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 Jul 9: WGSBN Bulletin Vol. 6, #11 officially named asteroid (20602) Qichengzhang. This primitive outer main-belt asteroid is part of the Meliboea family and ~24 km in diameter.
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.