Professor Paul McKenna

Physics

Personal statement

Paul McKenna is a Professor of Laser-Plasma Physics. His research focuses on ultra-intense laser-plasma interactions, including the development and application of laser-driven particle and radiation sources, plasma optics 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 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.

Within the University, Paul is currently the Vice Dean Research in the Faculty of Science and a member of the Faculty Executive Team. He was Head of Department of Physics from August 2018 to July 2021.

Prizes and awards

Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Recipient; 30/3/2020

More prizes and awards

Publications

Optimisation of multi-petawatt laser-driven proton acceleration in the relativistic transparency regime: Goodman J, King M, Wilson R, Gray R J, McKenna P; New Journal of Physics Vol 24 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ac681f
Theoretical and computational studies of the Weibel instability in several beam-plasma interaction configurations: Davidson Conor, Sheng Zheng-Ming, Wilson Thomas, McKenna Paul; Journal of Plasma Physics Vol 88 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022377822000253
Calibration of BAS-TR image plate response to GeV gold ions: Doria D, Martin P, Ahmed H, Alejo A, Cerchez M, Ferguson S, Fernandez-Tobias J, Green J S, Gwynne D, Hanton F, Jarrett J, Maclellan D A, McIlvenny A, McKenna P, Ruiz J A, Swantusch M, Willi O, Zhai S, Borghesi M, Kar S; Review of Scientific Instruments Vol 93 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0079564
Development of a portable hypoxia chamber for ultra-high dose rate laser-driven proton radiobiology applications: Chaudhary Pankaj, Gwynne Deborah Caroline, Odlozilik Boris, McMurray Aaron, Milluzzo Giuliana, Maiorino Carla, Doria Domenico, Ahmed Hamad, Romagnani Lorenzo, Alejo Aaron, Padda Hersimerjit, Green James, Carroll David, Booth Nicola, McKenna Paul, Kar Satyabrat, Petringa Giada, Catalano Roberto, Cammaratta Francesco P, Cirrone Giuseppe Antonio Pablo, McMahon Stephen J, Prise Kevin M, Borghesi Marco; Radiation Oncology (2022)
Influence of spatial-intensity contrast in ultraintense laser-plasma interactions: Wilson R, King M, Butler N M H, Carroll D C, Frazer T P, Duff M J, Higginson A, Dance R J, Jarrett J, Davidson Z E, Armstrong C D, Liu H, Hawkes S J, Clarke R J, Neely D, Gray R J, McKenna P; Scientific Reports Vol 12 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-05655-4
Inﬂuence of target-rear-side short scale length density gradients on laser-driven proton acceleration: Higginson A, Wilson R, Goodman J, King M, Dance R J, Butler N M H, Armstrong C D, Notley M, Carroll D C, Fang Y, Yuan X H, Neely D, Gray R J, McKenna P; Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion Vol 63 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6587/ac2035

More publications

Professional activities

Invited Talk and Panel Member at the ELI Beamlines Users Conference: Speaker; 21/10/2021
External examiner for a PhD candidate at Queen's University Belfast - Nicole Breslin: Examiner; 18/9/2021
Invited Webinar - Matter and Radiation in the Extremes Webinar Series: Speaker; 7/9/2021
Royal Society of Edinburgh Sectional Committee (External organisation): Advisor; 18/8/2021
Program Committee member and Session Chair for the 47th European Physical Society Plasma Physics conference (External organisation): Advisor; 21/6/2021
Programme Committee Member and Session Chair at Nuclear Photonics 2021 International Conference: Participant; 10/6/2021

More professional activities

Projects

Doctoral Training Partnership 2020-2021 University of Strathclyde | Peat, Maia: McKenna, Paul (Principal Investigator) Gray, Ross (Co-investigator) Peat, Maia (Research Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2021 - 01-Jan-2024
Advanced laser-plasma optics technology | Alderton, Matthew: McKenna, Paul (Principal Investigator) Gray, Ross (Co-investigator) Alderton, Matthew (Research Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2021 - 01-Jan-2025
PhD Studentship for Characterising Laser-driven Particle Beams: Gray, Ross (Principal Investigator) McKenna, Paul (Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2021 - 30-Jan-2025
Advanced laser-plasma optics technology | Peat, Maia: McKenna, Paul (Principal Investigator) Gray, Ross (Co-investigator) Peat, Maia (Research Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2021 - 01-Jan-2024
Doctoral Training Partnership 2020-2021 University of Strathclyde | Alderton, Matthew: McKenna, Paul (Principal Investigator) Gray, Ross (Co-investigator) Alderton, Matthew (Research Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2021 - 01-Jan-2024
The new intensity frontier: exploring quantum electrodynamic plasmas: McKenna, Paul (Principal Investigator); 01-Jan-2021 - 30-Jan-2025

More projects

Address

Physics
John Anderson Building

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