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Facilities and Equipment

Equipment database

Access over 1,700 items of shared equipment across GW4 – from mass spectrometers, to lightning simulators, to supercomputers – with our Equipment Database.

The GW4 Equipment Database is powered by the EPSRC-funded national database, which each GW4 institution provides data to individually. The database was developed by the University of Southampton with funding from EPSRC, in partnership with Jisc. The service is now operated for the UK academic community by Jisc.

Browse the database for items across all four institutions.

 

Shared facilities

We believe that shared access to cutting-edge equipment and facilities can bring about discoveries that improve lives. We are investing in major flagship centres of excellence which put the Great West region on the map and catalyse collaboration between GW4 researchers and beyond.

Shared Resources are research technology platforms located at GW4 universities (Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter) that can be accessed by researchers across GW4 and beyond, including commercial partners. Our first brochure highlights GW4 Shared Resources for Flow Cytometry that are available for all to access.

GW4 has a number of high-spec, state-of-the-art facilities across its partner institutions that are technically supported and available for use by all our staff and students, search the list below for services or equipment.

Name Services Contact

GW4 Supercomputer Isambard

  • Tier 2 high performance computing service for UK-based scientists.
  • Provides multiple advanced architectures within the same system
  • Enables direct ‘apples-to-apples’ comparisons across architectures
  • Collaboration between the GW4 Alliance, Cray Inc., and the Met Office.

Professor Simon McIntosh-Smith, PI for the Isambard project

isambard-support@gw4.ac.uk

 

GW4 VSimulators

  • Multidisciplinary human factors research facility
  • Motion platform and motion capture technology

 

Exeter Science Park

vsimulators@exeter.ac.uk

GW4 Shared Scanners

  • Pre-clinical In-vivo Functional Imaging for Translational Regenerative Medicine Platform
  • Micro PET/CT scanner
  • 3T large animal MRI scanner

Multi-photon Microscope (Bristol)

 

Micro PET/CT scanner (Cardiff)

 

3T large animal MRI scanner (Bristol)

 

GW4 Facility for High-Resolution Cryo-Microscopy (GW4 Cryo-EM Facility)

Microscopy and Analysis for cell function or malfunction

Prof Christiane Berger-Schaffitzel

Exeter Centre for Cytomics

  • Advanced Multiparameter Cytometry
  • Full Spectral Flow Cytometry
  • Quantitative Imaging Flow Cytometry
  • Single Cell Genomic Cytometry
  • Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS)
  • Luminex Multiplexing Assays
  • Complex Data Analysis (ML/AI)
  • Specialized Cytometry Training
  • Industrial/CRO conform Assays
  • Collaborations on Basic- & Applied Research
  • Consultancy
  • Flow Cytometry Brochure

Dr Raif Yuecel & Dr Attila Bebes

cytometry@exeter.ac.uk

GW4 Facility for High-Resolution Electron Cryo-Microscopy

  •  Single Particle Analysis
  • Cryotomography
  • Suitable for Structural Biology and Soft Matter Nanomaterials
  • 200 kV X-FEG for generation of highly coherent electron beam
  • GATAN K2 Direct Electron Detector with Counting Mode capability and Zero Loss Peak energy filtering for high-resolution images
  • On-the-fly processing for monitoring and optimisation of data collection parameters

gw4-cryoem@bristol.ac.uk

Wales Positron Emission Tomography Imaging Centre (PETIC)

  • Clinical and Pre Clinical Services
  • FLT, FDG, FDOPA, Fallypride, Beta amyloid & Tau imaging
  • FDOPA and Fallypride quantification of dopaminergic transport and receptor function
  • NaF bone scanning
  • Gallium 68 DOTANOC imaging for neuroendocrine tumours
  • F Choline PET in Prostate Cancer
  • Monoclonal antibody imaging and kinetics
  • Stem Cell tracking

Chris Marshall

PETIC@cardiff.ac.uk

Exeter Offshore testing facility

  • FaBTest has unique pre-consent for device demonstration
  • Full site survey and resource characteristics available
  • Test whole systems, sub-systems or numerical models

Lars Johanning

l.johanning@exeter.ac.uk

Exeter Centre for Graphene Science

  • Graphene related device manufacture
  • Thin film deposition
  • E-beam lithography
  • Laserwriting

Mark Heath

m.heath@exeter.ac.uk

Exeter Biosciences Sequencing facility

  • High throughput library preparation
  • Long read sequencing
  • Reduced representation sequencing (e.g. RAD-seq)
  • Amplicon sequencing
  • 16S/18S profiling
  • Denovo genome assembly

Konrad Paszkiewicz

biosciences-sequencing@exeter.ac.uk

Cardiff X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analysis

  • XPS Analysis

David Morgan

MorganDJ3@cardiff.ac.uk

Cardiff Transmission Electron Microscope

  • 3D tomography with high-stability goniometer stage
  • EDS elemental analysis with elemental mapping and line scan capability
  • CRYO imaging at -175 oC

Mahmoud Akhtar

akhtarm@cardiff.ac.uk

Cardiff Single Crystal X-ray diffraction

  • Dual wavelength, single crystal diffraction
  • Variable temperature diffraction measurements (80-500K)

Mahmoud Akhtar

akhtarm@cardiff.ac.uk

Cardiff Scanning Electron Microscope

  • EBSD
  • EDX
  • SE, BS, STEM imaging

Mahmoud Akhtar

akhtarm@cardiff.ac.uk

Cardiff Powder X-ray diffraction

  • Variable temperature/room temperature powder X-ray diffraction measurements (16-300K)

Mahmoud Akhtar

akhtarm@cardiff.ac.uk

Cardiff Nuclear magnetic resonance

  • Acquisition of Small molecule and Biological molecule NMR data

Mahmoud Akhtar

akhtarm@cardiff.ac.uk

Cardiff Mass spectrometry and chromatography

  • Generation of High Res and Low Res Mass Spectrometry data
  • HR GCMS, HR and LR LCMS, ICPMS
  • Quantitative determination of metals in solution/solids

Mahmoud Akhtar

akhtarm@cardiff.ac.uk

Cardiff Gas Turbine Research Centre

  • Gas Analysis, NOx, CO, THC, O2, NH3
  • Particulates, LII, DMS
  • Laser diagnostics, LDA, PDA, PIV, PLIF
  • Chemiluminescence
  • High-Speed Videography
  • High-Fidelity Combustion Dynamics

Steve Morris

MorrisSM@cardiff.ac.uk

Cardiff Central Biotechnology Services (CBS)

  • Gene expression profiling
  • SNP genotyping and copy number analysis
  • MicroRNA analysis and methylation analysis
  • Evaluation of RNA quality
  • Large scale RT-PCR and TLDAs
  • Bioinformatics analysis
  • Primer and Project design and data analysis
  • Electrochemiluminescence
  • Flow Cytometry and cell sorting

Charlotte James

CBSadmin@cardiff.ac.uk

Cardiff Bioimaging Research Hub

  • Histological sample processing and slide preparation service
  • Full training and support on all imaging systems
  • Confocal laser scanning microscopy with airyscanning technology, FLIM and FCS
  • Automated, high throughput, multiformat imaging with widefield, confocal and airyscan modalities
  • Spinning disc confocal microscopy
  • Lightsheet microscopy
  • In vivo fluorescence and bioluminescence imaging
  • Live cell imaging
  • Laser microdissection
  • Microfluorimetry
  • Conventional light microscopy (brightfield, darkfield, phase contrast, DIC, polarising, fluorescence, reflectance microscopy)
  • Whole slide imaging
  • Stereomicroscopy, microimaging and digital photography
  • Advanced image processing and analysis with machine learning
  • 3D printing service

Anthony Hayes (Facility manager) or Pete Watson (Academic lead for imaging)

bioimaginghub@cardiff.ac.uk

Bristol X-ray Analytical Service

  • Single crystal X-ray structure determination (90-400K)
  • Variable temperature/room temperature powder X-ray diffraction measurements (16-300K)

Hazel Sparkes

hazel.sparkes@bristol.ac.uk

Bristol Wolfson Bioimaging Facility

  • Latest-state-of-the-art Light and Electron Microscopy
  • Correlative Light Electron Microscopy (CLEM)
  • Cell & life sciences imaging for biological and biomedical research
  • Sample processing
  • Image analysis support

Mark Jepson

m.a.jepson@bristol.ac.uk

Bristol Translational Biomedical Research Centre (TBRC)

  • Full medical, surgical and drug research on large animal models
  • High resolution MRI and surgical examination
  • Onsite anaesthetist

Stuart Pope

tbrc@bristol.ac.uk

Bristol Proteomics Facility

  • Protein Separation
  • Protein identification
  • Quantitative Proteomics (SILAC, TMT)
  • Phosphoproteomics
  • Serum Proteomics
  • Identification of protein binding partners

Kate Heesom

k.heesom@bristol.ac.uk

Bristol Histology Services

  • Complete histological service
  • Fresh, fixed & frozen sectioning and staining
  • Wax processing
  • Immunocytochemistry & immunofluorencent staining
  • Image capture
  • Consultancy

Debbie Martin

debbie.martin@bristol.ac.uk

Bristol Electron Microbeam Laboratories

  • Quantitative X-ray microanalysis
  • X-ray mapping
  • Scanning electron microscopy and CL imaging

Stuart Kearns

Stuart.Kearns@bristol.ac.uk

Bristol Chemical NMR Facility

  • Solution state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectrometry of small molecules
  • Multinuclear and diffusion NMR
  • Molecular structure and mixture analysis

Craig Butts

Craig.Butts@bristol.ac.uk

Bristol Chemical Mass Spectrometry Facility

  • HPLC-MS/UPLC-MS
  • LC-MSn
  • Nano-LC-MS
  • IMS-MS
  • Accurate mass, EI, CI, ESI, nanospray and MALDI MS

Paul Gates

Paul.Gates@bristol.ac.uk

Bristol Chemical Imaging Facility

  • Fully-supported TEM
  • Range of sample holders and detectors for materials analysis
  • Fully-supported AFM installed in Cat 2 lab
  • Experiment design, sample preparation, image/spectra acquisition, data analysis

Sean Davis

S.A.Davis@bristol.ac.uk

Bristol Genomics Facility

  • Next generation sequencing and library preparation
  • Microarray expression analysis (ThermoFisher Clariom assays)
  • High throughput genotyping (ThermoFisher Axiom assays)
  • NanoString nCounter technology for gene expression and copy number analysis
  • DNA and RNA analysis and quality assessment
  • Bioinformatic support

Jane Coghill or Francisca Segers

genomics-facility@bristol.ac.uk

Bath Nanofabrication facility

  • Access to the facility to carry out own processing
  • Safety and equipment training and support is provided
  • Technical support for some sample fabrication

Stephen Wedge

nanofab@bath.ac.uk

Bath Material and Chemical Characterisation Facility (MC²)

  • Electron microscopy (SEM, TEM and cryo-FE-SEM)
  • Mass spectrometry coupled to gas- and liquid chromatography
  • Bio-imaging confocal microscopy and cell analysis
  • X-ray diffraction (Powder and single crystal)
  • Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR)

Anneke Lubben

mc2@bath.ac.uk

Biological NMR Facility

 

NMR spectrometry

  • High-field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectrometry
  • Protein and small molecule structure analysis
  • Protein-ligand binding studies

Matt Crump

Matt.Crump@bristol.ac.uk

Animal Behaviour Clinic

 

Veterinary Services, Animal Welfare

  • Behaviour consultation
  • Referring clinical cases
  • Residency programme
  • Separation related behaviours

Clinical Behaviour Office

Langford-behaviour@bristol.ac.uk

GW4 Shared Flow Cytometry Resources

  • Bio-Imaging and Cell Analysis Unit
  • Flow Cytometry Facility
  • Central Biotechnology Services
  • Exeter Centre for Cytomics (EXCC)

Contact us:

info@gw4.ac.uk

University of Bath
University of Bristol
Cardiff University
University of Exeter