Professor Paul McKenna
Deputy Associate Principal
Physics
Personal statement
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.
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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
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Publications
- Stable laser-acceleration of high-flux proton beams with plasma collimation
- Streeter M J V, Glenn G D, Diiorio S, Treffert F, Loughran B, Ahmed H, Astbury S, Borghesi M, Bourgeois Nicola, Curry C B, Dann Stephen JD, Dover N P, Dzelzainis Thomas, Ettlinger O C, Gauthier Marie-Frederique, Giuffrida L, Glenzer S H, Gray Ross, Green J S, Hicks G S, Hyland C, Istokskaia V, King Martin, Margarone D, McCusker O, McKenna Paul, Najmudin Z, Parisuaña C, Parsons P, Spindloe Christopher, Symes D R, Thomas AGR, Xu N, Palmer C A J
- Nature Communications (2025)
- A scintillating fiber imaging spectrometer for active characterization of laser-driven proton beams
- Patel J K, Armstrong C D, Wilson R, Alderton M, Dolier E J, Frazer T P, Horne A, Lofrese A, Peat M, Woodward M, Zielbauer B, Clarke R J, Deas R, Rajeev P P, Gray R J, McKenna P
- High Power Laser Science and Engineering Vol 12 (2024)
- https://doi.org/10.1017/hpl.2024.62
- Target sensitivity study of density transition-injected electrons in laser wakefield accelerators
- Cobo C C, Arran C, Bourgeois N, Calvin L, Carderelli J, Cavanagh N, Colgan C, Dann S J D, Fitzgarrald R, Gerstmayr E, Kettle B, Los E E, Mangles S P D, McKenna P, Najmudin Z, Rajeev P P, Ridgers C P, Sarri G, Streeter M J V, Symes D R, Thomas A G R, Watt R, Murphy C D
- Physical Review Accelerators and Beams Vol 27 (2024)
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevaccelbeams.27.111301
- Laser harmonic generation with independent control of frequency and orbital angular momentum
- Trines Raoul, Schmitz Holger, King Martin, McKenna Paul, Bingham Robert
- Nature Communications Vol 15 (2024)
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51311-y
- Optimizing laser coupling, matter heating, and particle acceleration from solids using multiplexed ultraintense lasers
- Yao Weipeng, Nakatsutsumi Motoaki, Buffechoux Sébastien, Antici Patrizio, Borghesi Marco, Ciardi Andrea, Chen Sophia N, d’Humières Emmanuel, Gremillet Laurent, Heathcote Robert, Horný Vojtěch, McKenna Paul, Quinn Mark N, Romagnani Lorenzo, Royle Ryan, Sarri Gianluca, Sentoku Yasuhiko, Schlenvoigt Hans-Peter, Toncian Toma, Tresca Olivier, Vassura Laura, Willi Oswald, Fuchs Julien
- Matter and Radiation at Extremes Vol 9 (2024)
- https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0184919
- Narrow-band acceleration of gold ions to GeV energies from ultra-thin foils
- Martin Philip, Ahmed Hamad, Doria Domenico, Cerchez Mirela, Hanton Fiona, Gwynne Deborah, Alejo Aaron, Fernández-Tobias Javier, Green James, Macchi Andrea, Maclellan David, McKenna Paul, Ruiz Jesús Álvarez, Swantusch Marco, Willi Oswald, Zhai Shuhua, Borghesi Marco, Kar Satyabrata
- Communications Physics Vol 7 (2024)
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-023-01425-4
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Professional Activities
- Invited Talk - Queens University Belfast Sir Harrie Massey Colloquia
- Speaker
- 21/5/2025
- Frontiers in Plasma Physics and Technology (FPPT-11) International Conference
- Participant
- 5/5/2025
- Invited Talk at the Frontiers in Plasma Physics and Technology (FPPT-11) International Conference
- Speaker
- 5/5/2025
- Laser-Plasma Accelerators Workshop (LPAW 2025)
- Participant
- 13/4/2025
- Co-Chair of the Superstrong field session of the International Conference on Laser Optics - ICLO2024
- Participant
- 1/7/2024
- Invited talk at the International Workshop: New opportunities and challenges in nuclear physics with high power lasers
- Speaker
- 1/7/2024
Projects
- Industrial CASE Account - University of Strathclyde 2024
- McKenna, Paul (Principal Investigator)
- 01-Jan-2024 - 30-Jan-2029
- Bayesian optimisation of inertial confinement fusion in multi-scale simulations
- McKenna, Paul (Principal Investigator) Gray, Ross (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2024 - 31-Jan-2028
- Cultures of Collaborative Research in a Socially Progressive Technological University
- McDonald, James (Principal Investigator) Bedford, Tim (Co-investigator) Compton-Daw, Emma (Co-investigator) Connolly, Patricia (Co-investigator) Grealy, Madeleine (Co-investigator) Mahn, Churnjeet (Co-investigator) McKenna, Paul (Co-investigator)
- 16-Jan-2024 - 15-Jan-2025
- Cultures of Collaborative Research in a Socially Progressive Technological University / R230557-207
- McDonald, James (Principal Investigator) Bedford, Tim (Co-investigator) Compton-Daw, Emma (Co-investigator) Connolly, Patricia (Co-investigator) Grealy, Madeleine (Co-investigator) Mahn, Churnjeet (Co-investigator) McKenna, Paul (Co-investigator)
- 16-Jan-2024 - 15-Jan-2025
- Tuneable radiation-resilient (AlGa)2O3 UVC photodetectors
- Massabuau, Fabien (Principal Investigator) Martin, Robert (Co-investigator) McKenna, Paul (Co-investigator) Oi, Daniel (Co-investigator) Spesyvtseva, Susan (Co-investigator)
- 15-Jan-2024 - 30-Jan-2025
- Industrial Case Account - University of Strathclyde 2023
- McKenna, Paul (Principal Investigator)
- 01-Jan-2023 - 31-Jan-2029
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Contact
Professor
Paul
McKenna
Deputy Associate Principal
Physics
Email: paul.mckenna@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 548 5712