About Us
What we do
Queen's University Marine Laboratory (QML) is a multidisciplinary research laboratory that serves multiple different schools including Biological Sciences, Natural and Built Environment, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Chemistry. Based in Portaferry, on the shores of Strangford Lough, our facilities are used by Queen's University staff and students for research, teaching, and outreach. We also regularly host international visitors who wish to conduct research using our facilities or attend workshops.
For scientific visitors and research enquiries, please contact the Laboratory Director, Prof. Jaimie Dick.
You can also find out about our current and past research here!
Documents of interest
2018-20 QML Review, 2015-17 QML Review, 2014-15 QML Review.
The University accepts the responsibility of demonstrating sustainable leadership in environmental protection and enhancement through its actions as an institution. QUB's Environmental Policy Statement can be found here.
Where to find us
Portaferry is located at the entrance of beautiful Strangford Lough, a large enclosed, marine lagoon (150 km2) opening into the Irish Sea. We are approximately one hour drive from the main QUB campus in Belfast.
Strangford Lough is a Special Area of Conservation under the European Union Habitats Directive and Northern Ireland's first Marine Conservation Zone under the European Union Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The marine flora and fauna in the vicinity of Portaferry are among the most diverse in the North Atlantic; Portaferry is located in close proximity to an extraordinary diversity of habitats, from tidal mudflats inside Strangford Lough to the exposed coast of the Irish sea outside the Lough. The entrance to Strangford Lough is a narrow channel that experiences high speed tidal fluctuations (up to 8 knot flows), the whole volume of the Lough is exchanged every two weeks through a passage less than 1 km wide. The Narrows is therefore the perfect location for the renewable energy research conducted at QML.