{"id":402116,"date":"2026-03-16T12:53:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T19:53:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/?post_type=people&#038;p=402116"},"modified":"2026-03-16T12:53:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T19:53:29","slug":"jeff-zweerink","status":"publish","type":"people","link":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/people\/jeff-zweerink","title":{"rendered":"Jeff Zweerink"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"kt-adv-heading381545_905984-46_0_0 modal-trigger wp-block-kadence-advancedheading hls-underline\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading381545_905984-46_0_0\">Astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink is a senior research scholar at Reasons to Believe (RTB). He earned a BS in physics and a PhD in astrophysics from Iowa State University with a focus on gamma rays. He taught at and ran the planetarium at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, until postdoctoral research in gamma rays led him to the University of California, Riverside.<br><br>Before joining RTB, Zweerink spent years working on the STACEE and VERITAS gamma-ray telescopes and was involved in research projects such as . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"kt-adv-heading402116_a882f6-ad modal-trigger wp-block-kadence-advancedheading hls-underline\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading402116_a882f6-ad\"><br><a href=\"#read-more-bio\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column402116_6aebf7-e7\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-modal alignnone kt-modal-linkalign-center\" id=\"kt-modal402116_9973a2-98\"><div id=\"read-more-bio\" class=\"kb-modal-content402116_9973a2-98 kadence-block-pro-modal kt-m-animate-in-fadeup kt-m-animate-out-fadeout\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><div class=\"kt-modal-overlay\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-modal-close=\"true\"><div class=\"kt-modal-container kt-modal-height-fittocontent kt-close-position-inside\" role=\"dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\"><button class=\"kt-modal-close\" aria-label=\"Close Modal\" data-modal-close=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><line x1=\"18\" y1=\"6\" x2=\"6\" y2=\"18\"><\/line><line x1=\"6\" y1=\"6\" x2=\"18\" y2=\"18\"><\/line><\/svg><\/button><div id=\"kt-modal402116_9973a2-98-content\" class=\"kt-modal-content\">\n<h3 class=\"kt-adv-heading402116_54b184-a0 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading has-rtb-black-5-color has-text-color\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading402116_54b184-a0\">Jeff Zweerink<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-rtb-black-5-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7fc076dbb1962f99a7f685800531e889 wp-block-paragraph\">Astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink is a senior research scholar at Reasons to Believe (RTB). He earned a BS in physics and a PhD in astrophysics from Iowa State University with a focus on gamma rays. He taught at and ran the planetarium at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, until postdoctoral research in gamma rays led him to the University of California, Riverside.<br><br>Before joining RTB, Zweerink spent years working on the STACEE and VERITAS gamma-ray telescopes and was involved in research projects such as the Solar Two project and the Whipple Collaboration. He continues to work as a project scientist at UCLA on GAPS, a balloon experiment seeking to detect dark matter. Zweerink is also a coauthor of more than 30 academic papers published in peer-reviewed journals such as <em>Astrophysical Journal<\/em>, <em>Astroparticle Physics<\/em>, and <em>Astrobiology<\/em>.<br><br>While an undergrad at Iowa State University, he heard astrophysicist and RTB founder Hugh Ross speak on the constructive integration of science and the Christian faith. Ten years later, a professor encouraged Zweerink to enroll in RTB\u2019s volunteer apologists program. This involvement eventually led to a scholar position in 2005.<br><br>Today, Zweerink writes and speaks on the compatibility of science and the Christian faith and on evidence for intentional design from multiverse theory and exoplanets, as well as artificial intelligence (AI). His speaking engagements take him to universities, conferences, churches, high schools, youth groups, and other venues around the world. His books include <em>Is There Life Out There?<\/em>, <em>Who\u2019s Afraid of the Multiverse?<\/em>, <em>Escaping the Beginning?<\/em>, and <em>Building Bridges<\/em> (coauthor). He has also made many media appearances on television, radio, and in print.<br><br>Zweerink and his wife, Lisa, live in Southern California and have five children.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jeff Zweerink, astrophysicist and apologist, explores cosmic origins, fine-tuning, and the harmony of science and Scripture to reveal God\u2019s design in the universe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":424982,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_person_authors":[],"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_linked_user_id":536},"discipline":[71259],"people-designation":[64331],"class_list":["post-402116","people","type-people","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","discipline-astrophysics","people-designation-ri-faculty"],"acf":{"title":"Former Staff Scholar","social_media":null,"user_video":"","popular_works":[{"title":"Building Bridges","text":"Jeff and his colleagues show how science can build common ground across beliefs, equipping Christians to share and defend their faith with clarity and confidence.","image":424142,"url":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1886653089"},{"title":"Escaping the Beginning?","text":"Jeff examines eternal-universe theories and shows why scientific evidence points to a cosmic beginning\u2014and what that implies about the existence of a Beginner.","image":424415,"url":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1886653941"},{"title":"Dark Matter Antarctica Experiment | News of the Day","text":"Reporting from Antarctica on the search for dark matter, Jeff explains why this high-stakes experiment could reshape our understanding of the universe.","image":"","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/stars-cells-and-god\/id1768361311?i=1000677817717"},{"title":"Carbon-14 Dating","text":"How does carbon-14 dating actually work? Jeff offers an easy explanation and shows why it strengthens confidence that today\u2019s Bible matches the Scriptures read by ancient believers.","image":"","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0rPYmRYGIjc"},{"title":"Dr. Jeff Zweerink responds: Bill Nye: Creationism Is Not Appropriate for Children","text":"Jeff responds to Bill Nye\u2019s claims about creationism, offering a thoughtful, scientific, and biblical defense of the faith in the classroom conversation.","image":"","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Lg_w1Uk2v7s"},{"title":"Aliens, Sci-Fi, and Christianity","text":"Jeff joins The Babylon Bee to discuss aliens, sci-fi, and Christianity\u2014bringing scientific insight and faith into a lively cultural conversation.","image":"","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=beya_FHe98Q"}],"images":[{"image":425006},{"image":424984},{"image":424995},{"image":424983},{"image":424987},{"image":424989},{"image":425003},{"image":424992},{"image":424994},{"image":424997},{"image":425000},{"image":425008}],"hide_bio":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v28.0) - 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