Detangling the origins of the heaviest elements via rapid neutron capture (r-process) nucleosynthesis remains an outstanding problem in nuclear astrophysics. Potential and observed multi-messenger signals such as gamma rays, neutrinos, and kilonovae can provide unprecedented insight into r-process candidate events, augmenting observables such as meteoritic and terrestrial isotopic data and stellar abundance patterns. However, the interpretation of this rich set of r-process data is subject to considerable uncertainties in the nuclear physics of exotic nuclear species. Here we will explore the role of nuclear physics in shaping r-process observables and highlight future opportunities, including those enabled by new radioactive beam facilities such as the N=126 Factory and the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams.