The Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology has an enviable heritage of pioneering the exploitation of measurement techniques. The primary objective of a number of research groups within the Department is the measurement and quantitative analysis of chemical and biochemical systems. The Department is home to the Measurement and Image Analysis Centre, the Magnetic Resonance Research Centre, the Laser Analytics Group and the Analytical Biotechnology Laboratory. Commercial applications of this research theme include those currently being exploited by Smart Holograms Ltd.
Accurate measurement forms a crucial element of modern scientific and engineering research. It allows the quantification of processes such kinetics and mechanisms, microstructure formation and manipulation, and essential validation of mathematical models. Current research includes:
- Development of novel data acquisition techniques using MRI
- Microstructural and composition data derived from X-ray and atomic force microscopy
- Optical and acoustic sensors for measuring bioanalytes
- Use of optical techniques such as confoncal microscopy and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy
- Electrochemical sensing techniques