Eilens Lopez Saavedra

Eilens Lopez Saavedra studies the structure of atomic nuclei and how nuclear reactions occur. Her research combines experiments and the development of new scientific instruments that detect and measure nuclear particles.

 

She has published major research papers as the lead author in journals such as Physical Review Letters and Physical Review C. She has also worked with the Mayo Clinic on a project that adapts technology originally designed for nuclear-physics experiments for medical uses.

 

Saavedra led the design, construction, and startup of a particle detector called AMENA. She is also the principal investigator for an experiment at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), where she analyzes data to better understand nuclear reactions that occur in astrophysical environments.

 

Her experiments have taken place ATLAS at Argonne, Florida State University and GANIL in France, focusing on improving detector performance, managing how experimental data are collected, and building analysis tools that extract important measurements about nuclear reactions and nuclear structure. These measurements help scientists refine models of how elements are created in stars and stellar explosions, as well as how unstable nuclei decay over time.