Erika Holmbeck, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
When
Refreshments served at 3:00 pm in the 3rd floor atrium
TAP Stellar & Nuclear Astrophysics Initiative Lecture
Erika Holmbeck, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Visit Dates: November 16-20, 2026
Title: TBA
Abstract: TBA
Bio: Erika Holmbeck earned her Ph.D. in Physics at the University of Notre Dame in 2020, studying both the Theoretical Nuclear Astrophysics and Galactic Archaeology---or, as she likes to call it, Galactic Genealogy. After a brief postdoc at Rochester Institute of Technology, she brought her NHFP Hubble Fellowship to Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena, CA. She is currently a staff scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Her research interests include the formation of the heavy elements, with a particular focus on the creation of actinides (Thorium and Uranium) in the Universe.
She observes and studies metal-poor, chemically-enhanced stars with high-resolution spectroscopy. She has experience in high-resolution spectroscopy and data processing with telescopes such as the 2.5-m Irénée du Pont Telescope (Las Campanas Observatory), the 2.7-m Harlan J. Smith Telescope (McDonald Observatory), and the 6.5-m Magellan - Clay Telescope (Las Campanas Observatory).
In addition, she runs nucleosynthesis simulations to investigate how elements are made through rapid neutron-capture (the r-process). These simulations require detailed understanding of the nuclear physics input as well as the astrophysical environment in which r-process nucleosynthesis takes place.