MSci (Mathematics), PhD (Quantum Information Theory)
Research Fellow
Room: 29.6.2.19

Tel: 028 9097 3432 // 028 9097 6057
E-mail: h.mcaneney@qub.ac.uk

Biography

I obtained my MSci (1st class Honours) degree in Mathematics from Queen’s University Belfast in 2001, receiving the David Bates Prize awarded to the top student of the year in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics. In 2005 I received my Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics within the research field of Quantum Information Theory, under the supervision of Prof Myungshik Kim, now based at Imperial College London.

Since 2005, I have been a Research Fellow, applying my mathematical skills to modelling within Medicine, firstly mathematical models of radiation treatments of cancer and more recently social network analysis and agent-based models being applied to Public Health. I returned to work in 2008 within the Centre for Health Improvement after the birth of my first daughter. In 2010 I was awarded a personal MRC Methodology Research Fellowship, which I commenced in 2011 after the birth of my second daughter in 2010. This Fellowship is based across the disciplines of mathematics, public health and sociology, involving the Institute of Child Care Research, Centre for Public Health and School of Mathematics and Physics. It was through the Fellowship that I joined the Institute of Child Care Research, which involves the longitudinal analysis of the social network aspects within the BYDS study.

I current help supervise PhD and MSci students, as well as publishing in peer reviewed journals, attending and presenting at national and international conferences. I am a member of the Institute of Physics, the Operational Research Society, the International Network for Social Network Analysis and the UK Social Network Analysis Societies. I also have links with the Centre of Excellence for Public Health (NI), the connected health research themes within Queen’s and am Co-Investigator on the NPRI Research Grant, Physical Activity and the Rejuvenation of Connswater (the PARC Study). Additionally I am affiliated with the MRC All-Ireland Hub for Trials Methodology Research, established in 2011 and led by Prof Mike Clarke. Since 2011, I have been actively engaged in outreach activities by being a STEM Ambassador, helping to promote and inspire STEM activities for young people.

Research interests

My research interest are wide ranging, but are centred on mathematics, in particular the methodological developments and application of network analysis. Everyone is embedded within a social network of friends, family and work colleagues which can affect one’s behavioural choices they make.

I have computing skills in writing programmes in the following languages: MATLAB, Fortran, NetLogo, Mathematica and Sage as well as using R, RSiena, UCINet, Netdraw, SPSS, and Latex.

Publications

Dynamics of Smoking in Adolescence and Influence of Social Networks. GC Cochrane, H McAneney, JF McCann , K Higgins and F Kee. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 65, (S1), A41 (2011).

Translating evidence into practice: a shared priority in public health? H. McAneney, J.F. McCann, L. Prior, J. Wilde and F. Kee. Soc. Sci. Med. 70, 1492-1500 (2010).

Linear Quadratic and Tumour Control Probability Modelling in External Beam Radiotherapy. SFC O’Rourke, H. McAneney, and T. Hillen. J. Math. Biol. 58, 799-817 (2009).

Repopulation Kinetics and the Linear-Quadratic Model. SFC O’Rourke, H. McAneney, C. Starrett and JM O’Sullivan. Computational Methods in Sciences and Engineering Vol 2, 1148, 209-213(2009).

Investigation of various growth mechanisms of solid tumour growth within the linear-quadratic model for radiotherapy. H. McAneney and SFC O'Rourke. Phys. Med. Biol. 52, 1039-1054 (2007).

Entanglement distribution with global control in a star-shaped multi-splitter. M. Paternostro, H. McAneney, and M. S. Kim. Int. J. Quant. Inf. 4, 551-561 (2006).

Modelling chemotherapeutic treatments of colorectal cancer. SFC O’Rourke, H. McAneney, PG Johnston and J. Boyer. Cellular Oncology, 27, 144 (2005).

Multi-splitter interaction for entanglement distribution. M. Paternostro, H. McAneney and M.S. Kim. Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 070501 (2005).

Non-Markovian Decoherence: Complete Positivity and Decomposition. H. McAneney, J. Lee, D. Ahn and M.S. Kim. J. Mod. Opt. 52, 935-943 (2005).

Completely-Positive Non-Markovian Decoherence. J. Lee, I. Kim, D. Ahn, H. McAneney and M.S. Kim. Phys. Rev. A 70, 024301 (2004).

On the Disentangling Process for Two-Mode Squeezed State. J. Lee, H. McAneney and M.S. Kim. J. Korean Phys. Soc. 44, 691-696, Part 2 (March 2004).

Entanglement of a Gaussian System with a Thermal Environment. H. McAneney, J. Lee and M.S. Kim. Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Squeezed States and Uncertainty Relations, page 277-283 (Rinton Press, 2003).

Many-body entanglement in decoherence processes. H. McAneney, J. Lee and M.S. Kim. Phys. Rev. A 68, 063814 (2003).