Dr Joey O’Shea is a Senior Lecturer in Pharmaceutics in the School of Pharmacy at University College Cork (UCC). He completed his Bachelor of Pharmacy degree at UCC in 2012, followed by a Master of Pharmacy at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 2013. He was awarded his PhD from the School of Pharmacy, UCC in 2018. 

Following his PhD, Dr O’Shea held a range of roles within the Irish pharmaceutical industry, gaining experience in formulation development, clinical and regulatory affairs, and process development and technical support. He returned to academia in November 2019 as Lecturer in Pharmaceutics and was subsequently appointed Senior Lecturer in June 2025.

Dr O’Shea’s research focuses on improving the oral delivery of poorly water-soluble and otherwise challenging drugs through the development and characterisation of advanced bio-enabling formulations. His work spans lipid-based systems, mesoporous silica carriers and solid-dispersion technologies, with an emphasis on understanding in vitro, in silico and in vivo performance — including the use of porcine models to better predict human pharmacokinetics. He also investigates the design principles needed to address food effects, solubility limitations and permeability barriers, and has contributed to emerging computational approaches, including machine-learning models and Physilogically Based Pharmacokinetic (PBBM) modelling, for predicting formulation behaviour and bioavailability outcomes. Dr O'Shea leads an emerging research programme in site-specific oral drug delivery, including targeted delivery to the lower small intestine and colon, informed by ongoing work in this area. In addition to his formulation science research, Dr O’Shea has an active interest in pharmacy careers and professional pathways, including career decision-making and workforce development within the pharmacy profession.

Dr O’Shea is Programme Director of the MSc in Pharmaceutical Technology and Quality Systems (PTQS), an online Master’s programme designed to prepare graduates and industry professionals for roles such as Qualified Person (QP). He also contributes extensively to teaching across the M.Pharm. undergraduate degree, the Industrial Pharmaceutical Sciences, Operations and Management (IPSOM), and the MSc in Pharmaceutical Regulatory Science (PRS).