Background:

Dr Leaper obtained a BEng in Chemical Engineering from Loughborough University in 1993, MSc in Bulk Solids Handling from Glasgow Caledonian University in 1995 and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Birmingham in 2002 in the field of fluidised beds. He has also worked as a research fellow at the Universities of Greenwich and Nottingham. In 2007 he was appointed as a Senior Lecturer at the Leicester School of Pharmacy, De Montfort University and then a Lecturer in Chemical Engineering at Aston University in 2012. In January 2016 he joined Loughborough University as a Senior Lecturer.

Qualifications:

• BEng, DIS Chemical Engineering (Loughborough)
• MSc Bulk Solids Handling (Glasgow Caledonian)
• PhD Chemical Engineering (Birmingham)
• PGCertHE (De Montfort)
• FHEA
• Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (FIChemE), Chartered Engineer

Current teaching responsibilities:

• CGA004 Chemical Engineering Laboratory
• CGB001 Process Safety and Design
• CGB014 Instrumentation and Control
• CGB017 Reaction Engineering I
• CGB019 Particle Technology
• CGC001 Individual Design Project
• CGC002 Professional Development Project
• CGC033 Research Project
• CGC038 Team Process Design Project
• CGD060 Mixing of Fluids and Particles
• CGP056 MSc Project
• CGP060 MSc Mixing of Fluids and Particles

Current administrative responsibilities:

• Placements Tutor for Chemical Engineering.
• Member: Placements Advisors Group.
• Member: Courses and Teaching Committee

Outline of main research interests:

• Powder caking and storage
• powder handling
• formulation engineering
• pharmaceutical manufacturing
• drug delivery
• novel particle separation
• particle manipulation
• sustainable solid fuels.

Grants and contracts:

• Norwegian Research Council (BIA) - Effective Handling of Alumina with Focus on Reduction of Erosion and Scale Formation - £25k – 1/10/2015 – 30/9/2019 – Consortium headed by Tel-Tek, Porsgrunn, Norway. (CI)
• Diamond Light Source - £35k -1/10/2014-30/9/2017- Joint PhD with CEAC, Aston University – “Novel methods for positioning particles in synchrotrons”. (PI)
• EPSRC - £9k – 1/10/2011- 30/11/2012 – EP/J00667X/1 “Enhancing powder technology research cooperation between De Montfort University and Scandinavian institutions”, in collaboration with Tel-Tek, Porsgrunn, Norway. (PI)
• East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA) - £15k – 1/3/2011-30/9/2011 – Innovation Fellowship investigating the removal of chewing gum using natural products. (CI)
• EPSRC First Grant- £230k – 1/4/2009-31/5/2011-EP/G016224/1 “Novel particle analysis methods”, supported by Unilever Research Port Sunlight. (PI)
• East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA) - £55k – 1/1/2009-31/3/2010 – “Leaving out the lumps – using AFM to analyse the caking of spray-dried materials”, in collaboration with Dr Andrew Stapley, Department of Chemical Engineering, Loughborough University. (PI)

Darwish, N.B., Alkhudhiri, A., AlRomaih, H., Alalawi, A., Leaper, M.C., Hilal, N. (2020) Effect of lithium chloride additive on forward osmosis membranes performance. Journal of Water Process Engineering, 33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2019.101049

Vinner, G.K., Rezaie-Yazdi, Z., Leppanen, M., Stapley, A.G.F., Leaper, M.C., Malik, D.J. (2019) Microencapsulation of Salmonella-specific bacteriophage felix o1 using spray-drying in a ph-responsive formulation and direct compression tableting of powders into a solid oral dosage form. Pharmaceuticals, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/ph12010043

Leaper, M.C., Fisk, E., Browne, R. (2019) Feasibility study to investigate caking in washing powder formulations using a Freeman FT4 powder rheometer. Particulate Science and Technology, 37(8). https://doi.org/10.1080/02726351.2017.1409302

Leaper, M.C., Ali, K., Ingham, A.J. (2018) Comparing the Dynamic Flow Properties and Compaction Properties of Pharmaceutical Powder Mixtures. Chemical Engineering and Technology, 41(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/ceat.201600651

Jaggi, V., Leaper, M.C., Ingham, A. (2016) Measuring the flow properties of small powder samples using an avalanche tester. Drying Technology, 34(6). https://doi.org/10.1080/07373937.2015.1072093

Liu, S., Leaper, M., Miles, N.J. (2014) Particle separation by horizontal deflection in paramagnetic fluid. Powder Technology, 267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2014.03.074

Liu, S., Leaper, M., Miles, N.J. (2014) Vertical flotation of particles in a paramagnetic fluid. Powder Technology, 261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2014.03.067

External collaborators:

• Unilever
• McBride
• Buchi
• Diamond Light Source
• Tel-Tek, University College Telemark (Norway)
• University of Nairobi (Kenya)
• Sanivation (Kenya)
• Flamingo Ltd (UK)

External roles and appointments:

• External PhD Examiner: College of Engineering, Swansea University (2012- ) and School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham (2012 - ).
• Referee in following journals: Desalination, Powder Technology, Drying Technology, Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, International Journal of Pharmaceutics
• Reviewing grant applications for the Danish Council for Independent Research, Technology and Production Sciences in the area of nanotechnology, EPSRC and British Council Newton Fund (also panel member)
• Committee member of IChemE Particle Technology Special Interest Group
• Scientific committee member for RSC “Particulate Systems Analysis” conference in September 2014.
• Scientific committee member for Relpowflo V, Skien, Norway, June 2017.