Overview
Hi there! I am a fifth year graduate student working with Prof. Dong Lai in the area of Theoretical Astrophysics. I study dynamics in general, mainly of protoplanetary disks, but also of exoplanets, black holes, and neutron stars. I have also done a bit of work related to geophysics. My main research goal is to understand what astrophysical processes shaped the extra-solar planetary systems we see today.
I received my undergraduate degree from Northern Arizona University, with a merged B.S. degree in Physics & Astronomy, and a B.S. in Mathematics. I spent time doing undergraduate research at the University of California Davis (theoretical cosmology), Pennsylvania State University (dynamical systems), and Wayne State University (experimental nuclear physics), and participated in two semester-long mathematics study abroad programs at Pennsylvania State University and the Independent University of Moscow (in Russia).
In my free time, I enjoy playing percussion (drum-set, djembe, congas, etc.), running, repetitively lifting heavy things, and doing anything related to music.
Publications
- John Zanazzi. A short proof of Klee’s theorem. Discrete Mathematics, 314 (2014),pp. 14-16.