising small-molecule API–API or API–coformer combinations,



exhibit characteristic melting point depressions and complex solid–liquid equilibria that can facilitate low-temperature amorphization and improve processability. Despite their potential, the thermodynamic and kinetic principles governing the formation, stability, and dissolution of such systems remain incompletely understood. Objectives: This project aims to explore both the equilibrium and non-equilibrium phase behaviour of small-molecule binary mixtures comprising API and co n former or API–API combinations, and to elucidate their fundamental physicochemical properties. Particular emphasis will be placed on understanding eutectic phase formation and the potential of such systems to yield amorphous mixtures with improved kinetic stability and dissolution performance. Graph-based machine learning (ML) models will be employed to predict binary choices of APIs or API-excipient capable of forming eutectic mixtures with the desired compositions and melting points. Work

location:
The project will be carried out at the EEBE-CDB campus of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC-BarcelonaTech) located in Barcelona, Spain, with two three-months secondment periods, respectively at:
* U niversity of Silesia in Katowice ( Poland ): Complementary study the impact of pressure in phase diagram;
* J anssen Pharmaceutica (Belgium): Exposure to industry R&D;, and study of molecular interactions in developed systems. Expected results:New experimentally verified eutectic systems; Mechanistic and practical framework for using eutectics as a route to stable,



high-performance amorphous drug formulations; State-of-the-art, trained convolutional graph neural networks as a predictive tool for eutectic formulation design. Research Methodology: the doctoral candidate will integrate various methodologies:
* Data-driven molecular design and machine learning: application of generative models to identify and predict API–API and API–coformer systems likely to form low-melting eutectics.
* Experimental phase diagram construction: determination of phase boundaries and transitions using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and hot-stage microscopy.
* Thermal and spectroscopic characterization: detailed probing of solid–liquid equilibria and amorphous phase formation.
* Melt-quenching and relaxation studies: assessment of non-equilibrium behavior and physical stability.
* Dissolution and release kinetics: measurement in biorelevant media to establish structure–property–performance relationships. Applicants must hold a Master's degree or equivalent in Physics, Chemistry, Materials science or similar providing access to PhD programs and should have preferably experience with computational methods and research. General requirements for admission into IDEAS
* Applicants must be eligible (see eligibility criteria below)
* Applicants must hold a MSc or equivalent degree in a related subject area, as required by the specific research project (see below).
* Applicants must have the necessary academic skills and background to make the success of a doctoral degree. The skills needed will depend on the project chosen.
* Applicants must be sufficiently proficient in written and spoken English (English CEFR at least B2, preferable C1 or hi

📌 MSCA PhD position (Castilla-La Mancha)
🏢 Universitat Politècnica De Catalunya (Upc)- Barcelonatech
📍 Castilla-La Mancha