Snezhana Abarzhi

Snezhana I. Abarzhi
Born	Former Soviet Union
Other names	Snejana I. Abarji
Occupation(s)	Applied mathematician, Theoretical physicist
Years active	1990s–present
Known for	Research on fluid dynamics, Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities, supernova explosions
Notable work	Invariant forms and control dimensional parameters in complexity quantification (2023)

Snezhana I. Abarzhi (, alternatively known as Snejana I. Abarji) is a specialist in applied mathematics and theoretical physics, focusing on the behavior of fluids and plasmas with relevance to both natural phenomena and technological applications. Her investigations have demonstrated that instabilities play a crucial role in explaining the dynamics of supernova explosions, revealing that these cosmic events unfold more gradually and with less turbulence than previously assumed, thereby reshaping the comprehension of how heavy atomic nuclei are formed. She has uncovered key mechanisms responsible for interface stabilization, identified a unique self-similar category within interfacial mixing, and clarified the essential principles underlying Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities.

Education and career

Born and raised in the former Soviet Union, Snezhana Abarzhi completed her higher education at the prestigious Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), often regarded as Russia’s equivalent to the MIT. In 1990, she graduated summa cum laude with bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree in physics and applied mathematics. She earned her PhD in 1994 from the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics and Kapitza Institute for Physical Problems at the Russian Academy of Sciences, working under the guidance of Sergei I. Anisimov.

Between 1994 and 1997, Abarzhi conducted research at the Russian Academy of Sciences, taking a leave from 1997 to 2004. She arrived in the United States in 1997 as a visiting professor at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. The following year, she was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship at University of Bayreuth. In 1999, she joined Stony Brook University as a researcher, briefly served as a research professor at Osaka University in 2002, then became a senior fellow at Stanford University's Center for Turbulence Research. By 2005, she was part of the research faculty at the University of Chicago, adding an associate professorship at the Illinois Institute of Technology in 2006. From 2013 until 2016, she was affiliated with Carnegie Mellon University, before accepting a position as professor and chair of applied mathematics at the University of Western Australia.

Abarzhi has contributed her expertise to the American Physical Society’s Committee on Scientific Publications and has been actively involved in organizing conferences focused on non-equilibrium interface dynamics and turbulent mixing. She is also recognized for her efforts mentoring women pursuing careers in STEM fields.

In recognition of her significant contributions to understanding Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities and her ongoing leadership within the fluid dynamics community, she was honored as an APS Fellow in 2020.

In 2023, Abarzhi authored “Invariant forms and control dimensional parameters in complexity quantification,” published by The University of Western Australia's Department of Mathematics and Statistics. This work highlights the importance of non-equilibrium dynamics across natural and engineered systems, emphasizing universal patterns, scaling relationships, symmetries, and their theoretical consequences.

Selected publications

• Abarzhi SI, Hill DL, Williams KC, Li JT, Remington BA, Arnett WD 2023 Mathematical perspectives on fluid dynamics in supernova remnants. Phys. Fluids 35, 034106. doi:10.1063/5.0123930
• Abarzhi SI, Sreenivasan KR 2022 Rayleigh-Taylor mixing exhibiting self-similarity with temporally and spatially varying accelerations. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 119, e2118589119. doi:10.1073/pnas.2118589119
• Ilyin DV, Abarzhi SI 2022 Dynamics of interfaces influenced by thermal heat flux, inertial effects, and destabilizing acceleration. Springer Nat. Appl. Sci. 4, 197. doi:10.1007/s42452-022-05000-4
• Meshkov EE, Abarzhi SI 2019 Investigations into Rayleigh-Taylor interfacial mixing phenomena. Fluid Dyn. Res. 51, 065502. doi:10.1088/1873-7005/ab3e83