Rotem
Botvinik-Nezer

Dr. Rotem Botvinik-Nezer is a cognitive neuroscientist, studying how beliefs and expectations are formed and changed, and how they impact our minds and bodies. Her research mainly focuses on the placebo effect—how even inactive treatments can influence health. She studies how and when the placebo effect works for different people, aiming to integrate these findings into clinical practice to enhance the effectiveness of active treatments.

Rotem studies how and when the placebo effect works for different people, aiming to integrate these findings into clinical practice to enhance the effectiveness of active treatments.

Rotem holds a BSc in biology and psychology, with a focus on neuroscience, and a PhD in neuroscience from Tel Aviv University. She completed her postdoctoral research at Dartmouth College. Rotem currently resides in Sho’eva, a moshav west of Jerusalem. Rotem has volunteered in various roles, including working with disabled children, mentoring students, assisting Holocaust survivors, and co-leading a group of Israeli neuroscientists and psychologists abroad. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, playing basketball, scuba diving, and making and eating ice cream.