Research Centres and Units

Waikato's Faculty of Science and Engineering's prime aim is to promote and enhance its research activities. There are many active research groups within the Faculty, spanning a wide range of topics.

• Centre for Biodiversity and Ecology Research (CBER)
• Centre for Science and Technology Education Research (CSTER)
  
• Coastal Marine Group
• Co-operative Education Unit
  
• Energy Research Centre
• Environmental Research Institute (ERI)
  
• Honey Research Unit
• International Centre for Terrestrial Antarctic Research (ICTAR)
• Thermophile and Microbial Biochemistry and Biotechnology Unit
• Waikato Centre for Advanced Materials (WaiCAM)
  
• Waikato Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory
• Waikato Stable Isotope Unit (WSIU)

Centre for Biodiversity and Ecology Research (CBER)

The Centre for Biodiversity and Ecology Research (CBER) aims to promote sustainable management and habitat restoration through integrated research into biodiversity and ecology.

Centre for Science and Technology Education Research (CSTER)

The Centre for Science and Technology Education Research (CSTER) is known throughout New Zealand and internationally for its research and scholarship, and for the use of its research in the development of policy, practice, curriculum, resources, assessment and professional development.

Coastal Marine Group

The Coastal Marine Group (CMG) is a multidisciplinary group of researchers from across the University with core members based in the Department of Earth & Ocean Sciences, and with the focus of their research and teaching at least partly on the coastal zone and adjacent coastal shallow waters.

Co-operative Education Unit

Cooperative education is the combination of study and work. The Cooperative Education Unit at the University of Waikato is the foremost leader in New Zealand for Cooperative Education-type programmes, with on average 200 students each year.

Find our more about the Co-operative Education Unit

Energy Research Centre

The goal of the Energy Research Centre is improved competitiveness for NZ industry through research aimed at achieving increased energy efficiency and conservation. The Centre has two divisions: The Industrial Energy Efficiency Division and the Sedimentary and Petroleum Geology Division. Please navigate to these web sites to know more about our work or contact our administrator

Environmental Research Institute (ERI)

The Environmental Research Institute (ERI) takes a collaborative, systems-level approach to environmental research to develop insights and expertise related to improving and sustaining the quality of New Zealanders’ natural and physical environment.

Honey Research Unit

The Honey Research Unit was set up in 1995, with financial support from the New Zealand Honey Industry Trust, in recognition of the expertise at The University of Waikato in the composition of honey and its antimicrobial activity.

International Centre for Terrestrial Antarctic Research (ICTAR)

The primary mission of the International Centre for Terrestrial Antarctic Research (ICTAR) is to promote the protection of Antarctica through integrated international research into Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems, assuring New Zealand's continued leadership in this area.

Thermophile and Microbial Biochemistry and Biotechnology Unit

The Thermophile and Microbial Biochemistry and Biotechnology Unit carries out research primarily on microorganisms associated with extreme environments. The Unit co-ordinates fundamental and applied research at this University and elsewhere on thermophilic bacteria, genes and enzymes. Research is predominantly funded by research contracts and collaborations exist with many national and overseas laboratories.

Waikato Centre for Advanced Materials (WaiCAM)

The Waikato Centre for Advanced Materials (WaiCAM) was formed to build up unique and world-class expertise in developing novel processes for producing advanced materials and near net shape components and in developing high performance structural and functional materials.

Waikato Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory

The Waikato Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory is a national radiocarbon facility undertaking both Standard Radiometric Dating and Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Dating (AMS). For more than 30 years we have been providing radiocarbon assays for scientists and researchers from around the world and have been at the forefront of ground-breaking research into the technique and its application.

The facilities of the Waikato Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory are also available for external contract work. Please see our Specialist Facilities page for this and other services available and associated costs.

Waikato Stable Isotope Unit (WSIU)

The Waikato Stable Isotope Unit (WSIU) is primarily a research unit, and has the objective of promoting the use of stable isotopes in all branches of scientific research. The staff of the unit are highly experienced in the use of stable isotopes as tracers, particularly in biological and environmental research.

The facilities of the WSIU are also available for external contract work. Please see our Specialist Facilities page for this and other services available and associated costs.