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I am a mineral physicist studying connections between atomic-scale physical properties of Earth’s building blocks and the planetary-scale geophysical processes that shape and sustain our habitable living planet. Since September 2022, I am working as a Carnegie Postdoctoral Fellow at the Earth and Planets Laboratory, with a focus on measuring transport properties and melting of materials at extreme pressures.

My scientific interests focus on the complex multi-scale structures actively being discovered at Earth’s core-mantle boundary and their role in planetary dynamics and evolution. I use laboratory and synchrotron-based experiments to study the physics of relevant materials under extreme conditions, as well as interdisciplinary collaborations to advance our qualitative understanding of Earth’s deep interior and its relationship with the planet’s surface.

During my PhD I worked with Prof. Jennifer Jackson at Caltech, where I focused on developing a multi-technique approach for precisely measuring the melting temperatures of iron-bearing materials at high pressures in a laser-heated diamond-anvil cell (LHDAC) and addressing the longstanding discussion around melt detection at high pressures. I have also been actively involved in interdisciplinary efforts to quantify the compositions of ultralow velocity zones (ULVZs), the most physically extreme structures discovered at the base of Earth’s mantle that may regulate heat flow from the core and influence the dynamics of our entire planet.

I invite you to spend some time on my website and to please be in touch with any questions, discussion, or ideas for collaboration! For a better sense of the “real-life” Vasilije, you can check out this recording of a recent virtual conference presentation highlighting my latest work and browse through my photo gallery.