Zahra Essack
University of New Mexico
Research Focus
About Zahra
Zahra Essack is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of New Mexico. She received her Ph.D. (2023) in Planetary Sciences from MIT, where she used a combination of telescope observations, laboratory experiments, and modeling to understand the surfaces, atmospheres, and formation of short-period hot super-Earth exoplanets.
As a Postdoctoral Fellow, Zahra is extending her work to the detection and characterization of cooler, long-period exoplanets with the TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) telescope to improve our understanding of planet formation, and the solar system.
Zahra earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in South Africa, majoring in Physics and Applied Mathematics. Zahra is passionate about improving and advancing DEI in STEM, equitable and inclusive access to education, outreach, and mentorship.
Outside of academia, her interests include cooking, traveling, and swimming.
Honors
2020 - Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future Fellowship
2017 - MIT Presidential Fellowship
2017 - National Research Foundation Innovation Master's Scholarship
2015 - UKZN College Deputy Vice Chancellor’s Scholarship
2014 - National Research Foundation Square Kilometer Array Scholarship
2014 - UKZN Vice Chancellor’s Scholarship
Education
Postdoc
University of New Mexico, 08/2023
Ph.D.
Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 05/2023
Master's
Applied Mathematics (Astrophysics), Other, 01/2018
Bachelor's
Physics and Applied Mathematics, Other, 12/2016
