Zach began his journey with Iris in 2022, just a few months after transferring to Carnegie Mellon. While he continues his academic endeavors in Physics, which he initiated at his prior institution, he has taken on the role of Iris Science Lead. Tasked with this responsibility, Zach directs his team toward refining science objectives and enhancing surface operations in coordination with other payloads on the Peregrine-1 NASA CLPS mission. Beyond his work with Iris, Zach delves into nuclear and particle physics and is particularly drawn to nuclear thermal propulsion and its implications for space exploration.