Shiyu Hong

Shiyu Hong is a PhD candidate in the field of Hebrew language and linguistics. Her research examines how people made requests in Hebrew during the early British Mandate Period in the 1920s through the 1930s. By analyzing an extensive collection of formal and informal letters, she explores the linguistic strategies employed to seek assistance while maintaining harmonious relationships. By investigating how writers from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds adapted these strategies across different social circumstances, she aims to reveal the communication styles and cultural norms of this transformative period in Modern Hebrew’s development.

Shiyu aims to reveal the communication styles and cultural norms of the early British Mandate Period in the development of Modern Hebrew.

Shiyu earned her BA in Hebrew language and Jewish culture from Peking University, and her MA in Hebrew language from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Originally from China, Shiyu has been living in Jerusalem since 2019. She volunteers to teach basic Hebrew to foreign construction workers in Israel. In her free time, Shiyu enjoys playing tennis, listening to true crime podcasts, and travelling.

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Rotem Ovadia

Rotem Ovadia is a theoretical particle physicist and PhD candidate, specializing in dark matter detection. Dark matter refers to particles that scarcely interact with light or ordinary matter. Dark matter’s gravitational effects, observed almost everywhere we point our telescopes, reveal a total mass about five times that of visible matter—yet its microscopic nature has evaded discovery for over half a century. Rotem is spearheading an interdisciplinary effort to incorporate mature quantum sensing technologies—devices that can detect faint signals—and insights from materials science into the fabrication of the next-generation dark matter detectors, vastly improving the prospects for a first detection.

Rotem is spearheading an interdisciplinary effort to incorporate mature quantum sensing technologies and insights from materials science into the fabrication of the next generation dark matter detectors.

Rotem received his BSc and MSc in physics from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has taught gifted children physics and mathematics at Merhavim school. Rotem also enjoys weightlifting, cooking, and going on long walks with his dog, Mel.

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Yahel Nudler

Yahel Nudler is a PhD candidate in the field of psychology, exploring people’s self-knowledge of the factors that shape their attitudes and judgment, and the mechanisms underlying the formation of such knowledge. His work examines the introspective processes involved in self-knowledge formation: what happens when someone looks inside to understand why they like someone or something. His research aims to uncover how people come to know themselves, and how they can improve this important skill, ultimately enhancing our understanding of self-knowledge formation and of ourselves.

Yahel’s research aims to uncover how people come to know themselves, enhancing our understanding of self-knowledge formation.

Yahel received his BA in psychology from Reichman University and his MA in social psychology from Tel Aviv University. Originally from Ness Ziona, he now lives in Tel Aviv. He served in the IDF’s intelligence unit 8200 and volunteered with at-risk youth, including a pre-military year in Safed, and at ERAN’s emotional first-aid services. He is currently consulting for organizations in the mental health field.

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Rotem Levy Heiman

Rotem Levy Heiman is a speech-language pathologist and PhD candidate in education. Her research focuses on how healthcare and education professionals make diagnostic decisions for young children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, such as autism and ADHD. Grounded in extensive clinical experience, her research explores how social, cultural, and institutional factors shape these processes. By examining how experts manage diagnostic uncertainty and navigate societal expectations, her work seeks to improve support for children and families and inform clinical, policy, and theoretical approaches.

Rotem seeks to improve support for children and families and inform clinical, policy, and theoretical approaches toward neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Rotem holds a BA in communication disorders from Hadassah Academic College and an MA in gender studies from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

Originally from Be’er Sheva, she lives with her family in Moshav Faran in Israel’s Arava desert. Over the years, Rotem has volunteered with marginalized communities, focusing on child development and children with disabilities. She enjoys hiking, travelling, and spending time with her three children.

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Rami Khoury

Rami Khoury is an MD/PhD candidate studying cancer biology and nanomedicine. His research bridges fundamental biology and therapeutic innovation by exploring how BRCA1-mutated breast cancer metastasizes to the brain. He investigates how tumour cells hijack and reprogram brain-resident cells to create a supportive environment for metastasis. To counter this, Rami is developing precisely engineered, nano-scale drug carriers designed to enhance drug delivery, enabling therapies to cross the blood–brain barrier and selectively treat brain tumours. By integrating biological insights with advanced drug delivery systems, he aims to uncover disease mechanisms and translate them into novel treatments for patients.

Rami aims to uncover disease mechanisms and translate them into novel treatments for patients.

Rami earned his BSc in medical sciences from the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. He was born and raised in Shefa-Amr and currently lives in Tel Aviv. Rami has volunteered with children in Tanzania and in his hometown. Alongside his research, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, listening to podcasts, and travelling.

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Amit Kam

Amit Kam is a physicist and PhD candidate, working at the intersection of nanophotonics and quantum optics, the field that studies how light interacts with matter at the level of individual photons. He investigates how photons—the fundamental particles of light—behave when confined in nanostructures far smaller than their wavelength. In such tiny spaces, different properties of light that normally act independently—such as its polarization and its wave-like shape—can start to influence each other. Amit’s work investigates how controlling this effect could open new possibilities for encoding and processing information on ultra-compact quantum photonic chips, enabling advances in secure communication, quantum computing, and precision sensing.

Amit’s work could open new possibilities for encoding and processing information on ultracompact quantum photonic chips.

Amit grew up in Kfar Bialik, where he still resides today. He holds a BSc in physics from the Technion– Israel Institute of Technology. During his military service, he served as both a soldier and a technical officer in the fields of radio frequency and electronic warfare, a role in which he continued to serve in the reserves. Amit enjoys spending time with friends and family, watching movies, hiking, and listening to music.

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Michal Hod

Michal Hod is an attorney and a PhD candidate. Her research focuses on the structure of financial regulation in Israel and other countries, particularly in the context of cryptocurrency (crypto). “Crypto” is a broad term that refers to digital assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, along with the technologies that support them, which challenge traditional financial sectors and regulators worldwide. As a global phenomenon, crypto offers a unique opportunity to examine regulatory structures, their adaptability to innovation, and their overall effectiveness.

Michal’s research on crypto offers a unique opportunity to examine regulatory structures, their adaptability to innovation, and their overall effectiveness.

Michal holds an LLB in law and political science from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and an LLM from the University of Pennsylvania. Originally from Rishon LeZion, she now lives in Kibbutz Gesher with her husband and three children. She served as an infantry training officer in the IDF and currently chairs the executive board of her kibbutz. Michal enjoys reading, bicycling, and spending time with her family.

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Alexandra Danzig

Alexandra Danzig is a PhD candidate in the field of communication and journalism, where she specializes in visual culture, media theory, and the evolving intersections of photography and technology. With an interdisciplinary foundation that spans media studies, visual communication, and the photographic medium (material technologies and social-aesthetic conventions that produce, circulate, and make light-recorded images), Alexandra’s research critically examines the theoretical, cultural, and social implications of AI-generated photorealistic imagery in contemporary visual environments. Her research aims to define what an AI-generated “photograph” is and to explore the implications in journalism and photography education.

Alexandra aims to define what an AI-generated “photograph” is and to explore the implications in journalism and photography education.

Alexandra received a BFA in photography from Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design and an MA in communication and journalism from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is from Jerusalem and currently resides in Ramat Gan. Alongside her research, she enjoys creating photographic art, reading poetry and travelling.

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Tehila Dahan

Tehila Dahan is a PhD candidate in machine learning and optimization, developing algorithms that enhance the reliability and efficiency of artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Her research is inspired by stochastic optimization theory—the study of how to make the best decisions when dealing with randomness or uncertainty in data and processes. She applies these ideas to AI, working to ensure that systems perform well even when data is corrupted or parts of the system fail, an issue that is especially important in large-scale systems spread out over many computers. Her work aims to safeguard AI technologies from potential threats and support their deployment in real-world, high stakes scenarios.

Tehila aims to safeguard AI technologies from potential threats and support their deployment in real-world, high-stakes scenarios.

Tehila earned her BSc and MSc in data science from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.She mentors undergraduate students, helping them navigate their academic pursuits. She was born in Yokneam Illit, where she currently lives with her husband.

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Dana Dahan Lahav

Dana Dahan Lahav is a PhD candidate in psychology whose research explores the biological foundations of post-traumatic symptoms. Her work focuses on both genetic factors—the inherited variations in DNA that may predispose individuals to stress responses—and epigenetic factors—chemical changes that regulate how genes are switched on or off in response to life experiences. Together, these factors help identify which biological systems are involved in the development of post-traumatic stress. Dana’s goal is to build a coherent biological narrative for trauma and recovery and to examine how genetic vulnerability and biological changes over time relate to the presence or absence of symptoms.

Dana’s goal is to build a coherent biological narrative for trauma and recovery and to examine how genetic vulnerability and biological changes over time relate to the presence or absence of symptoms.

Dana received her BA and MA in clinical psychology from Reichman University. She is from Tel Aviv and currently resides there with her husband. She volunteered at the Heroes for Life organization as a coordinator of volunteering expeditions to Guatemala every year, alongside establishing a pre-military preparatory school for lone soldiers who are without immediate family support in Israel. To relax, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, travelling, surfing, and running.

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