Research Facilities
All our students and research staff benefit from the world-class facilities that make Southampton one of the best learning environments in the UK.
Flight simulator
The Southampton flight simulator is unique in the UK, developed by students for students. Originally funded by BAE Systems, it is a state-of-the-art facility that uses commodity-off-the-shelf technology (COTS). Many third- and fourth-year group projects have been involved in developing the hardware and software for the simulator over a decade. We collaborate closely with the Microsoft Flight Simulator team and have been part of their test and development programme for many years. The simulator was famously used in the Channel 4/Discovery Channel documentary The Dambusters in 2003.
Find out more about the Flight Simulator
National Oceanography Centre Southampton (NOCS)
NOCS is the integrated collaboration between the Southampton-based part of the Natural Environment Research Council’s National Oceanography Centre and the University of Southampton’s School of Ocean and Earth Science. It is one of the world’s leading centres for the development of marine technology and the provision of large-scale infrastructure and support for the marine research community. NOCS has strong links with a variety of businesses, including offshore industries (oil, gas and communications), environmental technology companies and government agencies, in the UK and overseas.
NOCS has specialist marine test facilities including RV Callista, a 20-metre, custom-built catamaran used for research, outreach and teaching activities, particularly field work, and commercial activities.
Supercomputer
The University’s new supercomputer, which has the power of over 4,000 PCs, is the fastest Microsoft Windows-powered computer in Europe. The £3m supercomputer is used by leading researchers across the University in fields ranging from cancer research to archaeology to climate change; postgraduate students and staff have access to the supercomputer for use in research projects.
Using the supercomputer, the Archaeological Computing Research Group is harnessing computer graphic imagery (CGI) to recreate ancient landscapes and artefacts, including a 2,000-year-old painted Roman statue. This research allows us to discover how past objects may have appeared when they were created.
Find out more about the supercomputer
Tony Davies High Voltage Laboratory
The Tony Davies High Voltage Laboratory is one of only two laboratories in the UK that provide the high-level testing and research facilities required by the UK electricity supply companies. With a range of specialised equipment, some capable of generating one million volts, the High Voltage Laboratory provides exciting opportunities for the study of electrical engineering.
Find out more about the Tony Davies High Voltage Laboratory
Wind tunnels
Southampton’s wind tunnels have an illustrious history, having been used by most of the current Formula One (F1) teams since the 1980s. Superstars in the area, such as Adrian Newey, F1’s most successful car designer, began their careers in our wind tunnels. The tunnels are used for yacht design, sail design and aerodynamics testing. Recent tests include working with UK Sport and the world-beating skeleton bob team who won Gold in Vancouver in 2010. As one of the few universities in the world with such an extensive wind tunnel complex, our graduates are prized by companies involved in high-performance engineering. We probably supply more aerodynamicists to the F1 industry than any other university in the world.
Find out more about the Southampton wind tunnels
Wolfson Unit
The Wolfson Unit is one of the most respected marine design consultancies in the world, with clients including America’s Cup teams and designers of yachts for the 2008/09 Vendée Globe race. The Unit is an Innovation Partner for UK Sport.
Find out more about the Wolfson Unit
Broadlands Archives
The Broadlands Archives are an exceptional collection, shedding light on the unique history of the UK and its relations with its colonies and foreign powers. One of the foremost collections of manuscripts in the country, it is an unparalleled primary resource for students. The 4,500 boxes of documents date from the sixteenth century to the present, including correspondence of the Victorian Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister Lord Palmerston, and approximately 250,000 papers and 50,000 photographs of Earl Mountbatten of Burma.