The new series follows the CoP profiles series published in the magazine during 2022. Behind every CoP are the ISPE members who join CoP Steering Committees and participate in sharing knowledge with ISPE members. We will be highlighting two CoP leaders in each issue of the magazine, and look forward to sharing their stories with you.
Javier Lozano
Javier Lozano is Chair of the Disposables/Single-Use Technologies Community of Practice (CoP). Originally from Spain, he is now located in Portsmouth, England. After earning a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Valladolid, he joined a pharmaceutical company working with active pharmaceutical ingredients and enjoyed the work so much that he knew he had found the industry he wanted to stay with.
Most chemical engineers end up working in oil and gas, but the feeling and the satisfaction that you get from working in the pharmaceutical industry to me was much more appealing. I always find it very interesting to hear the patient stories at ISPE’s annual meetings. When you see the impact that your daily work has had on someone’s life, it is very gratifying.
Over the past 20 years, Javier has worked for large and small pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies specializing in biopharma operations and facility design. He has extensive experience working with different product platforms such as human blood plasma, vaccines, microbial, and mammalian cell cultures.
Currently at PM Group, Javier is Head of Process Engineering and is responsible for managing resources for the company’s pharma projects. He is also the in-house subject matter expert on single-use technologies, collaborating and advising on projects across the world.
Single-use technologies are here to stay and are going to remain a very big part of the way biopharmaceuticals are manufactured. But sustainability is very important and all of the big pharma companies have sustainability goals and net zero and carbon neutral plans; single-use technologies can play a key part in the industry. As with everything, it comes with challenges, but I believe that single-use technology can be part of the solution as we move forward into the next part of the century. One of the things I enjoy most about engineering is that you have a problem, and you have to develop a solu-tion and prove it is the right one.
Javier said that being a member of ISPE and the Disposables/Single-Use Technologies CoP has helped him solve challenges throughout his career. “One of the key things about ISPE is that it links you to a wide knowledge base. I don’t think there is any other way that you can reach such a large pool of knowledge in the industry. When you go to meetings and networking events, you meet other engineers and suppliers and those connections help you in your day-to-day work life. You can also ask for advice on the ISPE Engage sites. For me, my ISPE membership has been invaluable.”
At PM Group, Javier also mentors new engineering professionals. “I enjoy mentoring and developing the next generation of engineers. My advice to them is to always be open and grab every opportunity that comes your way. It may work, it may not, but if you keep an open mind and challenge yourself, that is going to help you to grow and build relationships, knowledge, and experience.”
