Zach Meisel, Ph.D.

Meisel’s primary research foci are the origin of the elements and the behavior of matter at extreme densities and low temperatures. He also investigates the structural evolution of nuclei, nuclear reactions for intermediate mass nuclides, and the development of nuclear instrumentation and analysis techniques.

Meisel received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 2015, followed by a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Notre Dame, before joining the faculty of Ohio University in 2016. He is a senior investigator in the Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics and has been recognized as a young investigator with a Department of Energy Early Career Award.

The overarching questions Meisel aims to answer are “what are the origin of the elements?” and “how does matter behave at ultra-high densities?”. Related astrophysics sites include neutron star mergers, core collapse supernovae, massive stars, and accreting neutron stars. Research tools he employs are low-energy nuclear physics measurements at facilities such as the Edwards Accelerator Laboratory at Ohio University and the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (soon to be Facility for Rare Isotope Beams) at Michigan State University. Additionally, Meisel performs astrophysics model calculations and develops nuclear physics instrumentation to complement nuclear physics experiments.