Hello! I'm currently a postdoctoral fellow studying small body astronomy at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. I investigate the behavior and evolution of comets, asteroids, and related objects roaming the solar system to evaluate our place in the universe.

Academic History

  • 2023–present: Lowell Observatory
    • Percival Lowell Postdoctoral Fellow
  • 2017–2023: California Institute of Technology
    • Planetary Science, Ph.D. (2024)
    • Planetary Science, M.S. (2019)
  • 2013–2017: University of California, Santa Barbara
    • Physics, B.S. (2017)

Recent Highlights

2026 Mar 17: Research note Zhang et al. (2026b) presents some preliminary results from JWST observations of Kreutz sungrazer C/2026 A1 (MAPS), showing its nucleus to be ~0.4 km in diameter.

2026 Feb 6: Zhang et al. (2026a) (arXiv:2601.00060) shows that minor planet (139359) 2001 ME1 is actually a comet active only near perihelion. Its passage almost directly in front of the Sun brightened it by ~7 magnitudes.