Where do the elements in our world—like the gold in jewellery or the indium in smartphone screens—come from? I’m excited to share that my NSERC Discovery Grant has been awarded to tackle this question through my research program, “Connecting nuclear reactions to cosmic abundances.”

You can find the summary below:

Where do the elements in our world, such as the gold in our jewellery or the indium in our smartphone screens, come from? The rarest of them are forged in the fiery deaths of stars. My research program tackles this fundamental question: How do violent stellar explosions, like supernovae, create chemical elements? Answering this requires a unique combination of expertise: measuring nuclear reactions in the lab, simulating cosmic explosions using supercomputers, and comparing theoretical predictions to ancient starlight and billion-year-old meteorites. This integrated approach is the core strength of my research program. I focus my experimental efforts on studying critical nuclear reactions, such as (α,n) reactions near closed neutron shells, that behave as astrophysical “knobs”, regulating element production during stellar explosions. Most of these reactions involve unstable, short-lived isotopes that can only be studied at a few major facilities around the world. We conduct direct measurements at Canada’s TRIUMF, Argonne National Laboratory and FRIB in the USA, and RIKEN in Japan, using advanced detector arrays to probe reactions that have never been observed before. To interpret these experimental results, we perform precise simulations of explosive astrophysical environments, including core-collapse supernovae, neutron star mergers, and classical novae. These simulations predict the chemical yields from each site. Crucially, we test our predictions against direct evidence from the Cosmos: the elemental fingerprints imprinted in the spectra of ancient, metal-poor stars, fossils of the early universe, and presolar grains found in meteorites, tiny specks of stardust that predate the Solar System and retain unique isotopic signatures. This unique combination of laboratory data, theoretical modeling, and astrophysical observations will allow us to: a) pinpoint which nuclear reactions most affect predictions of element formation, b) identify the stellar origins of specific isotopes observed throughout the universe, and c) provide quantitative answers to long-standing questions about the chemical evolution of matter. This Discovery Grant will train the next generation of scientists at the intersection of nuclear physics and astrophysics. Trainees in my group will conduct experiments at TRIUMF and other international accelerator facilities, develop and apply advanced simulation tools to model stellar explosions, and gain experience comparing theoretical predictions with astronomical and meteoritic data. Through this interdisciplinary training, the students in my group will develop versatile, transferable skills in nuclear physics, scientific computing, and data analysis, preparing them for careers in academia, industry, and beyond. Their work will enhance Canada’s scientific capacity and global leadership in fundamental research.