UNC Pharmacoengineering Program

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The #1 school of pharmacy (UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy) has a new Pharmacoengineering program. The program is joint between University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University. On the UNC side, it is part of the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics (DPMP). DPMP graduates train in cross-discipline labs that incorporate engineering, and science concepts to develop new drug and vaccine delivery carriers - with a focus on clinical applications.  Upon graduation, students land competitive top paying jobs in big pharma, pharma start-ups, government labs, and academia (read more).  The PhD only level research program focuses on a number of topics at the interface of drug delivery and engineering including: nanofibrous scaffolds to deliver stems cells to treat brain cancer, new polymeric tri-block polymers to form micelles, engineering antibodies, and polymeric nanoparticles to better treat autoimmune diseases.  

Graduate students in the Pharmacoengineering program are provided an annual stipend of $27,500 (or more with fellowships) plus tuition, fees, and health insurance. For more information, please read here under the PhD tab. In addition, The Eshelman Institute for Innovation, which was set up after Dr. Eshelman’s generous $100 million donation, offers graduate fellowships to pursue independent research projects.

On top of this, UNC is nestled in the Research Triangle - the third largest area of biotech growth, after Boston and San Francisco.  This provides a unique opportunity for graduate students, with joint seminars and symposia between local universities (Duke and NC State) as well as start-ups and Big Pharma like GSK and Novartis. 

To learn more about the requirements for admission, please read here, and to apply, click here.