J. J. Zanazzi

I am a theoretical astrophysicist, who investigates the ways in which planets form.  My research emphasizes the concurrent importance of orbital and fluid dynamics, and seeks to understand the extraordinary diversity of exoplanetary architectures we observe.  I have also worked on stellar binaries and high-energy astrophysics.  For more information, see my research page.

On August 15, 2026, I will join the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics at the Pennsylvania State University as an Assistant Professor.  Currently, I am a 51 Pegasi b Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds at Penn State.  My 51 Pegasi b fellowship was first hosted at the University of California Berkeley, where I worked with Eugene Chiang.  Before Berkeley, I was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics.  I received my PhD from Cornell University, under the supervision of Dong Lai.