APS Sponsors
Who We Are
The Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences (APS) is the UK-based professional membership body for Pharmaceutical Scientists.
We represent individuals and organisations from around the globe, throughout their development, in the delivery of excellence in the Pharmaceutical Science sector.
Pharmaceutical Scientists are experts in the research, development and manufacture of medicines. They have a major role in the regulation of medicines and understanding their use in patients.
What We Do
The APS is a not-for-profit organisation. We use revenues to champion innovation and opportunity in Pharmaceutical Sciences thereby improving the development and delivery of medicines for the benefit of patients. Our four key strategic themes, which are the foundation of all APS activities, are:
- Establish and promote the reputation of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Scientists
- Influence policy
- Further scientific knowledge
- Promote careers
APS Priorities
APS Chairs
For 25 years, the Academy of Pharmaceutical Scientists has been guided by exceptional Chairs whose leadership, vision, and dedication have shaped our community. Today we honour each of them for strengthening our mission, advancing scientific excellence, and leaving a legacy that continues to inspire future generations.
2026 – 2027
Dr Kofi Asare-Addo
Reader in Pharmaceutics, Admissions Tutor for Pharmacy (MPharm), University of Huddersfield
Kofi became a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2014. His research area includes UV Imaging in pharmaceuticals, particle engineering, drug-clay complexations for oral controlled release formulation applications and solubility enhancements (solid dispersions, salts and cocrystals). His work has been presented both nationally and internationally at various pharmaceutical science conferences. Kofi successfully collaborates with other universities and several pharmaceutical industries.
2024 – 2025
Professor Ryan Donnelly
Chair in Pharmaceutical Technology, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast
Professor Ryan Donnelly holds the Chair in Pharmaceutical Technology at Queen’s University Belfast and is Director of QUB’s interdisciplinary research programme Materials & Advanced Technologies for Healthcare (MATCH). His personal research is centred on design and physicochemical characterisation of advanced polymeric drug delivery systems for transdermal and intradermal drug delivery, with a strong emphasis on improving patient outcomes. He is currently developing a range of novel microneedle technologies through independent research, but also in collaboration with several major pharma partners.
He has obtained substantial UK Research Council, charity and industrial funding and authored over 300 peer-reviewed publications (H-index = 58), including 6 patent applications, 6 textbooks, 23 book chapters and approximately 250 full papers. He has been an invited speaker at numerous national and international conferences. Professor Donnelly is Europe/Africa Editor of Drug Delivery & Translational Research and the Controlled Release Society’s Communications Chair. He has won the Academy of Pharmaceutical Science’s Innovative Science Award (2020), Evonik’s Resomer Award (2018), the Controlled Release Society’s Young Investigator Award (2016), BBSRC Innovator of the Year and the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Pharmaceutical Research Meritorious Manuscript Award (2013), the GSK Emerging Scientist Award (2012) and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Science Award (2011).
2022 – 2023
Professor Hannah Batchelor
Professor of Biopharmaceutics, Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences
Professor Hannah Batchelor specialises in developing medicines tailored to the needs of children, with a particular focus on age-appropriate formulations, biorelevant dissolution testing, and the application of cyber-physical systems to transform drug product development. Drawing on experience across academia, the NHS, and the pharmaceutical industry, her work bridges fundamental science with real-world patient needs. She is currently Professor at the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, where she leads research on improving the design, manufacture, and performance prediction of paediatric medicines. Her contributions influence regulatory guidance, industrial practice, and global initiatives to enhance medicine acceptability and effectiveness for children.
“I really enjoyed getting the conferences back to in-person following COVID” – Professor Hannah Batchelor
2020 – 2021
Jo Craig
Jo Craig, Director, Jo Craig Pharma Consulting
Jo has a busy family life, recently becoming a grandmother with 2 small grandsons. She continues to be very busy professionally, and relishes the pace, drive and ownership of getting new medicines to patients through the biotech sector. She is currently Senior Vice President CMC (Chemistry Manufacturing & Controls) for Rathlin Therapeutics and acts as a CMC Consultant for other biotech companies including one company on the path to regulatory submissions and commercialisation. She was previously SVP CMC for women’s health company KaNDy Therapeutics prior to its acquisition by Bayer in 2020, and held the same role in NeRRe Therapeutics until 2026. Prior to biotech, Jo spent over 30 years at GlaxoSmithKline where her career spanned leadership roles in CMC product development, latterly as Vice President of Technology & Strategy. Jo is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pharmacy, an Eminent Fellow of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences (APS), was APS chair (2020-2021) and is currently an Advisor to the APS Board. She is passionate about empowering and enabling the next generation of scientists and leaders in the pharmaceutical industry.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time as APS chair at a time when social distancing meant that we had to find new and innovative ways of meeting and supporting each other” – Jo Craig
2017 – 2020
Dr Mark McAllister
Chief Scientific Officer, BioWaived
Dr Mark McAllister is the Chief Scientific Officer and cofounder of Biowaived, a specialist dissolution and biopharmaceutics company based at Discovery Park in Kent. He is a Pharmacy graduate from Queen’s University Belfast and has a pharmaceutics PhD from Aston University which focused on liposomal delivery to the lung for the treatment of cystic fibrosis infections.
Mark has 30 years industrial development experience and has specialised in oral delivery systems and biopharmaceutics through roles with Hoechst-Roussel, GlaxoSmithKline and most recently as a Senior Director and Head of Global Biopharmaceutics, part of the Drug Product Design group at Pfizer in Sandwich, Kent.
Mark was the Pfizer drug product lead for Lorlatinib, an accelerated small molecule treatment for NSCLC, commercialised as Lorviqua in the EU and Lorbrena in USA/Canada/Japan. He is a former chair of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences and is currently a visiting lecturer at King’s College London. Mark co-led the IMI ‘OrBiTo’ biopharmaceutics project and has contributed to a number of pre-competitive research programmes including PEARRL, COLOTAN, AGePOP and InPharma Marie Skłodowska-Curie innovative training networks. Mark is a Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences and is the recipient of the APS Service Medal award. Mark is a co-author on more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and book chapter contributions, multiple patents and invited presentations and more than 50 poster presentations.
“When I think back to my time as Chair, a few things stand out. Firstly, the steep learning curve when I transitioned the role from Linda Hakes who had done a great job on building on the re-structuring efforts initiated by Bill Dawson. The support and guidance of the past chairs was critical over this time. We had a difficult time with planning the annual APS Pharm Sci meeting in Greenwich with trying to balance aspirations for the meeting with financial constraints but I think this was one of the standout Pharm Sci conferences of the last few years with the conference dinner in the Painted Hall on the Old Royal Navy College a real highlight. This gave us the confidence to plan for the 2020 meeting to be in Belfast for the first time and we took plans all the way to the stage where we were ready to open registration in March 2020 but we all know what followed then. Happily, we did get the conference to Belfast in 2022, the first in person major event for APS following the pandemic. The other highlight for my time as Chair would be the progress made by Linda Hakes and her accreditation team to make this a reality after many years of discussion at board level” – Dr Mark McAllister
2016 – 2017
Dr Linda Hakes
Linda has more than 40 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry, having worked for companies such as Glaxo, Marion Merrell Dow, Celltech, Eli Lilly, Schwarz Pharma AG and UCB Biosciences. Her experience covers pharmaceutical development, preclinical development, clinical trial supplies, quality assurance and project leadership. Since 2016 Linda has been an independent consultant with a focus on pharmaceutical development and development strategy.
Linda is a Fellow of both the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and FIP.
2012 – 2015
Dr Bill Dawson
2010-2011
Professor Martin Snowden
I am a retired Pro-Vice Chancellor who led a large Faculty of Engineering and Science at the University of Greenwich. In addition to my leadership role I maintained a research interest in colloid and polymer science and also formulation Science. I have published over 120 peer reviewed papers. I am now part of the APS review team who undertake accreditation of University degree programmes in Pharmaceutical Science.
“I led the preliminary discussions about APS becoming an Accrediting Professional Body for University degree programmes in Pharmaceutical Science. The process was completed by Bill Dawson who followed me as Chair. I believe offering professional accreditation was a key milestone for APS” – Professor Martin Snowden
2009 – 2010
Dr Eddie J French PhD
Drug Product Development Consultant, TEKH Consulting Ltd
Eddie French is an independent pharmaceutical consultant who specializes in drug product design, development and manufacture. In this role he supports medicines development programmes in biotechs, established pharma companies and philanthropic organizations. He is also currently Head of CMC for Enterprise Therapeutics and Chief Development Officer (CDO) of Veirulence Limited both UK based Biotechs. Eddie has a PhD is drug delivery and spent time as an academic at Bath University prior to over 30 years in the pharmaceutical industry. The majority of this time was spent with Pfizer in sandwich where he spent 7 years leading their biologics formulation development team followed by 9 years working in the inhaled and injectable drug delivery space. He finished his career at Pfizer as Director of Device Enabled Drug Delivery. Since then, Eddie has worked on a wide range of clinical development projects with a large variety of different companies, CDMOs and academic groups. Eddie has held honorary Professorships both at the Uviversities of Nottingham and Bath, and is an adjunct fellow at the University of Monash in Australia.
“I was chair when we broke form being part of the BPC to establish the UKPharmSci confernce. I lead the discussions with the RPSGB (along with Jayne Lawrence and Bill Dawson) and also played a big role in the setting up the first UK Pharm Sci Conference (The Science of Medicines) in 2010 in Nottingham and cochaired it with Kevin Shakesheff” – Dr Eddie French
2008 – 2009
David Wyatt
Chief Scientific Officer at Aston Particle Technologies and Honorary Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Aston University
David is a pharmaceutical scientist (holding a PhD in Surface Chemistry and Colloid Science) with extensive medicine development experience.
During 32 years with GSK, he held a range of senior scientific and management positions spanning the development of 5 major new chemical entities from molecule selection to be amongst the gold standard respiratory medicines in today’s marketplace.
Later, he was the Vice-President and Head of the Respiratory Centre of Excellence for New Product Introduction within GSK Manufacturing over a period of 8 years and has a broad appreciation of what it takes to champion a good idea to bring it to industrial reality which he is now employing at Aston Particle Technologies.
“During my chairmanship the Academy was engaged in serious discussion with RPSGB and the government prior to the establishment of the General Pharmaceutical Council. As a non-pharmacist we advocated the case for inclusion of all pharmaceutical scientists in any new professional body. The APS remains that inclusive body today” – David Wyatt
2005 – 2007
Professor Dame Ijeoma F. Uchegbu
President of Wolfson College, Cambridge
Professor Dame Ijeoma Uchegbu, DBE, FMedSci is President of Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, UCL’s Professor of Pharmaceutical Nanoscience, a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, a governor on the Wellcome board (one of the largest biomedical sciences research charities in the world), a member of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Council, as well as Chief Scientific Officer of Nanomerics Ltd, a company she co-founded.
Professor Dame Ijeoma Uchegbu is an inventor. Her company, Nanomerics Ltd. is a clinical stage biotech company, developing medicines that address sight threatening illnesses, using technology Uchegbu invented in UK academia. Nanomerics’ flagship technology, its Molecular Envelope Technology, has been proven in clinical trials to target drug molecules to human eye tissues with no plasma exposure.
Technologies developed in her laboratory have won prizes from the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Nanomerics Ltd. won the King’s Award for Enterprise 2024 in the Innovation category. The King’s Award for Enterprise is the UK’s most prestigious business award.
Her work has been featured in BBC Radio 4 programmes such as Desert Island Discs, The Life Scientific and Start the Week as well the BBC World Service’s Outlook and Lives Less Ordinary and BBC Radio 3’s Private Passions. Uchegbu’s work has also been featured in The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph.
Professor Dame Ijeoma Uchegbu has served as Chair of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Scientific Secretary of the Controlled Release Society and she is the immediate past UCL Provost’s Envoy for Race Equality, a role in which she led on race equality work at UCL. Her work led to the removal of the names of prominent eugenicists from all of UCL’s buildings in 2020. Uchegbu has also presented to the UK House of Commons on the educational racial disparities.
Her popular science book– Chain Reaction – is out now and published by Hodder and Stoughton and was featured on the BBC Science Focus Instant Genius podcast as well as the Intelligence Squared podcast.
She is listed in Bloomsbury Publishing’s Who’s Who and in 2025, she was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire (DBE) in the King’s New Years Honours.
“As Chair of the Academy in the noughts, I led the introduction of regular scientific event programming across the calendar year, giving both established and early career researchers, the opportunity to share their work with specialist audiences” – Professor Dame Ijeoma F. Uchegbu
2004 – 2005
Tommy Dolan