WVU Shared Research Facilities provide researchers from WVU, other academic institutions, government labs or the private sector with the opportunity to use cutting-edge instrumentation, worry free for reasonable rates. SRF staff, most of whom hold Ph.D. degrees or have specialty training, are dedicated to researchers' success. The staff provide training, guidance, and assistance in operating the instruments. They also ensure that instruments are in sound working order in a safe environment. By sharing access, costs, and qualified personnel, WVU is able to sustain high-end instrumentation that otherwise could be out of financial reach of a single WVU department or college while also making that instrumentation available to researchers beyond WVU in support of creating a vibrant, innovation-driven, economically diverse community. SRF oversees four 'cores' operating on WVU's Downtown and Evansdale campuses. All four are designed to help researchers pursue interdisciplinary work in nanoscience, engineering, materials science, energy and environmental science, forensics, medicine, and similar disciplines.