Our people
The University of Manchester at Harwell’s staff, led by Director Prof Neil Bourne, consists of a core technical and administrative support base and a cadre of Research Fellows whose interests span many academic fields.
This team, based at the Harwell Campus, supports University access to the national facilities, driving the development and delivery of a broad range of collaborative research projects with national and international partners. Associated connections in Manchester ensure engagement across all faculties.
Job title
Dr Michael Baker
Dr Michael Baker, a Fellow in Physical Chemistry, is interested in the application of X-ray and neutron spectroscopies to study the role of metal ion active sites in biology and in functional magnetic materials.
Sarah Batts
Sarah Batts, the Institute’s Senior Administrative Assistant and PA to the Director, is the first point of contact for visitors to the Institute and for administrative enquiries. Sarah is inspired by science and has long experience working for the University.
Professor Neil Bourne
Professor Neil Bourne is Institute Director and Professor of Matter in Extreme Environments. Neil also directs The Thomas Ashton Institute for Risk and Regulatory Research.
Dr Antoine Cornet
Dr Antoine Cornet is a PDRA working for Neil Bourne on the structural analysis of active and irradiated engineering materials to ensure safety and security of future energy supplies.
Dr David Eastwood
Dr David Eastwood, a Fellow in The University of Manchester's Department of Materials, focuses on energy storage materials, X-ray imaging and in situ synchrotron techniques.
Dr Alex Greenaway
Dr Alex Greenaway is an Experimental Officer with particular responsibility for Health and Safety. Alex can advise facility users on design of equipment and processes to ensure experiments are performed safely.
Dr Jared Jones
Dr Jared Jones is a Mechanical Development Engineer assisting Manchester users with mechanical design and automation of experimental setups.
Dr Aneeqa Khan
Dr Aneeqa Khan is a Nuclear Fusion Fellow in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering. Her research is focused on testing materials and components for nuclear fusion applications.
Steph Masoni
Steph Masoni is the Deputy Operations Manager and part of the core team. Her primary role is project management to support delivery of joint (The University of Manchester and Harwell Science Innovation Campus) projects. She has more than 5 years of experience of working at Harwell.
Dr Sara Nonni
Dr Sara Nonni is an Experimental Officer supporting facility users from across Manchester during their experiments at Harwell. With a doctorate in radiocarbon dating, she has a particular interest in the study of historic artefacts.
Dr Christopher Parlett
Dr Christopher Parlett, a Fellow of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, employs operando x-ray spectroscopic techniques to assist in the elucidation of catalytically active sites, aiding the design and development of novel catalytic nanomaterials.
Dr Christopher Sole
Dr Christopher Sole is a Faraday Institution PDRA in Rob Weatherup’s group, developing novel in situ electrochemical XPS/XAS techniques to better understand the complex role of surfaces in battery degradation.
Dr Paul Wady
Dr Paul Wady is an Experimental Officer supporting facility users from across Manchester during their experiments at Harwell. With five years of experience at the Dalton Cumbrian Facility's radiation damage beamlines, Paul has particular interest in activated samples handling and materials for nuclear.
Dr Robert Weatherup
Dr Robert Weatherup, a Chemistry Fellow, develops operando X-ray spectroscopy techniques (XPS/XAS) to study solid-gas and solid-liquid interfaces under atmospheric pressure conditions for catalysis and energy storage.
Dr Jane Westwell
Jane is the Institute's Research and Grants Manager. Jane looks after grant applications from proposal to post-award stage, as well as managing communications and stakeholder relationships.
Dr Martin Wilding
Dr Martin Wilding is a Senior Experimental Officer whose role it is to manage the technical team to facilitate safe and successful experiments.