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| 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
Brennan completed her master's and doctorate in physics at the University of Liverpool. 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).
Research and career
Harkness-Brennan develops radiation detectors for gamma ray spectroscopy for medical imaging and Fermilab. Harkness-Brennan is interested in the application of nuclear physics to cancer diagnostics. She created the Science and Technology Facilities Council Cancer Diagnosis Network that looks to accelerate diagnosis and treatment of cancer using advances in medical imaging.
Awards and honours
- 2010 Institute of Physics Very Early Career Award
- 2015 Women of the Future Award for Science, highly commended
- 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”
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), arXiv:1709.01980, doi:10.1063/1.5007652, 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
- 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.
- "stfccancerdiagnosis.org". sites.google.com. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
- "New community of scientists aim to improve cancer diagnosis | Science and Technology Facilities Council". www.wired-gov.net. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
- Laura Harkness: Joint winner of the 2010 Very Early Career Woman Physicist of the Year, 6 May 2010, retrieved 2023-09-10
- "Stories - Department of Physics - University of Liverpool". www.liverpool.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
- "2024 Applied Nuclear Physics prize". www.eps.org. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
External links
- Laura Harkness-Brennan publications indexed by Google Scholar
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