Specialist facilities

Arts students have access to drama and performance studios as well as the Studio 3 gallery, which hosts both international exhibitions and student shows. Students can apply to volunteer at the gallery and gain experience in a range of areas from curating to marketing. 

Our film facilities include a studio with a complement of projection, chroma-key green and black serge cycloramas, a soundproofed digital sound dubbing suite, and editing facilities include Apple Mac Pro dedicated individual suites. We also have a digital studio with Mac workstations for post-production work.

Architecture students present their projects and get feedback at the Digital Crit space. It has multi-touch high-definition screens and can be changed into different layouts. Each bay has its own computer, speakers, microphone and camera for recording seminars and presentations. 

This specialist lab has facilities for experimental and quantitative research in acoustics, sociophonetics and speech and language processing and acquisition. Supported by academic staff, English language and linguistics students can conduct their own experiments.  

Students can conduct in-depth research into molecular processes using state-of-the-art analytical and imaging equipment. This is organised into three groups: biomolecular science, biological NMR and cell image analysis. Each research facility has its own manager providing technical expertise and training for users. 

A 'maker space' for Computing students to work on practical projects, The Shed houses equipment including 3D printers, a laser cutter and metal fabrication machinery. The Shed gives our students the chance to build physical devices needed for their course, and to pursue their own hobbies.

At West Oast House, Forensic Science students get experience of evidence recording and preservation. The house can be set up to simulate scenarios such as burglary, domestic assault and suspicious death. In the garden, students map and triangulate evidence and consider of buried remains.

This facility has a fully automised system with both optical telescope and radio telescope capability. It includes a 17” astrograph from Plane Wave Instruments and a 90-frames-per-second camera. The observatory is motorised and connected to the internet so observations can be carried out remotely.

Housed in the award-winning Sibson building, our Accelerator Space for Innovation and Responsible Enterprise welcomes student innovators and entrepreneurs. The open-plan workspace in the Sibson building has been designed as a flexible space, so students can work individually, within a team, or drop in for some advice. 

Opened in 2016, the Wigoder Law Building houses the Kennedy Wong Moot Court and Kent Law Clinic. The moot court is built in the style of a courtroom with features drawn from the UK Supreme Court, allowing students to hone their advocacy skills. Kent Law Clinic allows students to take responsibility for real cases, working under the guidance of qualified lawyers. 

Anthropology and Conservation students have access to modern facilities including:

• two molecular labs for conservation genetics research
• an ecology laboratory
• several anthropology laboratories including the Animal Postcranial Evolution Laboratory and the Human Osteology Research Laboratory.

The School of Psychology has excellent laboratory and field research facilities, including:

• an observational suite and fully equipped video studios
• group dynamics laboratories
• electrophysiology (ERP/EEG) laboratories
• transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) equipment
• virtual reality laboratory.