PRIMORSKY AQUARIUM shared equipment facility
The Shared Equipment Facility (Primorsky Aquarium SEF) was opened in 2019 at the Primorsky Aquarium, which is a branch of the A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (NSCMB FEB RAS).
The goals of the SEF are to maximize the use of modern laboratory equipment and to enhance basic and applied scientific research in marine, molecular and cell biology, biotechnology, morphology, neurophysiology, bioacoustics and other fields. It offers comfortable laboratory conditions for NSCMB FEB RAS and Primorsky Aquarium specialists, as well as for researchers from other organizations.
Our research aims are to address these key challenges in basic and applied science:
- Environmental monitoring of the coastal waters around Russky Island
- Morphological, molecular and genetic identification of marine microalgae
- Isolation and separation of bioactive compounds from marine organisms, as well as testing their biological activity
- Blood testing and diet estimation in marine mammals
- Cytological and histochemical tissue studies.
In addition to providing services, the Primorsky Aquarium SEF also collaborates with universities, research institutes of the RAS and other partners in basic and applied investigations.
The Primorsky Aquarium SEF and the NSCMB FEB RAS are enthusiastic about involving university students, undergraduates, postgraduates and young scientists into scientific research by offering them workshops, lectures and seminars, thus promoting science and education to the public.
The Primorsky Aquarium SEF is registered on the Scientific and Technological Infrastructure of the Russian Federation website and annually takes part in the centralized monitoring of accessibility and efficiency of core shared research facilities and large-scale research facilities.
Contact us
Primorsky Aquarium SEF Head:
- Anna A. Ponomareva, PhD (Biology)
- Phone: +7 924 264 44 41
- Email: ponomareva_aa@primocean.ru
Lead specialist:
- Kirill O. Tevs
- Email: tevs_ko@primocean.ru
In 2025, the Laboratory of Marine Microalgal Biotechnology was organized at the Primorsky Aquarium.
The Laboratory’s goal is to study the biodiversity of the microalgal species that can be potentially used in biotechnology. The staff replenishes, maintains and documents a collection of microalgal and cyanobacterial cultures applying state-of-the-art technologies and the latest scientific data on systematics, phylogeny, and ecology. This work helps to assess the biotechnological potential of each species, as well as to solve basic and applied scientific tasks on providing nutritional feeds to many species at the aquarium.
- Scientific Coordinator of the Laboratory - Mariia A. Shulgina, PhD (Biology).
