The group at Leeds has been a pioneer in many areas of cosmic ray research. Experiments at Haverah Park demonstrated the existence of cosmic rays with energies beyond the theoretical "GKZ cut-off" for the first time. This discovery links high energy Cosmic Ray research to experimental cosmology.
In 1988, in conjunction with the Bartol Research Institute at the University of Delaware an experiment called SPASE was built at the geographic South Pole to search for cosmic gamma rays. A new experiment called SPASE-2 has recently been constructed to study composition in the area of `the knee' of the cosmic ray energy spectrum.
The group is also actively involved in the design of a giant air shower array to detect the highest energy cosmic rays. This array will be known as the Pierre Auger Observatory.