Facilities

CEPSAR hosts a wide range of internationally-renowned laboratories and facilities that are lead by CEPSAR researchers and managed by experienced Laboratory Managers. All research laboratories are underpinned by high-quality supporting laboratories and dedicated technical staff, all under the auspices of CEPSAR and leadership of the CEPSAR Director, Professor Simon Kelley.

CEPSAR facilities and laboratories are broadly sub-divided into those used to characterise the chemistry and isotopic composition of matter in the Solar System, those examining life and feedbacks between life and the Earth system, and simulation of Earth and Planetary processes. As is the nature of CEPSAR there are scientific and management cross linkages between the laboratories. Specialist niche technical capability encompasses a diverse suite of laboratories and equipment, for example for volcano monitoring and for the development of space flight instrumentation.

Chemical and isotopic characterisation

 •  Ar-Ar dating and noble gas mass spectrometry

 •  Electron probe microanalyser

 •  FIB-SEM

 •  Fourier Transform Infrared Microscopy

 •  Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry

 •  ICP-MS

 •  Leico Element Analyser

 •  Light Stable Isotopes

 •  Micro Raman Spectroscopy

 •  NanoSims

 •  Plasma source MC-ICP MS

 •  TIMS

 •  X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) Analysis

Simulation

 •  Hyper Velocity impact simulation

 •  Planetary environmental simulations

Life

 •  Ecosystems

 •  Micro- and molecular biology

 •  Palaeoenvironmental change

Support facilities

 •  Thin section laboratory

 •  Rock crushing

 •  Mineral separation

 •  Clean rooms

 •  Research design and engineering

Niche capabilities

 •  Space flight instrumentation development

 •  Volcano monitoring