The properties of low-lying states in nuclei near the closed shells serve as key benchmarks for nuclear structure studies, and can impact the synthesis of heavy elements in supernova explosions. These data are particularly needed to understand the rapid neutron capture (r-)process, which may occur in supernovae. However, for nuclei near magic numbers N=50, 82, and 126, the level densities are too low for the usual statistical approach and it is thus necessary to input the structure of individual levels and resonances. Unfortunately, there are few data for many neutron-rich nuclei near the shell closures. N=49 ⁸¹Ge is a prime example. At Oak Ridge National Lab, we will study the ⁸⁰Ge(d,p)⁸¹Ge reaction in inverse kinematics. The excitation energies of low-lying levels will be confirmed, the spins will be measured for the first time, and spectroscopic factors can be extracted.