Alla Marchenko

Dr. Alla Marchenko is an Azrieli International Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem under the supervision of Prof. Nurit Stadler.

Her area of research is Hasidic pilgrimage in contemporary Ukraine, specifically the growing female presence at the Hasidic shrines.

She surfaces the role of women in religious communities and activities and the possibility of belonging to a traditional religious community, on the one hand, and taking an active social position, on the other. Alla hopes that her research will have positive impact on the development of cross-cultural bridges between local communities and international visitors to the Hasidic shrines in Ukraine.

Alla was born in Uman, Ukraine, which, as the most visited Hasidic shrine in Europe, shaped her curiosity on the topic. After obtaining a BA, an MA, and a Candidate of Sciences in sociology at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Alla moved to Warsaw. She completed her PhD in the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the Polish Academy of Sciences under the supervision of Prof. Sławomir Kapralski, focusing on the effects of Hasidic pilgrimages on the local frames of memory in Polish and Ukrainian towns. She has also taken part in numerous educational and research projects aimed at making local cultural heritage visible, with an emphasis on Jewish heritage (e.g., the EU project ReHerit – Common Responsibility for Common Heritage and the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews). In addition to research, Alla likes exploring museums and participating in guided tours connected with local history. She enjoys sports, especially yoga and Pilates, and writing poems, short stories, and reviews of books and places she has visited.

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Alexios Stamatiadis-Bréhier

Dr. Alexios Stamatiadis-Bréhier is an Azrieli International Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Philosophy at Tel Aviv University under the supervision of Dr. David Mark Kovacs.

His work focuses on the metaphysics of explanation and meta-ethics and their intersection.

In meta-ethics, Alexios is interested in moral naturalism, normative explanation, and the nature of moral principles; more broadly, he also researches metaphysical grounding and the metaphysics of non-causal explanation. In his current research, he plans to explore a neo- Humean theory on the metaphysical foundations of pure moral principles (such as the principle of utility or the Kantian categorical imperative).

Alexios was born in Athens, Greece. He completed his BA and MA in the history and philosophy of science at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He obtained his PhD from the University of Leeds where, under the supervision of Prof. Pekka Väyrynen and Dr. Jack Woods, he researched multiple aspects of contemporary moral metaphysics, such as the nature of normative explanation and its relationship to scientific explanation. When not researching, Alexios enjoys cooking and practising Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

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Alexander Duthie

Dr. Alexander Duthie is an Azrieli International Postdoctoral Fellow in the Physics Department at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev under the supervision of Dr. Yevgeny Bar Lev.

His research interests concern the fundamental behaviour of matter on the smallest length scales.

This involves using mathematical and computational tools to understand the behaviour of vast numbers of strongly interacting particles and the often surprising and beautiful collective behaviour that can result. Realizing and manipulating these novel phases of matter is an important step toward a fully-fledged quantum computer in the future. As an Azrieli Fellow, Alexander is planning to explore how the presence of disorder can inhibit systems from reaching thermal equilibrium of their own accord (so-called “many- body localization”) with a potential application in the development of quantum memory devices. His interests also extend to quantum information science and quantum computing – fields which lie at the forefront of the development of next-generation technologies.

Alexander was born in the UK and obtained an undergraduate in natural sciences from Cambridge University. He then completed his DPhil in theory and modelling in chemical sciences at Oxford University under the supervision of Prof. David Logan. His research focused on single-particle systems, which lie on the border between disorder and order, such as quasiperiodic models, and he developed a theoretical framework for understanding their electronic properties. In his spare time,

Alexander enjoys running, cycling, rock climbing, reading, and travelling.

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