Jeff Hartnell

Professor Jeff Hartnell is a distinguished physicist at the University of Sussex, where he serves in the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences within the Physics and Astronomy department. He joined Sussex in 2007 as an STFC Research Fellow, was appointed Lecturer in 2008, promoted to Reader in 2013, and achieved full Professorship in 2017. Prior to Sussex, he worked at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (2005-2007) and earned his DPhil from the University of Oxford.

His research centers on two major areas: understanding neutrinos to address fundamental questions about the universe (particularly why matter dominates over antimatter), and developing innovative opaque scintillator radiation detectors (LiquidO technology) for both neutrino physics and industrial applications. He serves as co-spokesperson for the CLOUD neutrino experiment and has held significant leadership roles in the NOvA experiment, including physics analysis co-coordinator (2019-2022) and Chair of the Institutional Board (2016-2021).

Professor Hartnell's research group has demonstrated that LiquidO technology can surpass traditional segmented detectors, with their 'Cube' detector recognized as the world's most precise LiquidO detector. His publication record includes 88 peer-reviewed papers with approximately 11,000 citations and an h-index of 49, reflecting substantial impact in the field of neutrino physics.

• Institute of Physics HEPP Group Prize (2013)
• Fellow of the Institute of Physics (2017)
• Multiple teaching awards from Sussex students
• Royal Society Leverhulme Trust Fellowship (2023-2024)
• ERC grant 'AntineutrinoNOvA' (2012-2018)

Professor Hartnell actively supervises PhD students and postdocs, with recent additions including Max de Carlos Generowicz, Adam Wong, Jessica Lock, and postdoc Nicolo Tuccori. His lab receives substantial funding from STFC, Royal Society, European Innovation Council, and UKRI, supporting both fundamental research and technology development with industrial applications. The group maintains strong international collaborations with Fermilab, CERN, and other institutions worldwide, providing students with opportunities for international research experiences.