In ultrafiltration (UF) processes, the mass transfer coefficient depends on the hydrodynamic shear at the membrane surface. Unfortunately, in all the existing OF test devices, shear stress is non-uniform and only an average value is used. This paper discusses the theory, design, fabrication, and experimental validation of a next-generation cone-and-plate test cell (CPTC) to carry out OF under uniform surface shear of 2 mu omega sectheta(1) Pascals (where mu is viscosity, omega is angular velocity, and theta(1) is the half-angle of the cone). This next-generation test cell provides experimental data under uniform shear, which would enable better validation of mathematical models for OF processes. Work is in progress to study transient shear and shear-reversal effects using the CPTC, by controlling the angular velocity and direction of rotation of the cone using a computerised servo-motor control system.