About ACAD

ACAD provides international standard facilities for ancient DNA research in Australia, and across the Southern Hemisphere.

Research areas include responses to environmental change, evolutionary biology, and population genetic studies of animals, plants, pathogens, and human evolution.

The purpose-built laboratories are located in the state herbarium and Botanic Gardens, where they are isolated from other areas of molecular biology research and are protected from environmental contamination by positive air-pressure and UV light sterilisation. The facilities include freezer rooms, sample decontamination and preparation areas (eg dental drill stations), and specialist still-air working areas for ancient human DNA, vertebrates and sedimentary and microbial DNA studies.

The director of ACAD is located in the Darling Building on the University of Adelaide's North Terrace campus. The Google map below is centred on this building.