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The Faculty is committed to high quality research in a range of subject areas:
CENTRE FOR EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES RESEARCH (CEESR)
Research in Geography, Environmental Studies/Science and Earth Sciences at Kingston University are coordinated through the CEESR. Established in the late 1990s, CEESR draws together researchers from a range of disciplines, to provide an environment in which they interact and generate innovative and interdisciplinary research. Within CEESR there are three major groupings: Agriculture, Environment and People (AEP), Environmental Change (EC) and Geodynamics and Crustal Processes (GCP). Cross-group interactions are expressed particularly through work on environmental management and geohazards and in the use of common techniques such as remote sensing, spatial analysis and visualisation.
GEODYNAMICS & CRUSTAL PROCESSES (EARTH SYSTEMS)
The Geodynamics and Crustal Processes Research Group is at the forefront of pure and applied research in "hard rock" geoscience in the UK and internationally. Using combined field, analytical and experimental approaches, research topics range from mountain-building processes, through the origins and ascent mechanisms of magmas and the formation of economic mineral and hydrocarbon deposits, to studies of the variations in Earth's magnetic field.
AGRICULTURE, ENVIRONMENT AND PEOPLE & ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE (GEOGRAPHY)
Studies of environmental change extend from the global climate system 90 million years ago, to the causes and consequences of vegetation changes in southern England over the last few thousand years. The Faculty houses the NERC ICP-MS Facility, a national centre for scientists working on chemical processes in the environment. Studies include the platinum group element contents of road dusts, and the behaviour of metals in groundwaters and sediments. In a rural context, research also concerns the changing dynamics of agricultural production systems in response to environmental and other policies, intensification of production and land pressure, demography and identity.
MATERIALS RESEARCH
The Materials Research Group designs and creats novel materials for use in aeronautics, medical applications, crime prevention and microelectronics. Recent work has centred on the production of novel electronic materials - especially conducting polymers and liquid crystals, and has led to five patents. It is also studying the manufacture of conducting polymer blends and techniques for moulding them into useful articles such as luminescent displays for mobile phones and flat-screen TVs, anti-static coatings and the prevention of interference for personal computers. Advanced computer modelling of granular materials is investigating the properties of industrial filtration systems, with applications in medicine, materials science and the chemical industry. The group is currently developing new research in the exciting area of bio-materials, such as new bone repair cements and a study of polymers for lens implants in the human eye.
BIOLOGICAL & PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH
The Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Group is an interdisciplinary group comprised of a mixture of life scientists, chemists and pharmacists from Kingston University [from the School of Life Sciences and the School of Pharmacy and Chemistry and the Faculty of Health and Social Care Sciences (a Joint Faculty with St George's, University of London)]. The group is divided into three main sub-areas which span the fields of Disease Mechanisms and Models, Chemical Biology and Translational Medicine.
Research encompasses a blend of chemistry, biosciences, pharmacy and medicine which facilitates a broad range of activities from investigating disease processes through to drug discovery development, delivery and detection. The recent formation of a Tripartite Alliance with St. George's, University of London, and Royal Holloway, University of London, facilitates expanded collaboration opportunities in the Clinical and Biological Sciences.
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