Nuclear structure challenges for the r-process nucleosynthesis

The modeling of nuclear structure properties of neutron-rich nuclei is a crucial ingredient for understanding the production of heavy elements during the rapid neutron capture process (or r process). In order to properly interpret future kilonova observations, sensitivity studies addressing the impact of nuclear theoretical uncertainties are required. In this talk, I will present some recent network calculations based on nuclear input obtained within the Density Functional Theory (DFT) framework. In particular, I will focus in the role of nuclear masses and fission properties in the production of translead nuclei, and the possible implications for the electromagnetic counterparts produced during neutron star mergers. In the second part of this talk, I will introduce some recent advances regarding the large-scale DFT calculation of fission fragments distributions and the estimation of theoretical uncertainties using Bayesian machine-learning techniques.