Paid Diploma / Master's ThesisAdvancing the capabilities of optical coherence tomography to measure porosityRef. No. DA188To dedicated students of process engineering, chemical and pharmaceutical engineering, or, experimental/applied physics.OBJECTIVEThe in-line monitoring of product porosity is highly relevant in different industries, as the porosity defines various product characteristics. In the pharmaceutical industry, the porosity of granules, an important intermediate, governs their compaction properties, flowability, and dissolution performance, hence impacting the quality of the final drug product. To enable the control of the porosity, an accurate and robust in-line monitoring technology is highly desirable.Optical coherence tomography (OCT) bears the potential to become such a technology, with the first applications to tablets already realized. However, the expansion to other products requires further development of the imaging technology and the subsequent signal and image processing steps. The goal is to develop a robust process analytical technology (PAT) based on first principles, providing a method with high reliability and explainability, meeting the requirements in the pharmaceutical industry.The thesis will include considerations of the optical and mechanical design of the OCT hardware and lay a strong focus on signal and image processing. Experimental trials at RCPE's lab and pilot plant facilities will be an inherent part, providing data for development and verification of the technology. Hence, existing knowledge in optics and programming skills, as well as experience in planning experimental trials, are clear advantages.WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THIS DIPLOMA / MASTER'S THESIS WE OFFER THE FOLLOWING:Extensive participation in a top-level and industrially relevant research project in an international environmentWorking with class-leading equipment (Phylon OSeeT)Supervised training in the taskAssistance of experienced staff with the implementation of innovative ideasAccess to highly modern infrastructure on campus of Graz University of TechnologyAssistance with the publication of resultsFINANCINGCompensation on the basis of a service contractIf you are interested in writing your thesis at the interface between university research and industry/ business and to contribute to the optimization of product and process development in the pharmaceutical industry, please apply directly via our website.