Dr. Danae Polsin is a scientist in the experimental High-Energy-Density Physics (HEDP) Group at the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) and an Assistant Professor of Research in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. She received a B.A. in Physics (2013) from the State University of New York at Geneseo, followed by a Ph.D. in Physics (2018) from the University of Rochester for her work on high-pressure phase transformations in ramp-compressed aluminum and sodium performed at LLE and the National Ignition Facility. Her research is focused on the properties of matter at extreme conditions using laser-driven ramp and shock compression and diagnosis with nanosecond in-situ x-ray diffraction, velocity interferometry, and x-ray radiography and spectroscopy.