Skip to main content
What types of page to search?

Alternatively use our A-Z index.

Laura Harkness

Professor Laura Harkness
PhD MPhys PGCert MInstP FHEA

Professor of Physics and Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research & Impact for Science & Engineering
Physics

Professional Activities

Selected Professional Activities

Examination Role

  • University of Jyväskylä, PhD Physics (2024 - 2025) (Examination Role)

External Administrative or Committee Role

  • National Physical Laboratory Science and Technology Advisory Council (STAC), Invited (National Physical Laboratory, 2023 - present) (External Administrative or Committee Role)
  • Periodic Quality Review of University College Dublin School of Physics, Invited (University College Dublin, 2024 - 2025) (External Administrative or Committee Role)
  • UKRI Interdisciplinary Assesement College Chair (UK Research and Innovation, 2023 - 2025) (External Administrative or Committee Role)
  • STFC Technology Department Review Board Chair, Invited (Science and Technology Facilities Council, 2023 - 2024) (External Administrative or Committee Role)
  • NuPECC Long Range Plan Working Group (2016 - 2018) (External Administrative or Committee Role)

Grant Application Assessment

  • External Post-submission (UK Research and Innovation, 2023 - 2024) (Grant Application Assessment)
  • External Post-submission (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, 2021 - 2024) (Grant Application Assessment)
  • External Post-submission (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, 2023) (Grant Application Assessment)

Media Appearance

  • "Inside Sellafield" - Consultant and Script Advisor, BBC4 (Media Appearance)

Conference Roles

  • Enhanced Waste Assay, invited plenary talk , by Invitation (2nd International Conference on Dosimetry and Applications, University of Surrey, 2016)
  • Point-like contact germanium detectors for high-resolution gamma spectroscopy, invited plenary talk, TASCA Workshop, by Invitation (GSI, 2015)
  • Novel techniques to enhance gamma-ray spectrometry for the nuclear industry, invited plenary talk, Conference on Applied Radiation Metrology, by Invitation (CARM2015, National Physical Laboratory, 2015)
  • Invited plenary talk "A new detector for gamma-ray spectroscopy and imaging", by Invitation (Institute of Physics Nuclear Physics Conference, 2015)
  • Public Lecture "Gamma-rays: imaging the invisible", by Invitation (STFC Daresbury Laboratory Talking Science, 2015)
  • "The role of nuclear physics in medicine", by Invitation (STFC RAL Teach the Teachers , 2014)
  • "Imaging the Invisible", by Invitation (IOP Teachers Conference, 2014)
  • What GAMOS can do for nuclear physicists, by Invitation (Institute of Physics meeting on Geant4 in Nuclear Physics, 2013)
  • An Introduction to Broad Energy Germanium detectors, by Invitation (University of Jyvaskyla, 2013)
  • Compton imaging with semiconductor detectors, by Invitation (Canberra, USA, 2013)
  • "Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe detectors)", by Invitation (University of York Nuclear Physics Seminar, 2013)
  • Invited Seminar - "Compton Imaging: From Concept to Application", by Invitation (IFAE, Barcelona, 2011)

Examination Roles

  • University of Jyväskylä, PhD Physics (2024 - 2025)
  • University of Bristol, MRes Physics (MPhil, 2023)
  • University of Surrey, PhD Physics (2023)
  • University of Birmingham, PhD Physics (2022)
  • University of the West of Scotland, MRes Physics (MPhil, 2021)
  • University of York, PhD physics (2021)
  • Lancaster University, PhD Engineering (2019)
  • University of York, PhD Physics (2019)
  • University of Glasgow, PhD Physics (2018)
  • University of Surrey, PhD Physics (2017)
  • University of Glasgow, PhD Candidate (2018)
  • University of Surrey, PhD candidate (2018)

External Administrative or Committee Roles

  • National Physical Laboratory Science and Technology Advisory Council (STAC), Invited (National Physical Laboratory, 2023 - present)
  • Periodic Quality Review of University College Dublin School of Physics, Invited (University College Dublin, 2024 - 2025)
  • UKRI Interdisciplinary Assesement College Chair (UK Research and Innovation, 2023 - 2025)
  • STFC Technology Department Review Board Chair, Invited (Science and Technology Facilities Council, 2023 - 2024)
  • IOP Nuclear Physics Group Committee (Institute of Physics, 2015 - 2019)
  • NuPECC Long Range Plan Working Group (2016 - 2018)
  • IOP Physics Communicators Group Committee (Institute of Physics, 2014 - 2016)

Grant Application Assessments

  • External Post-submission (UK Research and Innovation, 2023 - 2024)
  • External Post-submission (Science Technology Facilities Council (STFC), 2022 - 2024)
  • External Post-submission (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, 2021 - 2024)
  • External Post-submission (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, 2023)
  • External Post-submission (Science Technology Facilities Council (STFC), 2023)
  • External Post-submission (Science Technology Facilities Council (STFC), 2019 - 2023)
  • External Post-submission (UK Research and Innovation, 2022)
  • External Post-submission (UK Research and Innovation, 2021 - 2022)
  • External Post-submission (Science Technology Facilities Council (STFC), 2020 - 2022)
  • External Post-submission (Science Technology Facilities Council (STFC), 2018)
  • External Post-submission (Science Technology Facilities Council (STFC), 2017 - 2018)
  • External Post-submission (Science Technology Facilities Council (STFC), 2016 - 2018)

Media Appearances

  • "Inside Sellafield" - Consultant and Script Advisor, BBC4
  • Gamma ray method takes first step towards enhanced medical imaging precision, Chemistry World (2016)
  • Interview for "The half life of strontium 90" programme, BBC Radio 4 (2015)
  • How do we know that things are really made of atoms, BBC Earth Online (2015)

Organisations I have been associated with

  • Kromek Ltd (2012 - present)
  • Canberra Industries (2012 - present)
  • Institute of Physics
  • STEM Ambassador

Professional Body Memberships

  • Higher Education Academy (Fellow, 2014 - present)
  • Institute of Physics (IOP) (Member Institute of Physics, 2007 - present)

Publication Reviews

  • Peer Reviewer, Invited (Applied Radiation and Isotopes, Pre-publication, 2023 - present)
  • Peer Reviewer (IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, Pre-publication, 2012 - present)
  • Peer Reviewer (IOP Journal of Instrumentation, Pre-publication, 2013 - 2023)
  • Peer Reviewer, Invited (Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Pre-publication, 2009 - present)