Ryan Donnelly, PhD

Professor Ryan Donnelly holds the Chair in Pharmaceutical Technology at the School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, where he is Director of Research. His research is centred on design and 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 pharmaceutical companies. He is currently Director-at-Large of the Controlled Release Society, with responsibility for the Focus Groups and is immediate past Chair (President) of the UK’s Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences (2023-2025). He is Europe/Africa Editor of the Controlled Release Society Journal Drug Delivery & Translational Research AND A MEMBER OF THE Editorial Board of Journal of Controlled Release. His research work has attracted more than £30 million in funding and he has authored over 1000 peer-reviewed publications, including 15 patent applications, 8 textbooks, 28 book chapters and approximately 450 full papers. He leads a personal research group of approximately 50 people from 15 different countries and has been an invited speaker at numerous national and international conferences. He has won the Laureate of Honor Award of the Controlled Release Society Skin & Mucosal Delivery Focus Group (2025), International Association for Pharmaceutical Technology (APV) Research Award for Outstanding Achievements in the Pharmaceutical Sciences (2024), the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Harrison Medal (2024), the Kydonieus Foundation Transdermal Delivery Award (2024), the European Journal of Pharmaceutics & Biopharmaceutics Most Cited Paper Award (2023), the Drug Delivery & Translational Research Best Paper Award (2023), Visit Belfast’s Ambassador Award for Life & Health Sciences (2022), the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences Innovative Science Award (2020), Evonik’s Resomer Award (2018), the Controlled Release Society’s Young Investigator Award (2016), BBSRC Innovator of the Year (2013), the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Pharmaceutical Research Meritorious Manuscript Award (2013 & 2022), the GSK Emerging Scientist Award (2012), the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Science Award (2011) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland’s Gold Medal (1999).