Research Facilities & Equipment

The School of Geosciences at the University of Aberdeen in partnership with James Hutton Limited have teamed up to provide an integrated analytical service. This synergy enables us to deliver a combined suite of complementary analyses and combine our interpretative expertise, enabling us to add depth to the unified services that we can provide.

On this webpage you will find examples of some of the facilities we have.  You can also download an accessible, interactive PDF brochure with further details of the facilities and equipment available and contact details that will enable you to access our services.  Please get in touch if we can help you with your research needs.

The School of Geosciences at the University of Aberdeen has a global reputation for high-quality scientific investigations that tackle geological, geographical and archaeological challenges. 

We have a track record of working with industry to help solve societal challenges in areas including energy, climate change and access to clean water. University of Aberdeen laboratories are well-equipped for studies of rocks, sediments, soils and fluids.

This includes facilities for:

• Organic geochemistry (GCMS, TOC)
• Particle size analysis
• Elemental geochemistry
• Petrophysics
• Palynology
• Water chemistry

Our staff have technical expertise who can assist with the interpretation of your data.

The James Hutton Institute is a world-leading independent scientific research organisation based in Scotland, working in collaboration across the globe.  

James Hutton Institute science addresses the challenges posed by the climate and nature crises on the sustainability and resilience of our crops, land, natural resources and communities through the development of transformative tools, interventions, products and land management practices. James Hutton Institute research is tested in their labs and at landscape-scale on their farms, combining natural and socio-economic sciences and considering the connections between crops, resources and people.

As the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the Institute, James Hutton Limited (JHL) extends our expertise through plant breeding, scientific research, consultancy, and specialised analytical services. With ISO17025, GMP and ISO 9001, JHL’s laboratories ensure the highest standards of quality assurance, catering to a diverse clientele spanning industries such as aquaculture, crop science, extractive industries, food and drink and the environment.

JHL offers a wide variety of services including:

• Bacterial testing
• Bioinformatics
• BioSS (Biomathematics and statistics Scotland)
• Cannabinoids
• Chemical analysis
• Contract research
• Crop trials
• Environmental Technology Verification (ISO 14034 certification)
• Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)
• Inorganic analyses, ICP-MS, ICP-OES, Ion Chromatography and colourimetric
• Isotope analysis
• Lipid analysis
• Marine sediment analysis
• Molecular diagnostics
• Organic analyses, GC-MS, GC-FID, HPLc and LC-QQQMS/MS
• Plant varieties, breeding and licencing
• Soil analysis
• Soil forensics
• X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD)