Torsten Stelzer
Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Puerto Rico
Dr. Torsten Stelzer is Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Technology and co-director of the Crystallization Design Institute at the University of Puerto Rico since 2015. He received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany, in 2009 and stayed on as Assistant Professor (Habilitand) before joining the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for a two year sabbatical leave (2012-2014). Dr. Stelzer is an expert in chemical engineering and pharmaceutical technologies. His research focuses on separation processes with an emphasis on crystallization from solution and melt, polymorphism, process analytical technology, and pharmaceutical manufacturing Current research projects include the control of materials properties by controlling polymorphism of pharmaceuticals in polymer-based solid dosage formulation strategies. He has authored 31 publications, five (5) book contributions, and is an inventor on five (5) patents. He serves as a consultant for companies and is invited member of the Engineering Research Center for Structured Organic Particulate Systems (C-SOPS), the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Technology & Education, the European Federation of Chemical Engineering (EFCE) in the Section Group Product Design & Engineering, and the Puerto Rico Biotechnology Alliance & Pharmaceutical Industry Cluster.
Interest in Materials Science
As a child Stelzer had already discovered my interest for science. However, it wasn’t until hiis PhD where he developed a passion for pharmaceutical materials and how polymorphism can change their properties.
Research Interests
Stelzer’s research interests are in the separation processes with an emphasis on crystallization from solution and melt, polymorphism, process analytical technology, and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Future goals
Stelzer hopes to establish the Crystallization Design Institute at the University of Puerto Rico as a recognized research facility in materials science of crystalline materials.
