I am a theoretical nuclear astrophysicist at the University of Notre Dame interested in the formation of the elements. I am also the mother of one daughter and doting aunt to eleven nieces and nephews. My work combines the nuclear theory of heavy nuclei, experimental results from radioactive isotope experiments, and astrophysical observations to understand how the heaviest elements are synthesized in the universe. It is a particularly exciting time for my field, given advances in computing, stellar spectroscopic surveys, and multi-messenger astronomy, as well as new facilities such as FRIB and the N=126 Factory. I’m looking forward to our community developing the vision to take advantage of these and other key recent advances as part of the Long-Range Plan for nuclear science.

https://physics.nd.edu/people/rebecca-surman/

My Journey as a Physicist is brought to you by PhD student Bryan Stanley (he/him/his) and Prof. Huey-Wen Lin (she/her). Season 3 is hosted by PhD student Bill Good and edited by Varalee Sakorikar.

Season 3 consists of members of the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee Long Range Plan.

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