CMAC appoints Professor of Digital Pharmaceutical Material Design
CMAC has appointed Professor Michael T. Ruggiero as its inaugural Professor of Digital Pharmaceutical Material Design, marking a significant step forward in growing the centre’s advanced materials and pharmaceutical manufacturing research.
At CMAC, Professor Ruggiero will focus on pharmaceutical materials, aiming to better understand how materials behave across multiple scales, from atomic interactions through to bulk formulation and tablet manufacturing. His work will support the development of predictive, data-driven models that can accelerate the design and production of safer, more efficient, and more sustainable medicines.
His research combines advanced experimental and computational techniques, including spectroscopy, crystallography, quantum chemistry, and artificial intelligence. By linking molecular-level behaviour to real-world material performance, his work supports the long-term vision of digitally designing materials before they are physically created in the laboratory.
Professor Ruggiero brings a strong track record of academic and research excellence. He has published more than 75 papers in leading journals, secured over $4 million in research funding, and received numerous accolades, including being named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2018 and receiving the IRMMW-THz Young Scientist Award. He holds a PhD in physical chemistry from Syracuse University and completed postdoctoral research at the University of Cambridge.
Professor Ruggiero is an internationally recognised materials chemist whose research focuses on how atomic and molecular-scale motion influences the properties and performance of complex materials. Alongside his role at Strathclyde, he holds an academic position at the University of Rochester in the United States, where he is a faculty member in both the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Chemical and Sustainability Engineering.
“On behalf of the Centre, I am delighted to welcome Mike to the academic team in CMAC at Strathclyde and look forward to work with him across our portfolio of research, training and translation to industry programmes. His research focus is deeply aligned with our drive towards enabling Quality by Digital Design to drive digital CMC development processes and he brings exciting new capabilities to help drive our multi-disciplinary research forward.”
Speaking about his new role, Professor Ruggiero said:
“At CMAC, there is a unique ecosystem where fundamental discovery, advanced manufacturing, and industrial translation exist side-by-side. That creates tremendous opportunities to rethink how pharmaceutical materials are designed and manufactured. I am excited to apply recent advances from my own fundamental research program to realise smarter, more predictive approaches to developing pharmaceutical materials with improved stability, manufacturability, and performance.”
He also highlighted the importance of global collaboration in modern science:
“Science is inherently global, and this appointment reflects a forward-looking vision from both Strathclyde and Rochester. I am excited to foster new opportunities between both Universities.”
The appointment underscores CMAC’s mission to integrate cutting-edge science, digital innovation, and industry expertise to transform pharmaceutical manufacturing for the future.