Dr. Lalitkumar Vora is a Lecturer in Pharmaceutics at the School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast. He obtained his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics from the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai (2017), where he developed long-acting PLGA microspheres for protein therapeutics at a scale-up level, earning him a European and Indian patent. He completed his M.Pharm in Drug Delivery Technology at the University of Mumbai.

As part of his Ph.D., Dr. Vora was awarded the Newton-Bhabha British Council Fellowship, allowing him to conduct six months of research at Queen’s University Belfast in 2016. His pioneering research on microneedle-based long-acting PLGA nano-microtechnology received the Resomer Award (Evonik Health Care, Germany) in 2017.

From 2017 to 2023, Dr. Vora worked as a Research Fellow in Prof. Ryan Donnelly's lab, where he developed advanced microneedle array patch technology for various pharmaceutical applications. He played a pivotal role in several industry-sponsored projects with Teva Pharmaceuticals, PATH/USAID, PATH/NIH (USA), Kindeva Drug Delivery Ltd., LTS Lohmann, and TSLR, supporting clinical translation and commercialization. During this time, he also served as an assistant supervisor for four Ph.D. students, mentored over 20 Ph.D. candidates, and supported 10+ international visiting researchers.

Currently, Dr. Vora co-supervises (full-time) 8 Ph.D. students and 2 postdoctoral researchers as part of the Ocular Drug Delivery Research Group, collaborating with Prof. Raghu Raj Singh Thakur.  He is also actively supervising Master's students, including those from M.Pharm, MSc Pharmaceutical Industry, MSc, Pharmaceutical Analysis (SCCE) and MSc Molecular Biology & Biotechnology programs (SBS). His research focuses on the design, fabrication, and physicochemical characterization of lipidic and polymeric drug delivery systems for transdermal, ocular, and parenteral applications for small molecules and biologics. 

Dr. Vora has an extensive publication record, with 185 Scopus-indexed articles, including 150 Q1 publications, 17 as first author, and over 60 as corresponding author. His work has featured on seven journal covers, and he has contributed to over 130 conference proceedings, authored 20 book chapters, and published two books. His research has attracted more than 7,500 citations since 2018 (Google Scholar), with an H-index of 50 and an i10-index of 125. His contributions to long-acting drug delivery systems, biotherapeutics, and microneedle technologies have earned international recognition, including listing in the Stanford/Elsevier’s Top 2% Scientist Rankings (since 2023).

Dr. Vora has established strong international collaborations with leading research institutions and industry partners across Europe, the USA, Australia, and Asia, particularly in drug delivery and biotherapeutics. He serves on the Editorial Board of The AAPS Journals and holds the position of Secretary/Treasurer for the Ocular Drug Delivery Focus Group within the Controlled Release Society (CRS). Additionally, he is a member of AAPS, The Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences UK, CRS, and Applied Microbiology International.

Teaching (April-2023 to present):

Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) programme:

PMY2202: Pharmaceutical Technology

   PMY2203: Medicinal Substances

   PMY4402: Research Project

Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology programme:

   PMY2304: Pharmaceutical Analysis

   PMY3182: Drug Design/Pharmaceutical Analysis

   PMY2024: Medicinal Substances (BSC Pharmaceutical Sciences)

   PMY2302: Formulation for Industry (Topical products)

   PMY3276: Advanced Delivery Systems for Large & Small Molecules

   PMY3032: Applied Pharmaceutical Biotechnology

MSc Industrial Pharmaceutics programme:

   PMY8112: Characterization Methods for Pharmaceutical Products

   PMY8113: Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and Emerging Technologies

  PMY8116: Research Project (3 months: full time)