Ofer Asaf

Ofer Asaf is a PhD candidate in the field of digital architecture, focusing on methods for landscape restoration.

His research draws on ancient architectural and environmental strategies for cultivating vegetation in drylands, which are areas with water scarcity that provide vital ecosystem services to local communities. He uses computational design and fabrication methods to create architectural structures that support tree seedling growth across large areas, aiming for the sustainable development of shared landscapes.

Ofer creates architectural structures that support tree seedling growth across large areas, supporting the sustainable restoration of degraded landscapes.

Ofer earned his BSc in polymer engineering and an MDes in multidisciplinary design from Shenkar College of Engineering, Design, and Art. Originally from Kibbutz Afek, Ofer now lives in Tel Aviv. He volunteers as a tutor at the Wanger Family Fab-Lab at MadaTech. In his free time, Ofer enjoys hiking, visiting art exhibitions, reading, and tending to his plants.

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Lee-or Alon

Lee-or Alon is a PhD candidate in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), focusing on using AI planning tools to revolutionize personalized medical treatment. Her research seeks to determine the optimal drug types, dosages, and timing based on a patient’s medical history and specific needs. The goal is to achieve the desired medical outcome without compromising the patient’s health constraints.

Lee-or’s research aims to bring a new level of precision to medicine, ensuring the desired medical outcome without compromising a patient’s health constraints

Lee-or earned her BSc in computer science from Bar-Ilan University and her MSc in computer science from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Born and raised in Israel, she volunteers with children and youth to expose them to science and technology. She is also the head and founder of the Doctoral Student Forum at Bar-Ilan University. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, gardening, and making jewellery.

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Zachary Sercel

Dr. Zachary Sercel is an Azrieli International Postdoctoral Fellow in the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology under the supervision of Prof. Ilan Marek.

Zachary’s research interests lie at the intersection of target-oriented organic synthesis and the development of synthetic methodologies.

His current research centres on the development of new chemical transformations for the expansion of small rings of carbon atoms bearing many attached substituents or molecular parts. These transformations will facilitate the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and natural products with high 3-dimensional complexity, potentially providing more effective ways of treating diseases with fewer side effects.

Zachary was born and raised in Pasadena, California. He completed his BSc in chemistry at California State University, Los Angeles, conducting research with Prof. Matthias Selke. He completed his PhD in chemistry at Caltech where he studied the total synthesis of the marine natural product aleutianamine and the development of novel reaction methodologies in the laboratory of Prof. Brian Stoltz. During graduate school, Zachary also studied porphyrinoid synthesis as a research intern at the Technion with Prof. Zeev Gross. Outside of the organic chemistry laboratory, Zachary enjoys hiking, learning languages, and restoring vintage fountain pens.

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Vladimir Olivero

Dr. Vladimir Olivero is an Azrieli International Postdoctoral Fellow in the Orion Center for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Associated Literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem under the supervision of Prof. Noam Mizrahi.

Vladimir is investigating the relevance of textual criticism for the linguistic periodization of Biblical Hebrew with a specific focus on the Deuteronomistic History.

The textual fluidity of the biblical corpus has been deemed by many as limiting the possibility of tracing the linguistic development of Hebrew. However, later textual variants illustrate how later scribes intervened and allowed more recent morphological, syntactic, and semantic elements into the earlier texts that they were copying. The text-critical approach to the history of the Hebrew language and the linguistic assessment of the textual variants thus illuminate each other, with the former providing an external set of data against which to check the validity of the traditional linguistic periodization of Biblical Hebrew.

Vladimir was born and raised in Switzerland. He obtained a BA and MA in classics at the University of Milan. He then completed an MSt in Classical Hebrew studies at the University of Oxford, where he also earned his PhD in Oriental Studies under the joint supervision of Prof. Alison Salvesen (University of Oxford) and Prof. Geoffrey Khan (University of Cambridge). After working with Prof. Jacob Dahl, as a research assistant in Assyriology at the University of Oxford, Vladimir pursued his postdoctoral studies at the University for Foreigners of Siena under the supervision of Prof. Marina Benedetti. He then worked as a research associate in Hebrew linguistics and philology for the Grammar of Biblical Hebrew project at the University of Cambridge under Prof. Geoffrey Khan. In his free time, Vladimir enjoys languages, travelling, and playing football.

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Saskia Demulder

Dr. Saskia Demulder is an Azrieli International Postdoctoral Fellow in the Physics Department at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev under the supervision of Dr. Shira Chapman.

Saskia’s current research combines her knowledge of mathematics and physics to investigate string theory and one of its key properties: T-duality.

String theory aims to unite the patchwork of different theories, such as Einstein’s theory of gravity, and the strange world of quantum mechanics within a single framework to describe our world. Using the remarkable property of T-duality in string theory, Saskia explores the potential geometries in which strings can propagate. She also aims to comprehend the late-time evolution of black holes, utilizing a concept derived from computer science called quantum computational complexity.

Saskia was born and raised in Brussels. She obtained a BSc in physics and mathematics and an MSc in physics at the Free University of Brussels (VUB). She completed her PhD in a joint program between VUB and Swansea University under the guidance of Prof. Alexander Sevrin (VUB) and Prof. Daniel Thompson (Swansea University). She studied a class of systems that are exactly solvable, tackling a wide range of topics including non-perturbative phenomena and the interplay between T-duality and integrability. Saskia then pursued postdoctoral research at the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Munich, where she focused on examining problems ranging from defects or impurities in string theory to a fundamental issue in black hole physics known as the information paradox. In recent years, she has organized multiple workshops and conferences while actively participating in outreach events to promote science among the general public. In her free time, Saskia enjoys reading, running, and swimming.

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Pengfei Wang

Dr. Pengfei Wang is an Azrieli International Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Electrical Engineering at Tel Aviv University under the supervision of Prof. Emilia Fridman.

Pengfei’s primary research interest lies in robust and optimal control of systems described by partial differential equations (PDEs), such as traffic flows, robots with flexible components, and large-scale drones.

Pengfei is working on developing a constructive method with easily implementable and efficient inequality conditions for the control design of these PDE systems. He hopes that his research will contribute valuable tools to industrial production.

Pengfei was born and raised in a rural village in North Jiangsu, China. He completed his BSc, MSc, and PhD in applied mathematics at Harbin Institute of Technology. His doctoral research, under the supervision of Prof. Wenxue Li and Prof. Huan Su, focused on the robust control of stochastic hybrid systems. He was a visiting scholar at Tel Aviv University, supported by the China Scholarship Council, where he worked under the supervision of Prof. Emilia Fridman and explored the constructive finite-dimensional control of 1-D stochastic parabolic partial differential equations. When not engaged in research, Pengfei enjoys running, fishing, and cooking Chinese food.

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Pascale Zwicky

Dr. Pascale Zwicky is an Azrieli International Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Systems Immunology at the Weizmann Institute of Science under the supervision of Prof. Ido Amit.

Pascale’s research focuses on the investigation of intercellular communication networks in cancer.

Pascale uses cutting-edge genomic tools to investigate how certain small signalling proteins (cytokines) can be used to activate the immune system to fight cancer. This therapeutic strategy has immense potential for the treatment of cancer but is frequently associated with side effects and lacks efficacy. By including time and space as characterized parameters, Pascale hopes to gain novel insights which enable the development of the next generation of signalling protein-based cancer therapeutics.

Pascale was born and raised in Switzerland. She obtained her BSc in biology and MSc in immunology at the University of Bern. She completed her PhD at the University of Zurich under the supervision of Prof. Burkhard Becher, studying the regulation of the immune system in inflammatory skin disorders and cancer. When not engaged in research, Pascale enjoys sporting activities, such as swimming and water polo, discovering nature through hiking, and cooking with friends.

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Pablo Herrero Gómez

Dr. Pablo Herrero Gómez is an Azrieli International Postdoctoral Fellow in the Racah Institute of Physics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem under the supervision of Dr. Itay Shomroni.

Pablo is spearheading the development of a sensor that relies on fluorescent organic molecules to detect an individual barium ion in a xenon-filled gas chamber.

This is significant in its application to “neutrinoless double beta decay” experiments. Detecting barium, produced from the decay of 136Xe, could move these experiments into a background-free regime, greatly enhancing their precision and reliability and, in turn, validating the Majorana nature of neutrinos. This theoretical aspect has profound implications for extending the Standard Model in physics and solving the baryon asymmetry problem in cosmology. Pablo employs a combination of surface science techniques for molecule immobilization and characterization as well as optical microscopy for single-molecule fluorescence detection.

Pablo was born in Teruel, Spain. He obtained his BSc in physics at the University of Valencia and his MSc at the University of Heidelberg. He then went on to complete his PhD at the University of the Basque Country under the supervision of Dr. Francesc Monrabal and Prof. Celia Rogero, participating in the experiments that lay the ground for developing a barium sensor for the NEXT experiment. His interest in scientific outreach has led him to produce and help producing 3D animations and videos about his research. In his free time, Pablo enjoys learning languages, producing music, and playing sports.

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Niccolo Negro

Dr. Niccolò Negro is an Azrieli International Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Psychological Sciences at Tel Aviv University under the supervision of Prof. Liad Mudrik.

Niccolo’s research focuses on extrapolative inferences in consciousness science.

He explores what current theories of human consciousness tell us about consciousness in systems considerably different from humans and evaluates the extent to which these theories can attribute consciousness to non-standard entities like animals, embryos, and artificial systems. Niccolò combines philosophical analysis with knowledge of the neuroscience of consciousness to question the applicability of theories of consciousness to non-standard cases. His research contributes to the question of what inferential practices should be adopted when ascertaining whether a system is conscious or not – a discussion which has significant ethical, legal, and clinical implications.

Niccolò was born in Treviso, Italy. He obtained his BA in philosophy at the University of Siena and his MA in philosophy of science at the University of Milan, where he researched the quality and quantity of consciousness under the supervision of Prof. Corrado Sinigaglia and Prof. Marcello Massimini. He then moved to Australia, where he completed his PhD in philosophy at Monash University working with Prof. Jakob Hohwy and Prof. Tim Bayne. His PhD thesis, which won the 2022 Vice Chancellor’s Commendation Award for Thesis Excellence, provides a comprehensive philosophical evaluation of the integrated information theory – one of the most influential theories of consciousness in the contemporary neuroscientific landscape. When not engaged in research, Niccolò loves to travel, play and watch football, cycle, and play pool.

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Maria Martignoni

Dr. Maria Martignoni is an Azrieli International Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem under the supervision of Dr. Oren Kolodny.

Maria is a mathematical biologist, interested in developing theoretical frameworks to improve our predictive understanding of the eco-evolutionary dynamics of host species and their associated microbes.

While much research has focused on characterizing the spread and evolution of harmful microbes (e.g., coronaviruses), little is known about the ecological and evolutionary dynamics occurring when microbes are beneficial to their hosts. For example, the acquisition of beneficial microbes may allow an introduced species to rapidly adapt to a new environment – a proposition which offers promising new venues for conservation biology for either facilitating species reintroduction in the wild or mitigating the impact of invasive species.

Maria was born and raised in Bellinzona, which is in the mountainous Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. She obtained a BSc in nanosciences and an MSc in physics at the University of Basel. After working some years as a teacher of mathematics and sciences in secondary schools in Tanzania, she moved to Canada, where she completed her PhD in mathematics at the University of British Columbia, focusing on host–microbe interactions. She continued her research as a postdoctoral fellow in mathematical epidemiology at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. Maria enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with her family, particularly outdoors, and strongly believes that achieving a gratifying work–life balance is a key element in maintaining motivation and productivity in the academic world.

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