Facilities for External Use

UCSB has numerous facilities that external users, including companies, can use under reasonable pricing for independent projects. A research collaboration with UCSB is not required. The Shared Instrumentation website is an up-to-date database of all facilities and instruments on campus, including those which are available for off-campus users. A selection of facilities for external use are listed below:

lab & incubator

CNSI is a world-class hub for research ranging from bioengineering to physics to materials science and chemistry.

Molecular & Compound analysis

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry maintains an impressive collection of Mass Spectrometry, NMR Spectroscopy, Optical Characterization and X-Ray facilities.

Matieral Chacterization & Analysis

Through the Materials Research Facilities Network, the comprehensive suites of instrumentation provide techniques to analyze every aspect of a sample’s structure and composition. 

Commercialization

Nanotech Nanofabrication Facility

The Nanofabrication Facility provides a top-rate research fabrication facility for micro and nano-scale processing.

  • 24/7 access
  • Lithography
  • Dry Etching
  • Deposition
  • Annealing

Microscopy

The mission of the Neuroscience Research Institute (NRI) is to foster knowledge and understanding of the nervous system by serving as a center for scientific research breakthroughs.

Psychological & Brain Sciences

The UCSB Brain Imaging Center a core research facility of the UCSB campus dedicated to understanding the structure, function and dynamical properties of the human brain.

  • MRI Room

geophysical research

The Department of Earth Science at UCSB conducts field studies in diverse regions ranging from the tallest mountain peaks of the Himalayas, the wilderness of Antarctica, to the vast undiscovered depths of the ocean floor. 

state of the art imaging

MEIAF’s environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) allows specimens to be maintained at near-ambient pressure during high-resolution imaging.

  • X-ray microanalysis
  • Cyro Stage Imaging 

Laser research

The goal of the IST is to advance science and technology at the heart of the electromagnetic spectrum while training and inspiring new generations of scientists, engineers, and the public at large.

Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology

The UCSB Marine Laboratory provides equipment, logistics and experienced staff to the marine science education and research community at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology (EEMB) oversees the facility.

  • Seawater research space
  • Diving support

special equipment

The UCSB Physics Machine Shop is a well-equipped precision machine shop, fabrication facility and Graduate Student Shop that provides services to the UCSB Physics Department, campus community, and research related endeavors worldwide. 

  • Ultra High Vacuum (UHV)
  • Cryogenics
  • Laser research