The Cockcroft Institute | News - The Cockcroft Institute

April 29, 2026

New laser-hybrid accelerator design strengthens vision for next-generation radiotherapy research facility

A major milestone has been reached in efforts to transform particle-beam therapy and radiobiology, as the team behind the LhARA collaboration publishes a Conceptual Design Report (CDR) for the Ion Therapy Research Facility. Close up of SCAPA facility, where the…

April 27, 2026

EuPRAXIA Gains Momentum at High-Level Brussels Event

Leading representatives from European institutions - from the European Commission to the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) - together with stakeholders from research, industry, and funding agencies gathered on 23 April in Brussels, at the Foundation University, for…

April 24, 2026

Muon g-2 experiment wins prestigious Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics

Six past and present members of the Cockcroft Institute of Accelerator Science and Technology from Liverpool and Lancaster universities are among the winners of this year’s Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, one of the world’s most prestigious scientific awards that…

March 11, 2026

Cockcroft Researchers’ Theoretical Concept for Ultrashort FEL Pulses Successfully Demonstrated at SwissFEL

When the concept of mode-locking was introduced in lasers in the 1960s it allowed the laser pulse duration to be reduced by orders of magnitude. In conventional lasers mode-locking relies on the fact that the laser pulse builds up inside…

the team retrieving irradiated radiochromic film (from left to right: Kristina Small, Brad Wilson, Fabio D’Andrea, Nick Henshaw, James Jones)

March 10, 2026

VHEE user experiments at CLARA

CLARA at Daresbury Laboratory has now achieved 250 MeV beam energy, unlocking a new phase of Very High Energy Electron (VHEE) research that could help shape the future of cancer treatment. These powerful electron beams can reach deepseated tumours while keeping radiation…

February 16, 2026

Professor Welsch recognized on the MeetEngland 2025 Roll of Honour

Prof Carsten P Welsch, Head of Accelerator Science at the University of Liverpool and Leader of the QUASAR Group based at the Cockcroft Institute, was presented with a 2026 MeetEngland Impact Network Award in recognition of his outstanding achievements in…

February 4, 2026

Lancaster University student wins prestigious cryogenics thesis prize

Lancaster University PhD student Dan Seal has been awarded the Harry Jones Prize by the British Cryogenic society (BSC) for 2025. The prize is given annually for the best UK thesis in the field of experimental applied science in the…

February 2, 2026

Advancing plasma-based accelerators using nanostructured materials

Over the past few decades, the field of plasma-based accelerators - such as laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) and beam-driven plasma wakefield acceleration (PWFA) has made remarkable advances. The long-predicted GeV/m accelerating gradients are now routinely achieved at multiple experimental facilities…

January 26, 2026

IPAC’26 Scientific Program Committee meets in Liverpool

The University of Liverpool's QUASAR Group hosted an important planning meeting for the IPAC’26 Scientific Program Committee (SPC) in Liverpool from 14 - 15 January. Participants at the IPAC 2026 SPC meeting in Liverpool. The event was held at the…