Queen's University Marine Laboratory

Queen's University Marine Laboratory QUB Marine Laboratory (QML), is the marine research station in Portaferry, Northern Ireland

QML is located in Portaferry at the entrance of beautiful Strangford Lough, a large enclosed, marine lagoon (150 km2) opening into the Irish Sea. We are approximately one hour drive from the main QUB campus in Belfast. Strangford Lough is a Special Area of Conservation under the European Union Habitats Directive. The marine flora and fauna in the vicinity of Portaferry are among the most diverse i

n the North Altantic; Portaferry is located in close proximity to an extraordinary diversity of habitats, from tidal mudflats inside Strangford Lough to the exposed coast of the Irish sea outside the Lough. The entrance to Strangford Lough is a narrow channel that experiences high speed tidal fluctuations, the whole volume of the Lough is exchanged every two weeks through a passage less than 1 km wide. The Narrows is the site of an experimental commericial tidal energy generator, SeaGen, operated by Marine Current Turbines. Students and Postgraduate Researchers at QML conduct fieldwork and research on a wide variety of subjects including Marine Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Sustainable Energy Resources and Tidal Engineering.

We are open! Come and meet our researchers and marine life!
01/08/2026

We are open! Come and meet our researchers and marine life!

We are in the process of setting up for our Open Day tomorrow! Please come along and meet our researchers, see the wave ...
31/07/2026

We are in the process of setting up for our Open Day tomorrow!

Please come along and meet our researchers, see the wave tank and get close to some local marine life! Entry is free and between 10 am - 3pm. Please enter via the lifeboat station gates and we hope to see you there!

25/06/2026

Thrilled to see Queen's University Belfast achieve a top-five global ranking for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 – Life Below Water in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 👏

This recognition reflects the strength and impact of the research, education and outreach activities taking place across the University focused on protecting marine ecosystems, advancing sustainable use of ocean resources and addressing environmental challenges affecting coastal communities.

We’re also proud to see Queen’s rise to 37th in the world for its overall contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, its highest-ever position in the rankings.

Congratulations to everyone involved in this remarkable achievement! It is a testament to the dedication, collaboration and passion of our colleagues, students and partners working to deliver meaningful environmental and societal impact ✨

Queen's University Marine Laboratory

New tank day! Some brilliant new investment in the Marine Lab in the shape of these lovely new tanks for the ELASMO proj...
18/06/2026

New tank day! Some brilliant new investment in the Marine Lab in the shape of these lovely new tanks for the ELASMO project, built by Todd Fish Tech. This area will continue to take shape over the next few months to facilitate research into electrophysiology and behaviour in native elasmobranchs.

08/06/2026
20/05/2026

Delighted to have this excellent new project building capacity at the Marine Lab!

Our Marine Lab relay team had a great day at the Belfast Marathon today! QUB had over 30 teams running to celebrate 180 ...
03/05/2026

Our Marine Lab relay team had a great day at the Belfast Marathon today! QUB had over 30 teams running to celebrate 180 years of the University, raising funds for QUB Medical Research and Student Wellbeing. The team managed a finish time of 3.30.05 with two of our runners hitting 5km personal bests on the way! Congratulations to all the runners taking part today 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

19/02/2026
12/02/2026

Spotted us on Countryfile this week? Well we’re not done yet! 👀

BBC's Winterwatch caught up with Dr Patrick Collins to learn more about our fascinating local marine life. The programme also featured ongoing work from Queen's University Marine Laboratory, including the ELASMO project, which aims to reduce the bycatch of sharks, skates and rays 🦈

Catch up now on iPlayer and keep an eye out for us on Springwatch later this year!

🔴Episode 2: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002q907/winterwatch-series-14-episode-2
🔴Episode 4: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002q8y5/winterwatch-series-14-episode-4

09/02/2026

Address

12-13 The Strand
Portaferry
BT221PF

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