David is a soft matter physicist with a PhD from the University of Edinburgh. His thesis, ‘Exploring the Multifunctionality of a Commercial Microgel’, focussed on using a combination of techniques, such as rheology, DDM and tensiometry to characterise the behaviour of a commercial formulation ingredient. The PhD was co-sponsored by GSK who used the microgel in some of their skin care products. In collaboration with GSK as part of the Soft Matter and Functional Interfaces CDT, his work focussed on understanding how the microgels acted to thicken suspensions and how they stabilised interfaces between phases i.e., oil and water.
After his PhD, he worked as a formulation development scientist for Curia (Glasgow), developing pharmaceutical formulations for external clients. Formulations were either in liquid or freeze-dried, David’s role involved optimising formulations in terms of pH, osmolality etc., as per the client’s specifications, before transferring through procedures to production. Before moving back to Edinburgh his previous role was a Colloid and Interface Scientist at Unilever (Bebington/Liverpool). In this role David was responsible for screening new sustainable technologies, such as rheology modifiers and surfactants, to assess how their suitability to be used in future Unilever laundry products.
Since joining ECFP in 2024, David has worked with on multiple projects with different companies including: using triborheology to understand how shampoos and conditioners modify the surface of hair fibres and evaluating how alternative hand sanitisers effect skin dryness when compared to traditional alcohol-based sanitisers.
Recently David travelled to Cannes, France for the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists Congress 2025. He presented two posters highlighting the first-class capabilities available at ECFP. The first poster, ‘Using Cryo FIB-SEM and Confocal Microscopy to Visualise the Microstructure of Skincare Formulations’, highlighted how our microscopy suite can characterise the microstructure of a formulation and track how it changes upon drying, which was demonstrated on a commercial sunscreen. The second poster, ‘Correlating Triborheology to the Sensory Profile of Cosmetic Formulations’, showcased our bespoke rheology capabilities to link the flow properties of cosmetic products to consumer perception findings. More info can be found by on our dedicated IFSCC 2025 page.
Student projects:
Marti Cabre Crawford, Investigating the Polymorphic Transitions of Pure Triolein using DSC, Industry Summer Project 2024 with Mondelēz International (Dr Tom Curwen)
Kiran Mukherjee, Using DSC to Investigate the Effects of Aging and Long-Term Frozen Storage on Glyceryl Trioleate as a Model for Cocoa Butter Triglycerides, Industry Summer Project 2025 with Mondelēz International (Dr Tom Curwen)
Fiona Jeffrey, Investigation into the Purification of Brewers’ Spent Grain Protein Solution, Industry Summer Project 2025 with Arda Biomaterials (Dr. Dan Whitaker)