Professor Paul McKenna

Deputy Associate Principal

Physics

Personal statement

Paul McKenna is Deputy Associate Principal (Research & Knowledge Exchange). He leads activity in the areas of Research and Knowledge Exchange, with associated roles aligning with the University’s Postgraduate Research portfolio and Researcher Development. He was Vice Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Science from September 2021 to January 2023 and Head of the Department of Physics from August 2018 to August 2021.

Prof. McKenna’s research focuses on ultra-intense laser-plasma interactions, including the development and application of laser-driven particle and radiation sources, plasma optics and photonics, and high field science.

He is a member of EPSRC's Capital Infrastructure Strategic Advisory Team since 2017 and a former member of STFC's Science Board (2017-20). He holds scientific advisory roles for several international high power laser facilities (e.g. the Program Advisory Committee for the Extreme Light infrastructure-Nuclear Physics facility) and held a visiting position at the Central Laser Facility at Harwell. He was an EPSRC Leadership Fellow from 2012-17 and was elected a Fellow of The Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2021.

Expertise

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Prize And Awards

High Power Laser Science and Engineering Outstanding Contribution Award: Recipient; 1/10/2023
Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Recipient; 30/3/2020

More prizes and awards

Publications

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Publications

Experimental evidence of production of directional muons from a laser-wakefield accelerator: Calvin Lyndsey, Gerstmayr Elias, Arran C, Tudor Liviana, Foster T, Fleck K, Bergmann B, Doria D, Kettle Brendan, Maguire H, Malka V, Manek P, Mangles SPD, McKenna Paul, Mihai RE, Popa S, Ridgers Christopher, Smolyanskiy P, Wilson Robbie, Deas R, Sarri G; Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion Vol 68 (2026); https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6587/ae4d05
Tunable harmonic frequency combs via dual-beam or structured-target laser-solid interactions: Trines R M G M, Schmitz Holger, King Martin, McKenna Paul, Bingham Robert; Physical Review Research Vol 8 (2026); https://doi.org/10.1103/j531-q3tk
ITRF/LhARA Conceptual Design Report: Ahmed H, Alderton Matthew, Amos RA, Ariyanto DO, Baker C J, Bamber J, Bebbington J, Bertsche W, Bingham Robert, Bliss N, Boella E, Boogert S, Borghesi M, Buckley R, Burrows Philip Nicholas, Casati G, Charlton Mike, Chen X, Clarke J, Cox B T, Cox G, Dascalu Titus-Stephan, Dolier Ewan, Dosanjh M, Dover N P, Dyson C, Eriksson S, Fernandez-Rodriguez A, Gerlach S, Giaccia A, Gibson S, Goulden A, Gray Ross, Green S, Greenshaw T, Griffiths S, Gujral D, Hall H C, Hardiman C, Harris EJ, Hill C, Hobson PR, Hugtenburg RP, Isaac A, Johnson M, Jones WG, Jurj PJ, King Martin, Knoll A, Kumar N, Kuo TJ, Kurup A, Lagrange JB, Lascaud J, Lombardi AM, Long Kenneth R, Luk WG, Lyu S, Masilela TAM, Matthews P, Maxouti M, McGarrigle JM, McKenna Paul, McLauchlan R, McNeish I, Melia E, Middleman K, Najmudin Z, Noro M, O’Neill SR, Obst-Huebl L, Oelfke U, Owen H, Palmer Charlotte, Parambil F, Parodi K, Parsons JL, Pasternak J, Patel M, Pattathil R, Pereira M, Poptani H, Prezado Y, Price P, Price T, Prise KM, Pugh C, Ratoff P, Razak R, Romano F, Ruksasakchai P, Sabate-Gilarte M, Sadhur Z, Sandhu A, Schettino G, Schreiber J, Shields W, Smart B, Smith RA, Snijders AM, Spiers D, Tantawi S, Thomason JWG, Torrance Ben, Towe S, Underwood T, van der Werf DP, Vick A, Vikhoreva A, Weightman P, Welsch CP, Whyte Colin, Wilson Robbie, Zakhir N; (2026)
Observation of quantum effects on radiation reaction in strong fields: Los E E, Gerstmayr E, Arran C, Streeter M J V, Colgan C, Cobo C C, Kettle B, Blackburn T G, Bourgeois N, Calvin L, Carderelli J, Cavanagh N, Dann SJD, Di Piazza A, Fitzgarrald R, Ilderton A, Keitel CH, Marklund M, McKenna P, Murphy C D, Najmudin Z, Parsons P, Pattathil R, Symes D R, Tamburini M, Thomas A G R, Wood J C, Zepf M, Sarri G, Ridgers C P, Mangles S P D; Nature Communications Vol 17 (2026); https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-67918-8
Characterization and automated optimization of laser-driven proton beams from converging liquid sheet jet targets: Glenn G D, Treffert F, Ahmed H, Astbury S, Borghesi M, Bourgeois N, Curry C B, Dann S J D, Diiorio S, Dover N P, Dzelzainis T, Ettlinger O, Gauthier M, Giuffrida L, Gray R J, Green J S, Hicks G S, Hyland C, Istokskaia V, King M, Loughran B, Margarone D, McCusker O, McKenna P, Najmudin Z, Parisuaña C, Parsons P, Spindloe C, Streeter M J V, Symes D R, Thomas A G R, Xu N, Glenzer S H, Palmer C A J; Physical Review Research Vol 8 (2026); https://doi.org/10.1103/ggsf-hkm1
ARISE : an algorithm for rapid ion spectrum extraction enabling real-time optimisation in high-repetition-rate laser-driven ion acceleration: Torrance Ben C, McQueen Christopher J G, Wilson Robbie, Alderton Matthew, Dolier Ewan J, Peat Romero Maia P, Nayli Radhika, King Martin, Gray Ross J, McKenna Paul; High Power Laser Science and Engineering Vol 13 (2026); https://doi.org/10.1017/hpl.2025.10083