Melissa Rasmussen, a third-year PhD student in physics at Stony Brook University, is investigating how elements are formed in the universe through the study of supernovae. “One of the big applications for what I do is the question of where all the elements in the universe come from,” she said. “We know that heavier elements, like iron, form from supernovae, or stars blowing up. But the details of how, and in what amounts, depend on the physics we put into our models. That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”
Rasmussen’s research sits at the intersection of nuclear astrophysics and computational science. Her work involves running complex simulations to model stellar explosions and studying how these processes create elements essential to Earth and life.
Originally from Utah, Rasmussen attended Utah State University before joining Stony Brook. She was drawn to Stony Brook after participating in a remote Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program led by Professor Michael Zingale. “At the time it was fully remote. But even so, I loved it,” she recalled. “The science problem we worked on was fascinating, and I really felt like Professor Zingale valued my curiosity and the questions I asked.” This experience influenced her decision to choose Stony Brook for graduate studies.
At Stony Brook, Rasmussen found an environment supportive of interdisciplinary research through resources such as the Institute for Advanced Computational Science (IACS). She has taken courses outside her department to broaden her expertise in computer science and applied mathematics. According to Zingale, “Melissa is collaborating on a suite of codes that our entire group uses… An important part of our codes is that they are all open source, freely available online.”
Rasmussen’s dissertation focuses on simulating the collapse and explosion of massive stars using high-performance computing techniques such as adaptive mesh refinement. This approach allows researchers to focus computational resources on key regions within their models. The same computational methods have been used beyond astrophysics—for example, in weather prediction and epidemiology during events like COVID-19.
Her current efforts involve developing three-dimensional models to more accurately capture turbulence within exploding stars—a significant step beyond traditional one- or two-dimensional simulations. “If you model turbulence in 2D, it behaves in the opposite way from what we know it does in 3D,” she explained.
Professor Zingale emphasized that computational skills developed through this work are valuable across scientific fields: “The work we do uses techniques like designing and developing simulation codes, leveraging supercomputers, and analyzing simulations to answer questions in astrophysics. But these same core techniques carry to other fields as well… It opens doors far beyond any one discipline.”
Rasmussen acknowledges that her research may not have immediate practical applications but values its contribution to human knowledge: “Honestly, we study this because it’s really cool,” she said. She also noted that advancements driven by astrophysics often benefit other sectors through improvements in computing and data analysis.
She is supported by a Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship, which provides funding for four years of doctoral study focused on high-performance computing. The fellowship enables collaboration with scientists at national laboratories and supports professional development opportunities.
Beyond her academic work, Rasmussen has worked with faculty and fellow students at Stony Brook to address challenges faced by incoming graduate students: “It started with my own struggles… Many of us felt unprepared in different ways… Now, future students will hopefully be better equipped for the coursework and the research to come.”
Looking ahead, Rasmussen aims to apply her computational expertise toward issues such as renewable energy while continuing her current investigations into stellar phenomena. She hopes her journey will inspire others: “We don’t always know what discoveries will matter most,” she said. “But the act of pursuing them… always moves us forward.”
