MIT EAPS Directory

Zahra Essack is a PhD Candidate in Planetary Science, working with Professor Sara Seager on the detection and characterization of exoplanets. She uses a combination of telescope observations, laboratory experiments, and computer modeling to understand the surfaces and atmospheres of a subset of the exoplanet population called "hot super-Earths" – rocky planets with short orbital periods and molten lava surfaces. Zahra is also affiliated with the Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research through her involvement in the TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) Mission.