Our 3 main research themes are Isotope Geosciences, Isotope Biochemistry & Radiometrics and Environmental Chemistry & Radiocarbon.

Overview

Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC) is home to state-of-the-art analytical technology, used to address major issues in environmental, earth and life sciences. Our students are trained to become experts in analytical science, and benefit from access to the wide range of equipment and technical expertise.

We comprise approximately 40 academic staff, research assistants, fellows and post-graduate research students that contribute to RCUK, EU and industrially funded research projects. We host several national Facilities for NERC.

We have strong links to science research at the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, and host many visiting international researchers.

Research groups

Research at SUERC is organised around three main themes:

• Isotope Geosciences
• Isotope Biochemistry
• Radiometrics, Environmental Chemistry and Radiocarbon

Illustrative research topics

• Quaternary geochronology (14C, cosmogenic isotopes, OSL, 210Pb)
• High precision geohronology & thermochronology of deep time (Rb/Sr, Ar/Ar, (U-Th)/He)
• Tracing and timing climate and environmental change
• Environmental C cycling (14C, stable isotopes)
• Fluids in Earth’s crust (14C, stable and noble gas isotopes)
• Food authentification (luminescence, stable isotopes)
• Stable isotope biochemistry
• Tracing man-made and natural radionuclides in the environment
• Natural analogue studies of nuclear waste stores.