Kieran Flanagan

Prof. Kieran Flanagan is a Professor of Nuclear Physics and Head of the Nuclear Physics Group at the Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Manchester. He is also Director of the Photon Science Institute and Dalton Nuclear Institute. His research focuses on nuclear structure and fundamental physics using laser spectroscopy techniques, particularly the Collinear Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy (CRIS) method.

Education: Graduated from The University of Manchester, followed by PhD studies under Prof. Jon Billowes. Postdoctoral work included positions at CERN, KU Leuven, and IPN-Orsay. He returned to Manchester in 2009 as an STFC Advanced Fellow.

Research Interests: Spectroscopy of exotic nuclei and molecules, quantum control of molecular ions, trace isotope detection, and exploring physics beyond the Standard Model through radioactive molecules. Key projects include the ERC-funded ActMol initiative (2024) and FNMPLS (2015).

Publications highlight advancements in CRIS, laser cooling of radium-containing molecules, and studies of nuclear moments in short-lived isotopes. His work bridges fundamental physics with applications in trace analysis, as seen in the start-up Artemis Analytical Ltd (2016).

Awards: STFC Advanced Fellowship (2009), ERC Consolidator (2015), and Advanced ERC (2024). Collaborations span global institutions like CERN, KU Leuven, and IPN-Orsay.

Labs: Academic lead of the Ultra Trace Analysis Lab, specializing in high-resolution mass spectrometry and isotope detection.