Tanja Heftrich

Priv.-Doz. Dr. Tanja Heftrich is affiliated with the Institute for Applied Physics within the Faculty of Physics (FB 13) at Goethe Universität Frankfurt. She leads research in experimental astrophysics, focusing on nuclear reactions underlying elemental formation in stellar environments. Her work emphasizes quantifying stellar nucleosynthesis processes to understand stellar interiors.

Teaching philosophy: She prioritizes fostering student autonomy and confidence through intellectually stimulating, inclusive environments. She advocates for open dialogue and mutual support in academic settings.

Research Highlights: Her group investigates neutron capture cross sections and proton-induced reactions critical to explosive nucleosynthesis. Recent work includes a Phys. Rev. Lett. publication on proton-induced cross sections using stored rare ion beams.

Supervision: She has advised 6 Master’s theses (e.g., beta spectroscopy studies, neutron capture feasibility tools) and 17 Bachelor’s theses (e.g., neutron capture cross-section determinations, detector efficiency analysis).

Laboratory: Part of the Experimental Astrophysics group at the Institute for Applied Physics, specializing in low-energy nuclear reaction measurements under astrophysical conditions.