St Lucia facilities
Food Science Innovation Precinct
The Food Science Innovation Precinct is a world-class teaching, research, training and development unit.
It houses two modern laboratories - a food-grade laboratory and an analytical laboratory for chemical and microbiological analysis.
Our Master of Food Science and Technology students use the facility to work on a range of projects that will ultimately help food companies create more innovative products.
Current projects include:
- cholesterol-lowering baked goods and dairy foods
- ultra-low-fat cheese that tastes like full-fat cheese
- 3D printed fruits and vegetables
- fresher milk produced without heat pasteurisation
- new Omega-3 and probiotic foods and drinks
- biocontrol applications for food safety and quality.
Contact us
For more information, contact Dr Mark Turner.
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Food Sensory Laboratory
The Food Sensory Laboratory houses a range of equipment to enable the controlled sensory evaluation of food and beverages.
Analytical Services Unit laboratories
Our Analytical Services Unit laboratories house equipment for both elemental and organic compound analysis.
The Unit offers an analytical chemistry service for University colleagues and external clients.
Plant science laboratories
Plant science spaces at St Lucia support research from molecular and cell biology through to whole-plant physiology.
Predominantly based in the John Hines Building (Building 62), our facilities and equipment include:
- fully equipped PC2 and quarantine laboratories
- tissue culture space and growth rooms, including space for algal culture
- environmentally controlled growth cabinets
- automated nucleic acid extraction instrument
- quantitative PCR machine
- Zeiss confocal laser scanning microscope.
Our equipment and space is generally used by plant science researchers from within our School, but we occasionally make them available to others on request.
Contact us
For more information, email our team.
Soil science laboratories
Our soils facilities incorporate shared and specialised laboratory spaces.
Shared laboratories
Staff and research students share five common laboratory spaces set up for soil chemistry, plant physiology, soil physics and soil microbiology.
These laboratories are located in the Hartley Teakle Building (Building 83), Level 2 North.
They each house discipline-specific equipment, such as:
- segmented flow analyser for nitrate/ammonia analysis
- automatic pH/EC/ion-specific electrode robot
- fluorescence spectrometer
- muffle furnace
- laminar flow cabinet
- SZX16 Olympus microscope with camera
- soil/plant grinders.
Specialised laboratories
Our specialised laboratories include:
Hartley Teakle Building (Building 83), Level 1 North:
- soil water (pressure plate) laboratory
- particle size analysis laboratory.
Building 89C:
- erosion processes laboratory
- soil storage facility.
Contact us
For more information contact Dr Brigid McKenna.
Faculty of Science research facilities
We have access to UQ Science's range of research and teaching facilities, including glasshouses, two island research stations, a boating and diving facility, and workshops.