Service Centers

The Beckman Service Centers make highly advanced technology resources available to researchers throughout Stanford University.

Four Specialized Facilities

The Beckman Center’s shared technology resources include four highly specialized scientific facilities that serve researchers from departments and laboratories throughout Stanford University: the Beckman Service Centers.

In continuous operation since 1989, these core service centers are currently among the largest and most successful service centers at Stanford.

In order for the service centers to remain competitive within the academic community and to avail Beckman-affiliated scientists of the use of state-of-the-art scientific technologies, the Beckman Center provides funding as needed to underwrite new technologies employed by the centers. The goal is to keep user rates as low as possible in order to encourage the use of services housed in the Beckman Center.

Technology Innovation Mini-Grants

Each service center also provides mini-grants to graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty who wish to engage the services of the Beckman core facilities in new or experimental approaches, techniques, or processes that are not supported by other funding sources; these grants are also intended to support technological innovations that may be broadly applicable to the research community at Stanford.

To apply for a grant, submit to an individual facility manager a brief description of the new or experimental approach, technique, or process, including an estimate of the facility resources needed to carry out the proposed work. Decisions to fund proposed projects reside exclusively with the facility managers. Funding levels are also established by facility managers.

Jon Mulholland and Lucy O’Brien celebrate receiving an instrument grant.

Alan Herbert meets with a researcher. 

Beckman Service Centers

Cell Sciences Imaging Facility (CSIF)

CSIF offers high-resolution, state-of-the-art technologies for imaging and analyzing the molecular and structural organization of cells and tissues.

Protein and Nucleic Acid Facility (PAN)

PAN provides key research tools and applications for biomedical research at a cost-effective manner for the Stanford scientific community.

Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting Facility (FACS)

FACS offers advanced cell analysis and sorting instrumentation and provides a hub for FACS education and training. 

Computational Services and Bioinformatics Facility (CSBF)

CSBF makes available commercial and public domain computer software for sequence analysis, molecular modeling, mathematical and statistical analysis, and more.