Griffith University has unveiled its newest addition to the Gold Coast Campus – the state-of-the-art G12 Undergraduate Laboratories – reinforcing the university’s longstanding leadership in science education and environmental research.
Also colloquially known as the ‘Superlabs’, the newly developed facility features modern, multifunctional teaching laboratories designed to support undergraduate learning across key scientific disciplines including Environmental Science, Marine Science, Chemistry, Biology, and Health Sciences.
The facility was formally launched by Queensland Minister for Housing and Public Works and Minister for Youth The Honourable Sam O’Connor MP, Griffith Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evans, and members of the Griffith executive, staff and students.
The G12 building heralds a new era of integrated learning and research, reflecting Griffith’s commitment to preparing students for the future of science.
Griffith Sciences Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Neal Menzies, said the G12 launch highlighted Griffith’s continued evolution in providing world-class education and research facilities.
“Griffith has always placed strong emphasis on hands-on, inquiry-based science learning, and the G12 Undergraduate Laboratories take that to a new level,” Professor Menzies said.
“With flexible, high-capacity spaces that simulate real research environments, G12 bridges the gap between classroom learning and scientific application. It’s about ensuring our students graduate with the skills and experiences needed to thrive in industry and research.”
The facility comprises two primary teaching spaces: a 96-seat ‘super lab’ that can run simultaneous classes across disciplines such as Biology, Ecology, Chemistry and Marine Science, and a 60-seat advanced laboratory purpose-built for Environmental Science and more complex analytical tasks.
Together, they will support teaching for more than 2,000 undergraduate students across a suite of first-, second-, and third-year science courses.
Behind the scenes, a large preparation and chemical storage lab – staffed by technical teams – enables support for teaching and experimentation.
The centrepiece of the new G12 facility is the analytical laboratory operated by the Environmental Research Facility (ERF). As Griffith’s flagship environmental analysis hub, the ERF provides services to internal researchers and external partners including government, industry, and other universities.
The ERF supports diverse research projects ranging from marine and freshwater pollution monitoring, to nutrient flux studies, sediment analysis, and contaminant tracking.
Importantly, it is tightly integrated into undergraduate education, giving students direct access to techniques and equipment in demand across environmental science, analytical chemistry, and marine research industries.
The School of Environment and Science’s Deputy Head of School (Research), Associate Professor Will Bennett, highlighted the importance of training our students in a range of cutting-edge analytical techniques throughout their undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
“We take pride in offering authentic learning experiences for our science and environment students that prepare them to thrive in the industry and research jobs of the future,” Associate Professor Bennett said.
“The new Superlab enables students to be trained in modern analytical laboratories containing the same state-of-the-art equipment found in industry and government labs.”
The G12 building complements Griffith’s existing infrastructure at the Gold Coast campus and is a strategic investment in the university’s environmental science, marine studies, and chemistry programs – areas that have seen strong student growth and international recognition.
