Department of Built Environment and Life Sciences

BSc (Hons) Food, Nutrition and Health 

BSc (Hons) Food and Consumer Science

BSc (Hons) Food Science, Nutrition and Wellbeing

BSc (Hons) Fitness, Nutrition and Health

MEng/BEng (Hons) Civil and Environmental Engineering

BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science (Applied and Non-Applied routes)

BSc (Hons) Forensic Sciences

MSc Biomedical Sciences

MSc Biomedical Sciences with Industrial Practise

MSc Biomedical Sciences with Point Of Care Testing (Online)

MSc Civil Engineering

MSc Construction and Project Management

MSc Construction Management

MSc Environment and Business

MSc Environment and Energy

MSc Food Quality and Safety with Industrial Practise

MSc Food Quality, Safety and Innovation

MSc Water and Environmental Management

Please see below for our areas of research focus in this Department.

Or, if you are looking for something specific, check the full list of university-wide research opportunities here.

We focus on developing novel, environmentally friendly extraction and processing methods of food by-products and food industry waste; acrylamide formation during food processing and developing strategies to mitigate this; by-product valorisation, aiming to contribute to a more sustainable, circular economy; and New Product Development and Reformulation studies. We actively collaborate with external academic and industrial partners and seek to develop applications with meaningful industrial benefits for food producers.

We use soil and plant-associated communities and model bacterial species to investigate the evolutionary ecology of biofilm-formation in experimental microcosms to better understand adaptation to natural and managed environments. We are also interested in the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in wild seal populations and the links this has with environmental and public health.

Our zymology focusses on yeast physiology and biotechnology particularly fermentation alcohol research. Yeast-derived ethanol has a major benefit to the UK and global economies. Abertay research is focused on enhancement of yeast fermentation performance by gaining greater understanding of yeast physiology and raw material bioconversions to ethanol, and evaluates yeast strain biodiversity for their potential in brewing and other bio-conversion processes. Related areas of current research include: the adoption of novel starch sources (from legumes) as sustainable feedstocks for brewing and distilling; chemistry of spirit maturation in oakwood; accuracy of alcohol declarations for alcoholic beverages. The research group, led by Professor Graeme Walker, comprises PhD students co-supervised by colleagues from Abertay’s Departments of Built Environment and Life Sciences and Sociological and Psychological Sciences and projects are undertaken in close collaboration with industry and research institutes (e.g. The James Hutton Institute, The Scotch Whisky Research Institute). Further information is available from Prof. Walker.

We investigate the underlying molecular biology and physiology of fat deposition in common and grey seals, which can also serve as a model for human obesity and diabetes, as well as the impacts of environmental stressors, such as pollution on wild animals which can inform likely impacts on human metabolic health through dietary exposure and change. We are also interested in antioxidants and understanding the mechanisms through which food components interact and affect metabolic and cardiovascular health.

Our nutrition and public health research explores links between eating habits and health, the role-specific bioactive compounds play in the prevention of diseases and the promotion of health, and the promotion of the health of consumers through diet and life-style intervention. We examine in depth the factors that affect consumer perception and acceptability of food and drink products. Our trained sensory panels are in demand by the food industry to gauge consumer acceptability of potential products prior to market release.

Our sensory and consumer science research examines in depth the factors that affect consumer perception and acceptability of food and drink products. Any New Product Development and reformulation study can be validated in our Consumer Experience Laboratory. Our facilities are often in demand by the food industry in order to gauge consumer acceptability of potential products prior to market release

If you are interested in undertaking a research degree in this area, please make contact with the Dean to discuss your proposal.

Abertay’s Department of Built Environment and Life Sciences has a strong and active role in delivering research degrees, including those in partnership with the NHS, local education authorities, Police Scotland, and the business and digital technology communities.

Abertay is a member of the Scottish Graduate School for Social Sciences, and our psychology researchers collaborate across disciplines with colleague from our other academic schools. Abertay has expertise in psychophysics and vision science; numeracy, language learning and processing; comparative and evolutionary psychology; forensic and investigative psychology; social psychology and self-other processing; laterality; cognitive neuroscience; and dance and movement perception.

We investigate the formation of contaminates during food processing and develop strategies to mitigate its occurrence in food. Our product development and reformulation studies focus on improving the nutritional value of food and developing novel mild processing technologies for food preservation and quality. We evaluate novel yeast strains for industrial fermentations (including biofuels), investigate grain alternatives in brewing and distilling, and assess the role of wood compounds in the sensory acceptability of whisky. We collaborate closely with industry and organisations such as the James Hutton Institute and the Scotch Whisky Research Institute, together with partners in brewing and distilling.

Our commercial arm, Food Innovation @ Abertay (FIA), provides a practical innovation support service to food and drink businesses and allows our staff to work collaboratively with industrial partners. We offer creative solutions to business challenges using specialist staff, equipment, and facilities.

These solutions are tailored to specifically meet business needs and are delivered on schedule and in a cost-effective manner.

Through FIA, our academics and researchers have had the opportunity to work collaboratively with more than 100 industrial partners, addressing real-world problems and offering technically sound, and commercially viable solutions.

Research in this area is focused on modelling the performance and environmental impacts of structural and geotechnical engineering systems. This includes research into the analysis of the behaviour of thin-walled structures, analysis of structures under extreme loads (blast and impact), pedogenic carbon sequestration process and engineering soils (e.g. the use of recycled construction material) to improve soil properties and to maximise the sequestration of atmospheric carbon, and investigating critical on/near-shore soft sediments, as well as the study of offshore oil and gas asset decommissioning and dynamic event behaviours such as earthquakes.

Our sustainable technologies research focus is technology use and technology at the water-waste-energy nexus, particularly on treatment and resources recovery technologies for water, wastes and wastewaters and green infrastructure (including sustainable urban drainage systems). Research includes development of innovative technical solutions that improve sustainable management of natural resources, for example, gaining multiple benefits from the control of storm water runoff, organic waste treatment for bioenergy recovery and production of organic soil conditioner, and water and wastewater treatment for the removal of common and emerging pollutants. We have applied our expertise to determine the capability of decentralising wastewater treatment systems and of technologies to reduce environmental pollution. We have evaluated technological solutions for hospital wastewaters and examined how natural flood management can be applied in different countries and regions. Our energy research spans bioenergy production including development of new bioenergy technologies.

Abertay plays a leading role in sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) research nationally and internationally, where we have stimulated adoption of an urban water management strategy that mimics natural ecosystem processes for drainage. We co-lead the UK-wide SUDSnet network.

Our Sustainable Assessment and Enhancement research develops and applies methods for the assessment, visualisation and enhancement of the sustainability of policies and technologies, and to address institutional and societal barriers to their uptake. Our approach to decision making for sustainable systems recognises that engineered environmental systems are complex and management requires trade-offs among multiple competing factors. We use multi-criteria decision analysis tools, co-designed with stakeholders, and computational models linked to games technologies for interactive visualisation of sustainability criteria. Research focuses on understanding the decision-making process, knowledge requirements and development of indicators to enhance governance, decision support and public participation in decision making.  Projects support sustainable service provision for water service providers, national and local government, health services, the agricultural sector, city development and companies across the built and natural environment.