Faculty
Kenneth Morris, Ph.D.
University Professor
Director of the Lachman Institute for Pharmaceutical Analysis
Kenneth.Morris@liu.edu
(718) 246-6452
Kenneth Morris, Ph.D.Education
Ph.D., University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, in Pharmaceutics
M.S., University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, in Pharmaceutical Chemistry
M.S., University of Georgia, Athens, GA, in Physical Chemistry
B.S., Eastern Michigan University, MI, dual major in Chemistry and Aquatic Biology
Short Biography
Dr. Kenneth R. Morris received a dual B.S. in Chemistry and Aquatic Biology from Eastern Michigan University in 1978 an M.S. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Arizona (1986) and his Ph.D. from the University of Arizona in 1988. After getting his Ph.D., he joined E.R. Squibb and Sons. There he developed the Physical Characterization group and co-developed the Materials Science function. He went on to form the Pre-formulation/Physical Pharmacy group in the Bristol-Myers Products organization, which he led along with Analytical Chemistry. During his time at BMS he also served as a teaching and advising adjunct professor at Rutgers College of Pharmacy and St. Johns University. Dr. Morris then moved to the department of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy at Purdue University in the fall of 1997 where he continued his work in Pharmaceutical Materials Science and Industrial Pharmacy. He was also a professor and associate head for the department. In 2008 Dr. Morris moved to the University of Hawaii at Hilo to help establish the new College of Pharmacy and Ph.D. program in Pharmaceutical Sciences. He also served as the Department Chair from 2012-2015 and Chair of the Graduate Council for the University. In 2015 Dr. Morris moved to Long Island University as a University Professor and founding Director of the Lachman Institute for Pharmaceutical Analysis. His research and teaching interests include: analytical tools for solid state characterization; the study of the impact of processing on the physical characteristics of formulation components and on subsequent dosage form performance; pharmaceutical unit operation optimization; advanced applications of powder x-ray diffraction and dielectric analysis; the study of the association of water with pharmaceutical solids; and modeling and methods for monitoring processing unit operations. Dr. Morris is an AAPS fellow (American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists) and was the Purdue University Site leader for the NSF Engineering Research Center for Structured Organic Composites (ERC-SOPS). Professor Morris is a special government employee and past-chair of the U.S. FDA Scientific Advisory Committee for the Office of Pharmaceutical Sciences (ACPS-OPS) advising the agency in his areas of expertise.
Research Synopsis
The majority of my research is in the emerging discipline of Pharmaceutical Material Science. This area can be described as the study of the impact of the physico-chemical properties of formulation components on the performance of the final pharmaceutical dosage form. These properties include: particle size, shape, surface area, and charge; crystal structure, lattice energy, forms (i.e.: polymorphs and hydrates), morphology; relative crystallinity (and amorphous content); hygroscopicity; and solubility. These properties affect powder flow, mixing, compaction, and physical stability, which, in turn, determine the dosage form performance. Changes in these critical properties that occur during processing can, therefore, alter dosage form performance. A focus of our research is the use of advanced analytical techniques to follow these properties throughout the manufacturing process. The techniques include: powder and single crystal x-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, thermal gravimetric analysis, mid and near diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infra-red spectrophotometry, dielectric spectroscopy, and molecular and crystallographic modeling.
Selected Publications
- Braun, D.E., Nartowski, K.P., Khimyak, Y.Z, Morris, K.R., Byrn, S.R., Griesser, U.J. “Structural Properties, Order-Disorder Phenomena, and Phase Stability of Orotic Acid Crystal Forms”, Mol. Pharmaceutics, 13 (3), pp 1012-1029 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.5b00856 Jan. 2016
- Hamad, ML, Engen, W. Morris, K.R., “Impact of hydration state and molecular oxygen on the chemical stability of levothyroxine sodium”, Pharmaceutical Development and Technology Vol. 20 iss. 3 pgs.314-319 DOI: 10.3109/10837450.2013.862635 May 2015
- Penumetcha, S. and Morris K.R., “Relaxation Kinetic Study of Eudragit® NM30D Film Based on Complex Modulus Formalism”, AAPS PharmSciTech, January 2015. DOI: 10.1208/s12249-015-0289-x
- Daniel Hu, Rahul V. Haware, Mazen L. Hamad, Kenneth R. Morris*, “Characterization of Critical Physical and Mechanical Properties of Freeze-Dried Freeze Dried Grape Powder for Development of a Clinical Patient Delivery System”, Journal of Nutrition, Pharm Dev Technol online Feb 15, 2012.
- Rahul V. Haware, Paul Kim, Lauren Ruffino, Brian Nimi, Catherine Fadrowsky, Michael Doyle, Stephan X.M. Boerrigter, Alberto Cuitino, Ken Morris*, “Anisotropic Crystal Deformation Measurements Determined using Powder X-Ray Diffraction and a New in situ Compression Stage”, International Journal of Pharmaceutics, special issue on predictive methods in Pharmaceutical development, 418(2) pgs. 199-206 (14 October 2011).
- Mazen L. Hamada, Keith Bowman, Nathan Smith, Xiaohong Sheng, Abhay Gupta, and Kenneth R. Morris, “Multi-Scale Pharmaceutical Process Understanding: from Particle to Powder to Dosage Form”, Chemical Engineering Science, special issue entitled “Pharmaceutical Engineering Science – A Key for Tomorrow’s Drug”, 65(21) Sp. Iss. SI p. 5625-5638, NOV 1 2010.
- Engers, David A., Fricke, Molly N., Newman, Ann W., Morris, Kenneth R., “Triboelectric charging and dielectric properties of pharmaceutically relevant mixtures” Journal of Electrostatics (2007), 95(12), 2645-2656.
- Wildfong, P.L., Hancock, B.C., Moore, M.D., Morris, K.R., “Towards an understanding of the structurally based potential for mechanically activated disordering of small molecule organic crystals” J. Pharm. Sci. (2006) 95(12):2645-56.
- Mao, C., Pinal, R. and Morris, K. R., “A Quantitative Model to Evaluate Solubility Relationship of Polymorphs from Their Thermal Properties “ Pharmaceutical Research (2005), 22(7), 1149-1157 Published online Pharmaceutical Research (22 July, 2005).
- Wildfong, Peter L. D.; Morley, Nicole A.; Michael D.; Morris, Kenneth R.; “Quantitative determination of polymorphic composition in intact compacts by parallel-beam X-ray powder diffractometry ll. Data correction for analysis of phase transformations as a function of pressure”. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis (2005), 39(1-2), 1-7.
- Findlay, W. P., Peck, G., and Morris, K. R., “Determination of fluidized-bed granulation endpoint using near-infrared spectroscopy and phenomenological analysis”. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 94 (3):604-612 (March 2005). Published online Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (21 January, 2005).
- Hilden, Lori R., Morris, Kenneth R., “Physics of amorphous solids”. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (2004), 93(1), 3-12
- Hilden, J. L., Reyes, C. E., Kelm, M. J., Tan, J. S., Stowell, J. G., and Morris, K. R., “Capillary precipitation of a highly polymorphic organic compound”. Crystal Growth & Design. 3 (6):921-926 (2003).
- Bi, M., Hwang, S-J., and Morris, K. R., “Mechanism of eutectic formation upon compaction and its effects on tablet properties”. Thermochimica Acta. 404:213-226 (2003).
- Morris, K. R., Griesser, U. J. Eckhardt, C. J., Stowell, J. G., “Theoretical approaches to physical transformations of active pharmaceutical ingredients during manufacturing processes”. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews 48:91-114 (2001).
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