Laura Harkness-Brennan

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