The School of Geography Laboratories are a state-of-the-art facility focusing on the analysis of environmental materials from across the globe.
In recent years, over £550k has been invested in analytical equipment in the laboratories, meaning that all of our instrumentation is at the cutting edge of current technology. We specialise in inorganic analysis of soils and waters, with elemental analysis via ICP-OES, ICP-MS, CHNS, XRF, a dedicated mercury analyser, and ion chromatography all part of our arsenal. The laboratories support a wide range of teaching, with staff supporting taught field and laboratory programs plus research from Scotland to Malta and beyond. As well as our facilities, we bring our expertise directly into the classroom to prepare the next generation of geographers and environmental scientists to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
We have a strong track record in pollution research. Our recent successes include studies on landfill waste eroding onto UK beaches, the results of which featured in a BBC Panorama documentary. We have also been deeply involved in the monitoring of sewage releases into UK waterways, as well as their environmental impact, with the laboratories securing more than £50k in funding over the last two years to undertake this work. We are therefore leading in areas which feed directly into discourse around environmental issues which matter to members of the public.
Our Laboratories team were highly commended in the 2024 QMUL Research and Innovation Awards for research that underpinned a BBC Panorama documentary on the impact of coastal landfill, and work on an undergraduate prize in Geography.
We have also supported the collection of important datasets relating to carbon storage in areas of rewilding, providing an evidence base to demonstrate their value for carbon storage and contribution to tackling climate change. Aerial surveys conducted by lab staff using our departmental drone equipped with LiDAR have produced 3D maps of these landscapes which will be an important baseline for future work. River monitoring points installed in rewilded areas report data in real time, and have demonstrated the importance of natural land cover in flood mitigation efforts.
The laboratory has also been deeply involved in the study of earth’s environmental history. From understanding the ancient landscapes occupied by some of the first humans in the UK, to discovering ash layers from Icelandic volcanoes, the laboratory uses both normal light and electron microscopes to uncover the secrets of the past. Records of ocean temperatures from warm periods of the geological past also provide analogues for future changes in global climate.
As well as offering support to colleagues within our department, we offer consultancy services to those elsewhere in the university and beyond. Using our 3D CT scanner and electron microscope we have provided high resolution datasets to image teeth and bones, such as artificial hips. We have developed strong collaborations with Dentistry, generating data which has led to better understanding of disease and offering improved treatments. We have also helped in the development of new materials to replace plastics with biodegradable alternatives.
We are exceedingly proud of the contribution that we make alongside our academic colleagues and students to understanding the complex and threatened world which we inhabit.