NQAIF - North Queensland Algal Identification / Culturing Facility
NQAIF is the acronym for the North Queensland Algal Identification / Culturing Facility and was established within the School of Marine and Tropical Biology in 2003/2004 through funding by ARC, JCU and AIMS. NQAIF is the world’s first tropical microalgal research facility.
Research areas of interest include freshwater and marine environments and range from paleoclimate studies using fossil diatoms to the identification of microalgal strains suitable for biotechnology and environmental applications.
The tropical phytoplankton culture collection established at NQAIF forms the basis for ecotoxicological and phylogenetic studies and is an important tool for developing a sustainable tropical aquaculture industry and for research into toxic harmful microalgae, bloom development and invasiveness.
People at NQAIF:
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Dr. Kirsten Heimann Director of NQAIF School of Marine and Tropical Biology James Cook University Townsville, Qld. 4811 Ph. +61 7 4781 5795 Fax +61 7 4725 1570 |
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Mr. Stan Hudson Curator of the Culture Collection School of Marine and Tropical Biology James Cook University Townsville, Qld. 4811 Ph. +61 7 4781 4934 Fax +61 7 4725 1570 |
Examples of Current Research at NQAIF:
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Ecotoxicology – extending predictive bioavailability models
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The fossil diatom record – Indicators for the paleoclimate / environmental conditions of semi-arid Australia?
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Factors controlling bloom formation of Chrysocystis fragilis in the Great Barrier Reef
