Meet our Team: Ruairidh Mackay

In this month's instalment of CMAC's Meet our Team series, we are highlighting Ruairidh Mackay, a dedicated final-year PhD student in Chemical Engineering.

Ruairidh began his PhD journey in October 2020, focusing on the project entitled “In situ measurements of interfacial concentration enhancement in solutions”.

He enjoyed subjects such as mathematics and chemistry during his high school years, which subsequently led him to pursue a Master's degree in Applied Chemistry & Chemical Engineering at the University of Strathclyde. It was the experience of undertaking his final year Master's project which fuelled his desire to pursue a PhD.

This particular project focused on developing SERS nanotags for application in single-particle tracking and mapping, involving the surface functionalisation of gold nanorods. The experience gained from independently conducting research on nanoscale interactions and eliciting specific responses, complemented by the knowledge acquired during his undergraduate studies, provided Ruairidh with the essential expertise required to undertake his PhD research.

Ruairidh currently dedicates most of his time at CMAC to his thesis work, which involves writing up the work he has done over the course of his PhD, lab work for measurements, data analysis, and meetings with supervisors, companies, and partners to discuss his research. His research focuses on trying to better understand heterogeneous crystal nucleation and the fundamental drivers that influence crystal nucleation and growth through the use of in situ surface measurements. He said:

"Although we understand the mechanism by which crystals can nucleate and grow, details of what is actually taking place at the molecular level on surfaces have not been observed to date. This is important to understand because crystallisation is the first stage in the pharmaceutical manufacturing process.

By gaining a better understanding of how crystals nucleate and grow, we can design and develop more efficient and sustainable crystallisation processes in the future."

Ruairidh considers his PhD as his proudest achievement to date, as he feels it is rewarding to have had an ultimate objective in his research and to witness his progress towards achieving it. He describes CMAC as the forefront of pharmaceutical research and development, and he finds it motivating to be involved in cutting-edge research with like-minded individuals from around the world.

"We have access to a wide range of instrumentation at CMAC, which really helps when looking to better understand the fundamentals of a project. My favourite part of working at CMAC, though, is the people – we have a really friendly and diverse team here. They are all very supportive of one another, and their different personalities and backgrounds make it a really engaging and exciting place to come and do our work."

During his spare time, Ruairidh takes part in a range of hobbies, including running, hillwalking, football, and attending live music events. His weekends are notably occupied with these activities, as he participates in running and hillwalking with his friends or attends live events such as gigs, festivals, or Scotland games at Hampden Park.