Laura Harkness-Brennan

Laura Joanne Harkness-Brennan
Alma mater	University of Liverpool
Scientific career
Institutions	University of Liverpool
Thesis	A Design Study of the Semiconductor Sensor Head for the ProSPECTus Compton camera  (2010)

Laura Joanne Harkness-Brennan is a British physicist who is a professor and Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Impact at the University of Liverpool. Her research focusses on the development of radiation detectors for gamma-ray spectroscopy and imaging. She was awarded the Institute of Physics Jocelyn Bell-Burnell Prize in 2010.

Early life and education

Harkness-Brennan completed her master's and doctorate in physics at the University of Liverpool.^{[ citation needed ]} Her doctorate studied the semiconductor sensor array using the ProSPECTus camera. ProSPECTus uses segmented semiconductors in a Compton camera to achieve high resolution single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Compton cameras rely on Compton light-matter interactions to detect gamma rays, describing the trajectory using photoelectric absorption, Compton scattering and pair production. The ProSPECTus includes two cryogenically cooled semiconductor detectors (made of silicon and germanium). ^[1]

Research and career

Harkness-Brennan joined the faculty of the University of Liverpool as a Lecturer in 2014, moving to Senior Lecturer, and then Reader in 2019. In 2021, she was appointed Chair in Physics and Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Impact.

Harkness-Brennan develops radiation detectors for gamma ray spectroscopy for medical imaging and Fermilab. She is interested in the application of nuclear physics to cancer diagnostics. She created the Science and Technology Facilities Council Cancer Diagnosis Network ^[2] that looks to accelerate diagnosis and treatment of cancer using advances in medical imaging. ^[3] In 2023, she was appointed as a member of the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) Science and Technology Advisory Council ^[4] and a UKRI Interdisciplinary Assessment College (IAC) Chair. ^[5]

In May 2025, she was announced as the University of Liverpool's next Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, from September 2025. ^[6]

Awards and honours

• 2010 Institute of Physics Very Early Career Award ^[7]
• 2015 Women of the Future Award for Science, highly commended ^[8]
• 2024 Applied Nuclear Physics Prize of the European Physical Society “in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the application of advanced gamma-ray spectroscopy together with imaging technology and techniques to the areas of nuclear medical imaging, homeland security, nuclear decommissioning and environmental monitoring” ^[9]

Selected publications

• Harkness-Brennan, Laura (2018-06-01). An Introduction to the Physics of Nuclear Medicine. Morgan & Claypool Publishers. doi:10.1088/978-1-6432-7034-0. ISBN   978-1-64327-034-0.
• S. Akkoyun; A. Algora; B. Alikhani; et al. (March 2012). "AGATA—Advanced GAmma Tracking Array". Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research . 668: 26–58. arXiv: 1111.5731 . doi:10.1016/J.NIMA.2011.11.081. ISSN   0168-9002. Wikidata   Q59238863.
• N. Abgrall; A. Abramov; N. Abrosimov; et al. (2017). "The large enriched germanium experiment for neutrinoless double beta decay (LEGEND)". AIP Conference Proceedings . arXiv: 1709.01980 . doi:10.1063/1.5007652. ISSN   0094-243X. Wikidata   Q57714763.
• A. Tarifeño-Saldivia; J.L. Tain; C. Domingo-Pardo; et al. (7 April 2017). "Conceptual design of a hybrid neutron-gamma detector for study of β-delayed neutrons at the RIB facility of RIKEN". Journal of Instrumentation . 12 (04): P04006 –P04006. arXiv: 1606.05544 . doi:10.1088/1748-0221/12/04/P04006. ISSN   1748-0221. Wikidata   Q61731523.

References

1. Harkness, L. J. (2010). A Design Study of the Semiconductor Sensor Head for the ProSPECTus Compton camera (phd thesis). University of Liverpool: University of Liverpool.
2. "stfccancerdiagnosis.org". sites.google.com. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
3. "New community of scientists aim to improve cancer diagnosis | Science and Technology Facilities Council". www.wired-gov.net. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
4. "Professor Laura Harkness - Our People - University of Liverpool". University of Liverpool. 2025-05-13. Archived from the original on 2025-05-13. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
5. "UKRI Interdisciplinary Assessment College Membership" (PDF). UK Research and Innovation. March 2025. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
6. "Professor Laura Harkness appointed PVC for Science and Engineering - News - University of Liverpool". University of Liverpool. 2025-05-13. Archived from the original on 2025-05-13. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
7. Laura Harkness: Joint winner of the 2010 Very Early Career Woman Physicist of the Year, 6 May 2010, retrieved 2023-09-10
8. "Stories - Department of Physics - University of Liverpool". www.liverpool.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
9. "2024 Applied Nuclear Physics prize". www.eps.org. Retrieved 2024-09-04.

External links

• Laura Harkness-Brennan publications indexed by Google Scholar