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The detection of GW170817 by the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA (LVK) Collaboration, together with the electromagnetic counterpart AT2017gfo, provided compelling evidence that binary neutron star mergers are prolific sites of heavy-element production through rapid neutron-capture (r-process) nucleosynthesis. In addition to their role in nucleosynthesis, compact object mergers offer a unique environment for studying fundamental neutrino physics, including flavor oscillations, in which neutrinos transform between different flavor states. Neutrinos emitted from the merger remnant interact with the surrounding ejecta, determining its electron fraction and, consequently, its composition. Changes in the neutrino flavor content can modify these interactions, potentially altering the conditions for r-process nucleosynthesis and the resulting abundance of heavy elements. In this talk, I will discuss the robustness of heavy-element production in compact object mergers and explore how neutrino flavor oscillations may influence this process. I will also highlight the theoretical and computational challenges involved in incorporating flavor oscillations into state-of-the-art merger simulations. |