The Ariane de Rothschild Women Doctoral Program

Academic excellence meets social responsibility: A decade’s review 2009-2019 The Ariane de Rothschild Women Doctoral Program

Academic excellence meets social responsibility: A decade’s review 2009-2019 Contents

Greetings from Baroness Ariane de Rothschild 6 The Edmond de Rothschild Foundation 8 The Ariane de Rothschild Women Doctoral Program 10 Published in Facts & Figures 12 A personal message from the Program Director 14 celebration of the 10th anniversary of the The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Ariane de Rothschild A letter from the president 16 Current participants 18 Women Doctoral Graduates 40 Program Technion-Israel Institute of Technology A letter from the president 48 Current participants 50 Graduates 80 Writing & Editing Shiri Gerson Tel Aviv University A letter from the president 84 Photography Current participants 86 Eran Lam, Lens! Productions Weizmann Institute of Science Photograph on page 100 A letter from the president 112 © Pez Hejduk, Vienna Current participants 114

Production & Design Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Norbert Design A letter from the president 130 Current participants 132

Index of program participants (2009-2019) 140 Greetings from Baroness Ariane de Rothschild

A commitment to solidarity, social responsibility, and the advancement of knowledge has shaped our family’s unique philanthropic tradition, and inspired our call to co-create the future. Our global network of Foundations works to ensure this vision translates into impactful achievements in the arts, entrepreneurship, science, and education. Reflecting these values, the Ariane de Rothschild Women Doctoral Program, a key initiative of the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation (Israel), promotes excellence in academic research and education among talented women scientists and scholars. It not only enables them to focus on research that expands the boundaries of human knowledge, but also encourages them to engage in activities that benefit wide circles, thus becoming true role models for Israeli society. Entering its tenth year, the program redresses the continued under-representation of women from diverse backgrounds in Israeli higher education and enhances their academic standing in a variety of fields. Scholarship recipients are chosen on the basis of their academic accomplishments and determination to pursue their research in a global society, where outdated gender stereotypes perpetuate an unfounded incompatibility between a woman's personal responsibilities and her research and teaching. The program dispels these stereotypes and provides a greater number of talented female scholars with the opportunity and support to succeed in academia. 7 The singularity of the program lies in its dual undertaking, to promote women and social responsibility in academia and the Israeli society. We believe that alleviating some financial constraints will empower brilliant female doctoral students to devote themselves to their research and fully unleash their unique contribution to academia and to Israel. Participants also give back to society throughout their scholarship, by engaging in volunteering educational activities to benefit underprivileged communities and inspire them to realize their ambitions.

I would like to congratulate the 77 fellows, both current students and graduates, whose Greetings from Baroness Ariane de Rothschild far-reaching research and educational activities constitute an enduring contribution to bettering our world. Baroness Ariane de Rothschild artists in social involvement, professional standards and The Edmond to invest in groundbreaking excellence in philanthropy. economic and social models, de Rothschild and to nurture a young and committed leadership, affect The arts, towards promoting Foundation (IL) the lives of tens of thousands social impact and involvement of people and shape the future through art, cultivating generation of Israel’s pioneers excellence, and upholding the and initiators. Rothschild family’s enduring The Edmond de Rothschild tradition of supporting the Foundation (IL) works to To realize its vision and arts. create an inclusive and expand its impact on Israeli collaborative Israeli society society, the Edmond de by promoting excellence, Rothschild Foundation is Impact entrepreneurship, diversity, and leadership active in five areas: towards creating a measurable through higher education. business model and Operating within the encouraging the flow of new framework of the international Ensuring access to funds which would address 9 network of the Edmond de and success in higher social and environmental Rothschild Foundations education, towards needs. worldwide, we continue narrowing the gaps in Israeli About The Edmond de Rothschild Foundation About The Edmond de Rothschild Foundation a legacy of philanthropic society, by advancing social innovation, investing in mobility among young people Leadership, towards change agents, and promoting from peripheral populations establishing a reserve of young a pioneering spirit. through the acquisition leaders, who will integrate of higher education The Foundation initiates into positions of influence and its translation into dozens of innovative projects in Israeli society and act to commensurate employment. Baron Edmond throughout Israel, aimed promote social issues. de Rothschild at reducing social gaps and fostering young leadership. Academic excellence, The Foundation’s efforts to towards fostering the next ensure higher education for generation of researchers, as many communities as furthering innovative possible, to foster innovative research, and contributing academic research, to engage to the development of The Ariane de Rothschild Inaugurated in 2009 at activity that will advance The Hebrew University of the research, in the amount Women Doctoral Jerusalem, the program has of 400,000 NIS (about since grown to include the $110,000). In addition, the Program Technion—Israel Institute Foundation has developed of Technology, Tel Aviv a holistic program for the University, the Weizmann participants, encompassing Institute of Science, and professional training and Ben-Gurion University of development opportunities, Founded on Baroness Ariane the Negev. Recipients, who workshops, and social de Rothschild’s vision of demonstrate excellence in activities. furthering gender equality their academic achievements, around the world, this Throughout the course of her represent Israel's diverse unique program aspires to studies, each fellow is required communities, and are engaged advance outstanding women to engage in meaningful in social activity in their from diverse backgrounds educational activities in her community, are selected by a to key positions in Israeli community, thus providing its committee chaired by a senior academia and society. It does young women and men with 10 member of the university’s so by supporting talented role models for excellence and leadership, together with and motivated female PhD giving to the community. the Edmond de Rothschild students in Israel’s leading Foundation and with its The program’s operations are institutions of higher approval. led by a steering committee education, for each of which is composed of whom the program-funded Each year, four new representatives of the scholarship constitutes scholarships are awarded recipients and the Foundation.

The Ariane de Rothschild Women Doctoral Program a definitive step towards to female students in each completing her degree. The participating institution. In marking the program’s scholarships are intended to Every participant receives 10th anniversary, this book enable their recipients, who a four-year scholarship, presents the 49 current include women supporting pursuant to her academic fellows, as of September 2019, their own families, to focus and research progress. alongside a highlight of the on their studies and research, It includes tuition, living research and career of the en route to realizing their full expenses, and a one-time program’s 28 graduates. potential—professionally as grant for participating in well as personally. any international academic Fact & The program grants The program was From four active scholars Current program 93% of all program Contributing to society: Of the program’s 28 scholarships to female established in 2009 at in 2009 to 49 in 2019: participants: participants throughout Annually, program graduates, 16 are in PhD students representing the Hebrew University of Throughout its years of participants engage in Figures 11 - at The Hebrew the years completed the the academia, including 12 diverse communities, Jerusalem, growing over operation, scholars over of 77 University of Jerusalem program. 2,900 hours postdoctoral researchers; 7 including Arab society the years to four additional participated in the program. community outreach in the work in the industry; and 5 (22%), Haredi and religious academic institutions. 15 - at the Technion – Israel area of education. work in the public sector. society (11%), as well Institute of Technology as other communities, 12 - at Tel Aviv University including new immigrants, women with disabilities, and 7 - at the Weizmann communities in the social- Institute of Science geographic periphery. 4 - at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

12 Program Growth Growth in Volunteering Hours

50 3500

3000 2912 Facts & Figures 40

2500 2240 30 1848 The Hebrew University 2000 1456 Technion 20 1500 1288 1008 1064 Tel Aviv Uuniversity 1000 728 10 448 The Weizmann Institute 500 224

Ben-Gurion University 0 0

2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 2018-2019 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 2018-2019 Dear Students and Graduates, The Ariane de Rothschild Women Doctoral Program is a one-of-its-kind initiative. You are part of an all-women cadre, brilliant scholars from diverse backgrounds, who are pursuing doctoral research in Israel’s leading institutions of higher education, and at the same time — building your own personal lives. It's inspiring to see how passionate you all are about advancing new discoveries in your fields of research and about supporting underprivileged communities through volunteering work — being role models who have the potential to make an abiding impact on academia and society in Israel. During the past year, our program has grown not only in size, but also in the scope of its activities, offering a unique holistic framework that addresses your needs. Together, we are building the program's community, which fosters your development, facilitates shared and mutual learning, and supports and accompanies each member on her journey to success. A new initiative led by the Foundation is the program's steering committee, from the Program Director launched in 2018. It aims to strengthen the partnership between the Foundation and the fellows and advance it to the next level: based on the participants’ 14 unique perspectives and talents and the Foundation’s expertise and experience, the committee works to refine the program’s overall offerings and tailor it to participants’ needs, their professional and personal growth. Serving as the Foundation’s program director since 2015, I have been privileged to work with you, learn together with you, and take part in a wonderful process of growth and empowerment that is ever-evolving.

A personal message A personal message And on a personal note: I am proud of each and every one of you, students and graduates; of your accomplishments, personal growth, and contributions to society. I am confident that your profound dedication to the pursuit of excellence will be reflected in lasting contributions to society on every level. You are among Israel’s new pioneers. Vardit Gilor Program Director Vardit Gilor Program Director I feel privileged to extend my congratulations to the Ariane de Rothschild Women Doctoral Program in the Hebrew University on its 10th anniversary, for which this book, documenting many of the personal stories and the research projects, is being issued. The Ariane de Rothschild Women Doctoral Program is a truly innovative program, providing scholarship support to excellent female doctoral students of the Hebrew University in all fields. These Fellowships allow outstanding doctoral students to conduct their research, use their analytical skills to examine challenges people face everywhere and help to find solutions for them. The support given to these outstanding students by the Ariane de Rothschild Program is critical and provides them with an opportunity to research while using their extensive historical knowledge and background, often incorporating multidisciplinary approaches, to advance and create groundbreaking, sustainable solutions for essential issues. The Hebrew University greatly appreciates this empowering initiative and with its support, I am confident these doctoral candidates will complete their research, earn their degrees, and contribute to the world with the 16 results of their work.

Sincerely,

Prof. Asher Cohen President

A letter from the president The Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Prof. Asher Cohen President The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Nour School of Education Research Field: Kardosh Cognition and emotion PhD Advisor: Prof. Nilly Mor

Depression is associated stimuli and their effect on Completing a master’s degree with a range of emotional, emotional regulation in in clinical and educational cognitive, and behavioral depression. She seeks to psychology at The Hebrew symptoms, including create a model that integrates University, she continued excessive negative mood and the different cognitive biases there to her PhD. 18 decreased interest or pleasure and to develop practical In parallel, she is highly in enjoyable activities. paradigms that can be active in her academic Individuals with depressive integrated into cognitive department, supporting the disorders also tend to display behavioral therapy for absorption of Arab students negative biases in attention, depression. 2018 Fellow The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the university and in the memory, and interpretation; Nour was born in Nazareth, program, serving as a program for example, they retrieve where she attended the coordinator, and counseling negative memories more Salvatorian sisters' school. the master’s degree Arab easily than positive ones. She studied psychology and students. Nour also volunteers These cognitive biases play special education for a BSc regularly at Alsiwar, an an important role in the onset degree at the University of organization that supports and recurrence of depressive Haifa, and worked at the Tirat Arab women throughout Israel episodes. Carmel Mental Health Center and provides aid to victims of In her research, Nour Kardosh and at a boarding school sexual assault. explores information- for children with emotional processing biases of positive and behavioral disorders. Faculty of Dental Medicine

Research Field: Epigenetics, oocyte aging

PhD Advisors: Dr. Michael Klutstein Pe’era and Prof. Gilad Bachrach

Pash Demographic studies indicate undertook her bachelor’s that fertility rates are falling degree studies in psychology in many countries, often and communications at the due to delayed childbearing Open University. Later, she – and the age-associated completed a year of national decline in female fertility. service at a boarding school In her research, Pe’era Pash for at-risk girls. is examining epigenetic In her master’s degree, she mechanisms that affect key transferred to a new field proteins in the nucleus, in and institution, studying turn, causing the egg cells microbiology at The Hebrew 20 to divide incorrectly during University. She is now on the their aging. Epigenetics direct PhD track. addresses changes in the gene expression that do Pe’era and her husband, not involve changes to the together with their young son, 2018 Fellow The Hebrew University of Jerusalem underlying DNA sequence. live in Tzur Hadassa, near While they are a regular and Jerusalem. She volunteers natural occurrence, epigenetic in Academy for Life, in the changes may also be framework of the Bat Ami influenced by several factors, Project. Working with Haredi including age. female students with a background of past learning Pe’era grew up in Efrat and disabilities, she reinforces studied at Ulpanat Talia their learning and helps them in Jerusalem, a religious meet the required academic high-school for outstanding standards. girls. At the time, she also Olga Pasitselska Faculty of Social Sciences

Research Field: Political communication Olga Pasitselska was born and her PhD research, which organization, helping youths PhD Advisor: raised in Ukraine, where she addresses the role of in grades 11 and 12 in their Dr. Christian Baden studied editing, publishing identity in the reception English-language studies. In and Ukrainian and Russian of ideological narratives in addition, she has participated linguistics at the Oles’ Russian-Ukrainian conflict in a special campaign run by Honchar Dnipro National among various audiences the Israel Cancer Association, University. She received her in Ukraine. Looking at the to promote awareness of sun bachelor’s degree, magna cum communication process from damages among children. laude, in 2013, and worked the audience’s perspective, as a journalist. In 2014, she the study aims to understand made Aliya by herself, joining how personal experiences, 23 an eight-month Ulpan in strategic frames and shared Kibbutz Shoval in the Negev, cultural knowledge contribute where she studied Hebrew in to adoption or rejection, preparation for her academic interpretation or renegotiation

studies in Israel. of propagandistic media 2018 Fellow The Hebrew University of Jerusalem narratives, and subsequently Olga received her master’s affect the audience’s conflict degree, magna cum perceptions. laude, from The Hebrew University’s Department Olga is married and lives in of Communication and Yaffo. She volunteers at the Journalism, in 2017. Al-Mustaqbal school in Yaffo Subsequently, she started through the “Shiur Acher” Faculty of Science

Research Field: Biochemistry

PhD Advisor: Prof. David Engelberg Nadine Soudah was born and She excelled in her studies “chain reaction,” which raised in Eastern Jerusalem, and started her undergraduate may also provide a better where she lives today with degree studies in biology, and understanding of cancer. her family. She studied in went on to receive an MSc Nadine engages in multiple a German Christian private degree in biomedical sciences volunteer activities: She works school, focusing on science with honors. with children in the church; – but also learning English Since 2018, she has conducted is active in the Kids for Peace and German. Seeking her doctoral research on the international organization, to study at The Hebrew mechanisms of activation which brings together Muslim, University, she enrolled in of key mutant enzymes, Christian, and Jewish youths a pre-academic program to termed ERKs, which belong for bi-weekly meetings; and 25 reinforce her knowledge of to the MAP kinase cascade, in the Focolare Movement, Hebrew, studying together found mutated in 90% of which aims to contribute to with diverse peers, among cancer patients. Her goal is building a more united world, them, new immigrants – and to decipher the role of the in which people value and experiencing a multi-cultural 2018 Fellow The Hebrew University of Jerusalem final protein in the enzyme’s respect diversity. environment for the first time. Nadine Soudah Faculty of Humanities

Research Field: Jewish cultural Anna property after 1945 Holzer- PhD Advisor: Prof. Yfaat Weiss Kawalko Born and raised in Poland, post-WWII, to various castles Anna Holzer-Kawalko in Bohemia and Moravia, received her BA degree from Ghetto Theresienstadt, and the University of Warsaw in the Jewish Museum in Prague. 2012. That same year, she Her research is generating made Aliya and undertook a historical analysis of the master’s degree studies at multiple agendas guiding The Hebrew University, postwar restitution efforts, completing them, summa cum the complex relations between laude, in 2015. Her thesis Jewish communities in addressed German material Europe and Jewish people in heritage and various processes Palestine/Israel, and the role 26 of nation building in Lower of cultural property in nation- Silesia (Poland) after World building processes after 1945. War II. In the past year, she spent Her PhD work is devoted to six months at the Simon one of the most ambiguous Dubnow Institut für Jüdische 2016 Fellow The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and little-known chapters Geschichte und Kultur in of postwar Jewish Germany, and has won a prize reconstruction, in the wake for her dissertation. of the unprecedented Nazi Anna lives in Jerusalem with plunder of Jewish libraries her husband. She volunteers and archives. In studying with the Foundation for the the status of German- Benefit of the Holocaust Jewish cultural property in Victims in Israel, offering Czechoslovakia after 1945, weekly assistance to Holocaust she aims to illuminate the survivors. unique history of the looted documents – evacuated, Faculty of Dental Medicine

Research Field: Dental microbiology

PhD Advisors: Prof. Nurit Beyth and Dr. Ronen Hazan

Mor Shlezinger grew up in As a volunteer in the city’s Jerusalem and served as an Oral Hygiene Training Clinic education officer in the IDF. of the SHALVA National She studied dentistry and Center, the Israel Association obtained her DMD degree for the Care and Inclusion from The Hebrew University. of Persons with Disabilities, Later, deciding to also engage Mor promotes oral health in research, she started a education for mentally and master’s degree, which turned physically challenged children into a doctoral thesis on phage and youths, in the age range therapy – the therapeutic use of three months to 21 years. 29 of bacteria-infecting viruses As part of her activities, she (bacteriophages, or phages) meets with the children’s to treat pathogenic bacterial parents and supervisors and infections. explains about their part in

maintaining the children’s 2016 Fellow The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Her research focuses on phage oral hygiene. therapy against Enterococcus faecalis, a hard-to-target, Mor, who lives in Jerusalem antibiotics-resistant pathogen with her husband and their Mor from root canal infections. She two daughters, has painted is working both in vitro and ever since she can remember in vivo with an animal model, herself, and, throughout her Shlezinger and hopes to lay the basis for research and volunteering translational research and activities, still finds time to possible clinical applications pursue her hobby. to promote improved patient treatment. Dina Zalaznik

Dina Zalaznik grew up in a the psychotherapeutic process in psychology in Haredi Haredi family in Jerusalem. and outcome, with focus society. After high school, she studied on panic disorder. She also In her volunteer activities, she special education. She started examines the relationship of meets with at-risk high-school her academic career when those variables to outcome female Haredi students, she was already a mother of and retention in online CBT 31 helping them with their three young children, studying therapy for panic disorders personal conflicts, with the psychology at the Open and depression, and manages aim of preventing dropout. University, while also working the research group’s online in special education. She then depression treatment project. Dina lives with her husband 2016 Fellow The Hebrew University of Jerusalem went on to pursue a master’s and five children in Modi’in in Separately, in an effort to degree in clinical psychology Israel’s central region. support Haredi students in Faculty of Social Sciences at The Hebrew University. academia, she established In her research, Dina seeks a special cultural workshop Research Field: Mental to understand common for Haredi MA students, health and well being component processes in which helps them cope with psychotherapy. Her main identity conflicts and cultural PhD Advisor: interests are working alliance challenges. She also initiated, Prof. Jonathan D. Huppert (the therapist – patient together with her PhD relationship) and attachment advisor, an annual academic styles, and their relation to conference on cultural issues Faculty of Social Sciences

Maayan Research Field: Psychodynamic Abargil therapy PhD Advisor: Dr. Orya Tishby

Maayan Abargil grew up in pursue an academic degree, outcome of the therapeutic the town of Reut in central studied psychology and process. Her research has Israel. She volunteered for one cognition, in a special potential applied implications, year in a supportive housing bachelor's-degree track including in improving facility for at-risk youths in for outstanding students therapists’ training, towards Hadera before serving in the at Ben-Gurion University. enabling them to optimize the 32 IDF as a welfare officer (she Excelling in her studies, she therapy according to specific still serves on reserve military was accepted into the highly patient characteristics. duty). She later travelled to competitive master’s degree Maayan, who currently resides India and Nepal, volunteering program in clinical psychology in Tel Aviv, volunteered as a with TEVEL, an Israeli NGO at The Hebrew University, 2015 Fellow The Hebrew University of Jerusalem therapist in a child and family that aims to create Israeli and and later — to the direct PhD mental health station in Jewish leadership engaged track. Jerusalem, seeing a number of in Tikkun Olam locally and Her doctoral research aims to patients on a weekly basis. She globally. dissect the effects of various currently volunteers with the Maayan, who was the first parameters in psychodynamic Academy for Life program. member of her family to therapy on the quality and Yael Paz

Yael Paz was raised in Atlit, investigating how empathy, a town in Israel’s northern or lack thereof, before the region, and served in an IDF age of one year relates excellence program. She to subsequent helpful or received her bachelor’s degree, aggressive behavior during the cum laude, in psychobiology, second or third year of life. and her master’s degree, The outcomes of her research summa cum laude, in have the potential to impact children’s clinical psychology, educational policies in both both from The Hebrew the public and private spheres, University. Her outstanding and provide new tools for 34 academic achievements earlier diagnosis of autism earned her several honors and spectrum disorder. awards, including multiple In addition to her research, appearances on the Dean’s she is undergoing professional List. internship as a developmental 2015 Fellow The Hebrew University of Jerusalem In her doctoral research, psychologist. Yael addresses the rarely Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Yael lives in Jerusalem and studied early development of volunteers in the Academy Social Welfare empathy in infancy (during for Life program. She the first year of life), in mentors young, at-risk Research Field: Developmental an attempt to identify the female students, bringing developmental consequences psychology with her a unique mentoring of early individual differences approach, with the overall in empathy among typically- PhD Advisor: goal of helping them build a developing and at-risk more advantageous life for Dr. Maayan Davidov infants. For example, she is themselves. Faculty of Dental Medicine

Research Field: Phage therapy and

microbiology Every year, drug-resistant Leron was born in Mumbai, and provide the basis for bacterial infections kill India, where she completed a novel drugs based on them. PhD Advisors: hundreds of thousands of BSc in biotechnology and an She played a key role in the Dr. Ronen Hazan and people around the world. MSc in biochemistry. In 2012, Hadassah Medical Center In a new approach to the she realized a lifelong dream team that conducted the first Prof. Nurit Beyth battle against harmful and made Aliyah on her own. successful phage therapy on a bacteria that infect humans, She studied Hebrew at an human patient, in 2018. Leron Solomon-Khalifa Ulpan in Jerusalem, where Leron lives in Jerusalem with aims to turn the tables on she met her husband – an her husband and two children. antibiotics-resistant bacteria, immigrant from France. She She volunteers in the Academy by infecting them with later worked as a research for Life project, mentoring a 37 bacteriophages (or phages) scientist in an aqua-culture young woman and helping her –viruses that attack specific vaccination company, before succeed to pass her entrance bacteria, but not humans. undertaking her doctoral exam to the academia. Her research provides an research at The Hebrew

alternative to antibiotics, University. 2015 Fellow The Hebrew University of Jerusalem whose effectiveness is In her research, Leron works limited, for example, against to identify bacterium-specific the emergence of bacterial bacteriophages, isolate them, Leron resistance. Solomon- Khalifa Kerem Wainer Katsir

Each of the cells in the Her research has evolved into She teaches a laboratory woman’s body carries two addressing the challenges of course to first-year biology 38 X chromosomes. One of the single-cell genomics, one of students at the university two is inactivated during the most recent and exciting and volunteers with the Hila early development, to prevent research fields of molecular program for at-risk youths. females from having twice biology, and has implications The program, operated by as many X-chromosome for medical research, as it the Atid educational network

2015 Fellow The Hebrew University of Jerusalem gene products as males, is linked to various genetic under the auspices of the who possess a single copy disorders. Ministry of Education, aims of the X chromosome. to enable school drop-outs Kerem was raised in Zikhron This inactivation process to complete a 12-year school Faculty of Mathematics and Sciences Ya'akov in northern Israel. is essential for ensuring education. She holds a BSc in biology functional cell physiology. Research Field: Genetics and an MSc in biology and Kerem is married and is the While most genes from the bioinformatics, magna cum mother of young twins. inactivated X-chromosome are laude, from The Hebrew PhD Advisor: Prof. Michal Linial silenced, 15–25% are known University, and pursues her to escape X-inactivation. PhD studies in the direct track Kerem Wainer Katsir at the University’s Institute of examines the genes that Life Sciences. escape X-inactivation. Graduates

Dr. Ester Lital Dr. Rawia Dr. Michelle Abtew Belinko-Sabah Aburabia Grunin

2014 2014 2013 2013 Biodegradable polymers for Ladino studies Colonized by the law: Genetics, chemokines, and medicinal purposes Personal status laws of their relationship to a subset Currently at the final stage Palestinian Bedouin women of white blood cells in age- related macular degeneration Works as a researcher in a of her PhD studies. Works (AMD) start-up company in the field as a linguistic analyst at Completed her postdoctoral of advanced ("3D") battery a high-tech company, and research at the Leonard Davis Currently, a postdoctoral technology. serves as a board member Institute for International researcher at Case Western of the Center for Victims of Relations; currently serves Reserve University, studying Sexual Assault and a PhD as a postdoctoral fellow and complex genetics of AMD and student representative at the lecturer at Tel Aviv University. Alzheimer's Disease. University's Senate. 40 41

Yael Maayan Dr. Daria Dr. Darya Barash Harman Bonjak Feldman Tsvirkun

2014 2014 2013 2013 of Jerusalem 2013 Graduates The Hebrew University 2014 Graduates The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

The environmental impact of Structural symmetry of Novel fungal genes involved Novel CT contrast agents for multinational companies on proteins in breaking down plant cell molecular imaging of cancer emerging economies walls and in detoxifying Currently at the final stage of growth-inhibiting substances Serves as a research assistant Serves as director of her PhD studies. at Galmed Pharmaceuticals. Technologies and Renewable Conducts postdoctoral Energy in the Ministry of research at The Hebrew Energy's Office of the Chief University's Faculty of Scientist. Agriculture, where she also serves as a teaching assistant. Graduates Dr. Lili Nimri

2012 Dr. Olga Dr. Ofra Dr. Malka Mechanisms linking obesity to altered Aizenberg metabolism in colon carcinogenesis Brandes Greenberg Raanan

2012 2011 2011 Completed her postdoctoral research The behavioral and neural impact at the Technion's Rappaport Faculty In-service leading computer Gender, urban space and the of different types of regularities of Medicine and currently serves science teachers during everyday encounter between on sentence processing in curricular changes Palestinians and Israelis in as a lecturer in the Department adequate and dyslexic readers Jerusalem of Nutritional Sciences at Tel-Hai College. Currently a postdoctoral Serves as a psychometrician researcher at the Weizmann Completed her postdoctoral and a researcher at the Israel's Institute of Science and research at The Hebrew National Institute for Testing and Dr. Lior serves as a lecturer in The University and currently Evaluation. Reich Israeli Hebrew University's Teaching serves as a planning Certificate Program. coordinator for urban renewal projects in Jerusalem. 2012 Plasticity and stability in the 'visual' 42 areas of the human blind brain 43

Dr. Ibtisam Studies medicine at the Hebrew Dr. Liana Dr. Shiran Marey-Sarwan University. Fayez Jaber Reichenberg

2012 2011 2011 2011 Graduates The Hebrew University of Jerusalem 2012 Graduates The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Dr. Keren Context-informed perspectives to The relationship between The right to participation and attachment and risk in Bedouin Sasson teachers and resources in care proceedings in youth families in unrecognized villages mathematics education court in the Naqab 2012 Regional security orders in the Serves as a high-school Directs the Children's Completed her postdoctoral developing world principal in Beit Hanina, Rights Clinic at The Hebrew research at the Mofet Institute and Jerusalem. University's Faculty of Law currently serves as a lecturer on Currently, a research fellow at Clinical Legal Education early childhood education at the the Leonard Davis Institute for Center. Arab Academic College of Education International Relations and a research in Haifa and the Sakhnin College for consultant at the Ministry of Defense Teacher Education. and security institutions. Graduates

Dr. Mazal Dr. Dina Dr. Huda Dr. Florina Elnekave Tsybulsky Abu-Much Uzefovsky

2010 2010 2009 2009 The immune response The effect of educational trips Translation of Emile Habibi’s The biological basis of human following DNA immunization to research labs on students’ works into Hebrew empathy of the skin understanding of and attitude towards science Completed her postdoctoral Completed her postdoctoral Lectures at Hadassah research at the Free University research at Cambridge Academic College and teaches Completed her postdoctoral of Berlin and is teaching at the University and currently high-school biology at the research at Tel Aviv University Open University's Department serves as a senior lecturer in Derech HaAvot school in and currently serves as of Literature, Language and the Department of Psychology Efrat. an Assistant Professor the Arts. at Ben-Gurion University. and head of the Biology Education research group in the Technion's Faculty of Education in Science and 44 Technology. 45 Dr. Moran Dr. Chaya Israel Keller

2010 2009 2009 Graduates The Hebrew University of Jerusalem 2010 Graduates The Hebrew University of Jerusalem 2010 Graduates The Hebrew University Brain mechanism underlying Geometric graph theory the ability to switch from a parallel to a serial strategy Completed her postdoctoral research at Ben-Gurion Heads a start-up company's University. Currently serves research team and serves as as a Research Fellow at the scientific advisor to the Chief Technion's Department of Scientist of the Ministry of Mathematics. Education. 47 Dear Friends, On behalf of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, I am honored to congratulate and salute the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation on the 10th anniversary of the Ariane de Rothschild Women’s Doctoral Program. As an academic institution that owes its very founding to the pan- European discrimination against Jews around the turn of the 20th century, the Technion is committed to the promotion of diversity and equal opportunity among all sectors of Israeli society. To this end, Technion administrations have dedicated special effort to increasing the number of women among our students, faculty and senior leadership. Attaining technological education is, still today, not a natural choice for many female high-school graduates; therefore, I am proud to head a technology- and exact sciences-oriented university featuring a female Senior Vice President, one female Technion Dean and three female faculty deans, one of whom, Prof. Marcelle Machluf, was chosen to light echnion - Israel Institute of Technology of Institute - Israel echnion an Independence Day torch on Israel's 70th independence anniversary. The Ariane de Rothschild Women’s Doctoral Program has played a 48 vital role in furthering our shared mission to enable more outstanding female students to pursue an academic career. The monetary support the Ariane de Rothschild scholars receive through the Program, coupled with tailored seminars and workshops, ensure that these excellent young women never stop reaching higher and dreaming bigger. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation for its continued dedication. I am looking forward to many more years of collaboration in this and other important endeavors. T the president from A letter

Prof. Peretz Lavie Prof. Peretz Lavie President Technion - Israel institute of Technology President Technion - Israel institute of Technology Margarita Faculty of Biomedical Engineering Beckerman Research field: Tissue engineering PhD Advisors: Prof. Shulamit Levenberg and Prof. Emeritus Eddy Karnieli

Margarita (Rita) Beckerman as a child. She grew up in Technology Department and is developing a novel Migdal HaEmek, in Israel’s returned to Israel to pursue treatment for type 2 diabetes, northern district, where she her graduate degree. She in which the body develops also lives today. During her enrolled in the Technion’s 50 insulin resistance, leading high-school years in ORT master’s degree program in to hyperglycemia and severe Rogozin, she participated in biomedical engineering, later multiple complications. She the Rashi Foundation’s Katzir transferring to the direct PhD is investigating the use of Scholarship Fund for young track. engineered muscle tissue to people from Israel’s periphery.

echnion - Israel Institute of Technology of Institute - Israel 2018 Fellow T echnion Rita volunteers with an restore insulin sensitivity, and She served for two years in employment center in her has developed a successful the IDF’s Teleprocessing home town, which provides model in mice, whereby a Corps, later earning her information, guidance, and tissue sample is cultured in undergraduate degree in employment-preparation the lab and engineered to biotechnology engineering workshops for local youths. uptake larger quantities of at the Ort Braude College in glucose, then re-grafted to the Karmiel. donor to reduce blood-sugar At the end of her studies, levels. Rita spent two years as a Rita was born in Moldova and research assistant at Harvard- made Aliya with her family MIT’s Health, Science and Faculty of Medicine

Research field: Chemotherapy and cancer

PhD Advisor: Prof. Yuval Shaked Chemotherapy is the most Jozafina, who grew up in the treatments. This led her to common treatment for municipality of I'billin in decide to pursue further cancer. Some years ago, it was Israel’s northern district, has research in cancer. found to also be associated six siblings – three of whom Jozafina lives with her with the development of pursued their BSc studies at husband in I'billin. She metastases – the main cause the Technion in parallel. She 53 is active in a volunteer of death in cancer patients. received her BSc in medical organization established by Jozafina Haj investigates sciences from the Technion, young people in her home the connection between where she also earned her town, to support children with chemotherapy in breast cancer MSc, conducting research

cancer throughout Israel, and Technology of Institute - Israel 2018 Fellow T echnion and the development of lung on tissue engineering for in its highly successful project metastases, with the aim of bone regeneration. After of hair donations for wigs for improving patients’ therapy graduating, she worked as a patients. outcome. Specifically, she technician in a hematology Jozafina examines how chemotherapy laboratory at Rambam affects the extracellular matrix Medical Center, where she in ways that may lead to the developed a close relationship Haj development of new tumors with cancer patients who and metastases. went through chemotherapy Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning Anat Research Field: Contemporary art and Litwin urbanism PhD Advisor: Prof. Rachel Kallus

An artist, curator, and project in 2006, which the Neoliberal city, with researcher, Anat Litwin challenges the role artists HomeBase as her case study. has initiated multiple play in shaping everyday Anat lives in Givataim with international urban art urban living, and creates new her partner and their son. platforms and residency cultural currencies of care. Volunteering with young 54 programs that connect art and The project evolved into an artists through the Association everyday urban living, and immersive network of art of Plastic Artists, she leads a has presented her work in the collaborations in a decade- workshop addressing social, field of social and community- long journey, inhabiting urban and community-based based art in various cultural buildings in changing urban

echnion - Israel Institute of Technology of Institute - Israel 2018 Fellow T echnion art, which provides both a and academic venues in the neighborhoods in New theoretical framework and U.S., Switzerland, Japan, York, Berlin, Jerusalem, practical training related and Brazil. She is the 2013 and Saitama, where vacant to the artistic and civil recipient of the Andy Warhol residential spaces were dimensions and possibilities Curatorial Fellowship. transformed into temporary of Artistic Hosting in the city. artistic homes for critical She graduated from Bezalel’s cross-cultural and counter- Department of Visual Art cultural exchange. and holds a master of fine arts degree from Hunter In her PhD research, Anat College, NYC. She founded investigates the agency and directed the HomeBase of Artistic Hosting in Faculty of Chemical Engineering

Research field: Nanoscience and nanotechnology

PhD Advisor: Prof. Hossam Haick

Rawan Omar was born and group in 2019. In her PhD the academic unit of Alrowad- raised in the village of Marja research, she is developing YASA (Young Arab Scientists in central Israel, a part of wearable sensors that conduct Association), which seeks the Zemer local council, ongoing monitoring and early to create a strong scientific- where she also lives today. diagnosis of heart attacks. technological periphery in In high school, she attended Israel by supplementing Rawan is very active in a special program for gifted the existing public Arab fostering higher education in students, majoring in physics, educational program. Rawan Arab society. After graduating chemistry, and electronics. also manages an enrichment from high school, together program for PhD students, She studied biotechnology with other youths, she 56 which provides various soft engineering at the Technion, established an organization skills and professional tools. receiving her BSc and MSc that initiated activities aiming degrees cum laude. During her to support higher education in graduate studies, Rawan was her village, especially among

echnion - Israel Institute of Technology of Institute - Israel 2018 Fellow T echnion a visiting researcher at the young women. Later, as a Leibniz University Hannover, student at the Technion, she Germany, and later worked wanted to do more to promote Rawan as a chemical analyst at Teva higher education in Arab Pharmaceutical Industries, society as a whole, so she co- Omar until joining Prof. Haick’s founded and became head of Rina (Greenblatt) Ben-El Faculty of Biology

Research field: Computational and systems biology

PhD Advisor: Prof. Yael Mandel- Gutfreund

Seventy-five percent of the Born and raised in New assesses “big data”, with the human genome does not Jersey, Rina studied in a hope of unravelling some of encode for proteins, and religious high school and the biological mysteries that therefore, its function has yet earned her undergraduate fascinate her. to be discovered. Some non- degree in biological science Rina and her husband live in 58 coding DNA is transcribed from Rutgers University. She Haifa. She volunteers with into long intergenic non- first visited Israel through Shiur Acher (“a different coding RNAs (lincRNAs) Taglit-Birthright, staying on lesson”), a project which and recent evidence suggests for several months, during seeks to give middle- and that these play an important which she learned Hebrew echnion - Israel Institute of Technology of Institute - Israel 2017 Fellow T echnion high school-students equal role in gene regulation. and volunteered at the ALYN opportunity by incorporating Rina (Greenblatt) Ben-El hospital in Jerusalem. In volunteers from various searches for the involvement 2014, she made Aliya. professional fields into the of lincRNAs in the regulation Rina earned her master’s classroom. These interactions of gene expression in degree in developmental enable the students to embryonic stem cells. This is biology and genetics at familiarize themselves with accomplished by employing the Technion’s Faculty of different professions and gain computational approaches Medicine. In her current self-confidence that they, too, to analyze expression and research, she develops can accomplish their own correlation patterns between algorithms, executes statistical goals. lincRNAs and transcription tests on large datasets, and factors. Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Research field: Civil engineering

PhD Advisor: Prof. Amnon Katz

Daniele Kulisch was born in combine a component of Curitiba, Brazil, into a family research into her activity, she of civil engineers. Growing returned to the Technion for up, she was on the Habonim her PhD, which centers on Dror youth movement and the reactivation potential of later earned her bachelor’s residual unhydrated cement degree in civil engineering at in construction waste and UFPR Universidade Federal its use in new concrete. Her do Parana. She made Aliya by research may lead to new ways herself in 2012, participated of exploiting construction 61 in an Ulpan program in waste for cement, thus cutting Haifa, and a short time later, on construction costs and enrolled in a master’s degree protecting the environment. program at the Technion, Daniele lives in Ramat Gan graduating in 2015. Technology of Institute - Israel 2017 Fellow T echnion with her husband, who is also She then served as a project from Brazil. She volunteers at coordinator at the Standards the Alliance School in Haifa, Institution of Israel, while assisting in English classes in Daniele also teaching at the Afeka the eighth and ninth grades, Tel Aviv Academic College in both group and individual of Engineering and the settings, in order to motivate Kulisch Sami Shamoon College of the students and promote Engineering. Seeking to their learning. Moran Lazar

More than 90% of all process of entrepreneurial Entrepreneurship Center, entrepreneurial teams fail team formation. both at the Technion. She prematurely. Moran Lazar also serves as a doctoral Moran was raised in Tirat investigates the impact of student representative at Hacarmel, where she currently team formation strategies on the Technion’s Industrial lives with her husband. She 63 entrepreneurial outcomes, Engineering and Management served as a psychotechnical i.e., success or failure. She and Behavioral Science diagnostician commander empirically explores the committees. Faculty of Industrial in the IDF, and earned her decision-making process of Engineering and Management undergraduate degree in Moran, who is an active forming an entrepreneurial Technology of Institute - Israel 2017 Fellow T echnion psychology, sociology, and member of the Ariane de team – based on prior anthropology at the University Rothschild Women Doctoral Research field: acquaintance, professional of Haifa, magna cum laude. Program’s steering committee, Entrepreneurial teams capacities, or the combination She continued to a master’s has also facilitated a women of both, and how these degree in organizational empowerment program at affect team performance PhD Advisors: behavior at the Technion. a community center and a in the initial stages. Her Associate Prof. Ella Miron- human resources strategy multidisciplinary research In addition to her PhD building program for a non- Spektor and Prof. Miriam Erez follows participants in various research, Moran is a research profit organization, both accelerators in Israel and consultant at the Knowledge supporting unprivileged abroad, and her findings Center for Innovation and a populations in Israel. may help create a structured research fellow at the Bronica Faculty of Material Science and Engineering

Research field: Organic electronics

PhD Advisor: Prof. Gitti L. Frey

Jenia Vinokur was born in continues on the direct PhD In her volunteering activities, Ukraine and made Aliya in track. The lab she is a member she has partnered with her early childhood with her of seeks to assemble organic a chemistry teacher, and family, settling in Ma’ale and inorganic precursors together, they are building a Adumim, near Jerusalem. into opto-electronically new concept for the study of Her curiosity motivated her to functional hybrid materials chemistry from a wide-angle learn home appliance repair and interfaces for high- and hands-on perspective, and computer programming performance devices. Her including visits to the by herself, and develop research focuses on organic Technion, lectures, and lab a wide-ranging interest solar cells, which use light- work. 64 in science. She studied absorbing organic molecules Jenia, who lives with her biotechnology at Ort College to produce electricity from husband and son in Haifa, is high school in Jerusalem sunlight. about to give birth to their and served in the IDF as a Together with six other Israeli second child. military-court clerk. echnion - Israel Institute of Technology of Institute - Israel 2017 Fellow T echnion students, Jenia represented She earned a dual bachelor’s Israel at the 2019 Lindau degree, in materials Nobel Laureate Meetings, Jenia engineering and chemistry, meeting 39 recipients of the at the Technion, where she Nobel Prize in Physics. Vinokur Shlomit (Levy)

David Growing up in Jerusalem, at the heart of considerable Shlomit (Levy) David is debate in recent years. While the oldest of six children generally recognized as safe in a family that encourages for human use, carrageenans academic excellence affect the breaking down (currently, some of her of food in the digestive younger siblings study process, and may have a engineering at the Technion). part in inducing digestive- She attended the Horev tract disorders. Shlomit religious high school for girls, is examining the effect of excelling in mathematics and different carrageenans on the biotechnology, and completed breakdown of food-derived 66 a year of national service at an proteins in the body, with elementary school in Modi’in. the goal of re-engineering carrageenan molecules, Next, she enrolled at the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food towards preventing their Technion, earning a bachelor’s Engineering potential deleterious health echnion - Israel Institute of Technology of Institute - Israel 2016 Fellow T echnion degree in biotechnology effects. and food engineering. She Research field: Food engineering continued to a master’s Shlomit lives with her degree in nano-science and husband and three children PhD Advisor: Prof. Uri Lesmes nanotechnology. in Haifa. She is a teaching assistant at the Technion and In her PhD research, Shlomit volunteers with children and examines the digestive youths in various frameworks, fate of polysaccharide food coaching high schools additives. She focuses on students in need of assistance carrageenans, a family of in mathematics for their polysaccharides isolated from Bagrut exam. seaweeds, which has been Faculty of Chemical Engineering

Research field: Pattern formation in nanoparticle systems

PhD Advisor: Ekhlas Homede Abo Jabal of artificially intelligent particle organization, as Prof. Ofer Manor was born in the village of sensor arrays based on gold well as simple, cheap, and Mashhad, in Israel’s northern nanoparticles with diverse reproducible methods of region. Her family – of whom applications, including disease fabrication. she is the first to pursue diagnosis. Ekhlas, who lives with her an academic degree – had Currently conducting husband and two young encouraged her to excel in her her PhD research at the daughters in Haifa, co- studies, and she attended a Technion, Ekhlas investigates initiated a volunteering distant school, to ensure she mechanisms of nanoparticle project to help high-schoolers received the best available deposition. Nanoparticle from her home town study education. deposition refers to the mathematics and chemistry. She earned her bachelor’s process of attaching Currently, she volunteers 69 and master’s degrees in nanoparticles to solid in the Tura'an community chemical engineering at the surfaces, which has various center, tutoring high-school Technion. In her master’s applications, including in girls in mathematics and degree research, she electronic displays, sensors, chemistry.

conducted research that led coatings, and smart paints. Technology of Institute - Israel 2016 Fellow T echnion to the development of a new These types of products and feasible printing method require well-controlled Ekhlas Homede Abo Jabal Sheila Roitman

Phytoplankton form the basis of the Additionally, these viral encoded aquatic food web and account for about proteins have extensive potential 50% of all photosynthesis on Earth. applications in biotechnology. Sheila Roitman studies environmental Sheila was born in Argentina, and genomics of marine microbes, focusing made Aliya as a teenager through in viruses that infect phytoplankton. 70 the Naale program, with her parents These viruses can change the infected joining her in Israel a year later. She phytoplankton cell’s metabolism, earned her BSc in agroecology and leading to changes in the water plant health and biotechnology at nutrient composition, thus affecting The Hebrew University’s Faculty of

echnion - Israel Institute of Technology of Institute - Israel 2016 Fellow T echnion the entire ecosystem. She identified Agriculture, as part of the Atidim for new viruses that affect their hosts’ Industry program. She transferred photosynthetic activity in her MSc to the Technion for her MSc degree, degree research. In her PhD research, where she continues on her doctoral Faculty of Biology she uncovered novel viral families research. encoding proteins which can turn Research field: Marine microbial ecology saturated fatty acids into unsaturated In her volunteering activity, Sheila fatty acids. This finding suggests that has worked for over four years with PhD Advisor: Prof. Oded Beja viruses have a greater impact on the an underprivileged child, helping her nutrient composition of the marine to expand and improve her learning ecosystem than previously thought. abilities. Shir

Toubiana Shir Toubiana was born Her doctoral research focuses in Petach Tikva, and was on telomeres – the regions diagnosed with a genetic at the end of chromosomes hearing impairment when which regulate processes she was one year old. Her related to cell aging and disability spurred her to push protection from cancer. herself forward, always try She investigates telomeres’ harder, and excel. In high epigenetic characteristics school, she was the only girl and focuses on mutations in the physics track, played in DNMT3B, an enzyme basketball, and painted; and which facilitates epigenetic in her military service, she modifications of the 72 taught cadets in the Junior telomeric regions. DNMT3B Command Preparatory School malfunctions can lead in Haifa. to telomere dysfunction, resulting in accelerated Debating whether to follow aging; Shir was the first to echnion - Israel Institute of Technology of Institute - Israel 2016 Fellow T echnion Faculty of Medicine her passion and become successfully correct mutant a physician or to pursue DNMT3B, by editing the gene her curiosity and become Research field: Human that generates this protein. molecular genetics a scientist, Shir chose both and was accepted to the Shir lives in Haifa with her prestigious MD-PhD track. husband, and volunteers PhD Advisors: Completing the pre-clinical in mentoring and assisting Prof. Sara Selig and stage, she earned a BSc degree disabled Technion students, Prof. Karl Skorecki in medical sciences from the while being an active member Technion and continues on of the Ariane de Rothschild the direct PhD track. Women Doctoral Program’s steering committee. Hanan Abumanhal Masarweh Faculty of Chemical Engineering

Research field: Personalized cancer nano-diagnostics

PhD Advisor: Prof. Avi Schroeder

Nanoscience has significant tumor acidic environment for Targeted Drug Delivery potential to enable addressing and enhance the activity and Personalized Medicine as yet unsolved problems of chemotherapy in breast Technologies at the Technion, 75 in many areas. Hanan cancer. as part of the Nanoscience and Abumanhal Masarweh Nanotechnology program. Hanan was born in Umm employs nanotechnology to al-Fahm. She pursued BSc Hanan, who is married, lives develop personalized medicine and MSc studies in pharmacy in Haifa, and volunteers in the

technologies. Her approach Technology of Institute - Israel 2015 Fellow T echnion at The Hebrew University’s Masar program, which aims to is to treat the supportive Excellence Program in increase social responsibility environment that surrounds Pharmaceutical Sciences, and and leadership skills among the cancer cells within the was the only participant from post-high-school youth from tumor, applying combined Arab society in her cohort. Arab society. She has been treatment and targeting of the She opted to gain practical involved in various aspects microenvironment as well as experience and worked as of the program, and, in the cancer cells – ultimately, to a pharmacist for several coming year, plans to organize improve patient survival and months, then continued to a visit at the Technion for the quality of life. Her research doctoral studies in Prof. participants. focuses on nano-drug delivery Avi Schroeder’s Laboratory systems that modulate the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering Maria Research field: Cardiovascular nanomedicine

Khoury PhD Advisor: Prof. Netanel Korin

Maria Khoury was born vascular physiology, and in Haifa. She attended the transport phenomena in Sisters of Nazareth High vascular diseases. Maria is School in Haifa, studying developing a new approach electronics and physics, and for treating atherosclerosis, later enrolled in the Technion, which consists of targeted earning her BSc and MSc in nano-therapeutic carriers that biomedical engineering. deliver medication to areas of atherosclerosis in order to During her master’s degree prevent blockages in arteries. 76 studies, she was the lead She studies the engineering author in one article and aspects of blood flow and took part in the preparation examines the viability of of three others, all published directing nanoparticles in leading scientific journals.

echnion - Israel Institute of Technology of Institute - Israel 2015 Fellow T echnion carrying medication to their Subsequently, she worked specific target. at the Technion’s Faculty of Medicine for three years, in Maria has one daughter the field of embryonic stem and lives in Haifa, where cells. she also volunteers at an Arab-Christian school. She For her PhD research, she tutors a group of pupils in joined Prof. Netanel Korin’s mathematics, with the goal lab, which studies engineering of reinforcing students with aspects of vascular biology difficulties in the subject. with a focus on the interplay between hemodynamics, Yevgeniya Orlova

Yevgeniya Orlova was achievements earned her will assist growers’ decision- born in Ukraine. At age 16, the President's and Dean's making processes with regards she became interested in awards. to chemical pruning, with her Jewish heritage and the goal of optimizing fruit Accompanying her husband connection to Israel, and load and size distribution at on his postdoctoral fellowship 78 started learning Hebrew. harvest. in Berkeley, California, Two years later, she decided Yevgeniya held a leadership Yevgeniya lives with her to make Aliya on her own, position in a voluntary husband and daughter in settling in Kibbutz Yehiam. sustainability project Kiryat Motzkin, near Haifa.

echnion - Israel Institute of Technology of Institute - Israel 2015 Fellow T echnion She subsequently enrolled established at the university’s She volunteers with the in the Technion’s program family housing. Upon their Technion’s Unit for the in biotechnology in return to Israel, she began Advancement of Students environmental engineering, her doctoral research, in and its Students Association Faculty of Civil and Environmental earning a BSc. During this which she is developing an (TSA), tutoring Matlab Engineering time, she also published her optically based means to programming. first academic article in a top- analyze biophysical processes Research field: Agricultural engineering tier journal. She continued to in growing apples. She is MSc studies, while supporting devising a non-destructive PhD Advisor: Prof. Raphael Linker herself and her mother, method to forecast the who joined her in Israel. survival potential of early- Her distinguished academic stage fruits. Her method Dr. Dina Graduates Tsybulsky

2010 Dr. Nitzan Dr. Christine The effect of educational trips to research labs on students’ Krinsky Warwar Damouny understanding of and attitude 2015 2014 towards science Synthetic cells as a therapeutic platform Development of Ni-based Completed her postdoctoral catalysts through a polymer research at Tel Aviv University R&D team manager at PEEL assisted non-hydrolytic sol-gel route for the dry and currently serves as Therapeutics Israel. an Assistant Professor reforming of methane and head of the Biology Education research group A postdoctoral fellow at the in the Technion's Faculty of Dr. Adi Technion. Education in Science and Hanuka Technology. 2014 Maayan Structure-based Laser-driven Optical Bonjak Accelerators 81

2010 Completed postdoctoral studies at the Neta Structural symmetry of Technion and currently serves as a Zalmanovich proteins Research Associate at Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC), California. 2014 Currently at the final stage of Electrochemical her PhD studies. Technology of Institute - Israel 2014-2015 Graduates T echnion characterization of a micro- Dr. Rotem nanochannel interface device

Vishinkin Currently at the final stage of her PhD studies. 2014 Detection of tuberculosis from skin

A researcher at the Technion, a Horizon 2020 scientific project leader, and an Azrieli Startup MBA student. 83 On behalf of Tel Aviv University, I would like to offer my most sincere thanks to the Foundation for its generous support of Israel's female doctoral students at Israeli universities, and in particular, since 2016, at Tel Aviv University. Women have long been under-represented in senior academic positions in Israeli universities, an environment that for long has been dominated by men. The establishment of the Ariane de Rothschild Women Doctoral Program has been crucial to the success of talented women researchers, from all fields of study, in overcoming material disadvantage and achieving gender equality. The Program has facilitated the enhancement of professional women as a strategic long-term goal, and has been essential for the advancement of higher education in Israel. Indeed, the Foundation's contribution not only endeavors to rectify the situation where proportionately fewer women enter academia, but also contributes to academic excellence, cultural diversity, productivity and the well-being of the nation. We are grateful to the Foundation for its recognition of this high priority, 84 and for its generosity that invests in the future of the State of Israel.

Sincerely,

Prof. Joseph Klafter

A letter from the president Tel Aviv University A letter from the president Tel Aviv University President Tel Aviv University Prof. Joseph Klafter President Tel Aviv University Faculty of Social Sciences

Research Field: Public policy – Sustainable Development

PhD Advisor: Dr. Dorit Kerret

Shira Bukchin is a behavioral focuses on farmers in Senegal At the university, Shira is data analyst with a long- and Nepal, exploring the a graduate-level teaching standing interest in connection between their assistant in public policy agriculture, technological personal resources – such courses. She also volunteers as choices, environmental as goal-oriented hope, a mentor to a graduate-degree behavior, and sustainable character strengths, and self- student, as part of the Manna 86 development. Her PhD control – and the adoption Program for Food Safety & research addresses the of sustainable agricultural Security. relationships between the technologies. In the past, theoretical and practical she had also participated in assumptions of sustainability, other agricultural and rural

2018 Fellow Tel Aviv University 2018 Fellow Tel Aviv University environmental policy, and development projects in positive psychology. Ethiopia.

Smallholder farmers, typically Shira, who grew up in Kadima, farming families, constitute a town in Israel’s central the majority of the world's region, served as an armored farmers and produce a corps instructor in the IDF. significant share of global She holds an undergraduate Shira food. Most of them, however, degree in biology and a do not use proven modern master’s degree in public cultivation technologies policy, both from Tel Aviv Bukchin that hold promise for a University. sustainable future. Shira Helena Faculty of Humanities

Roth Research field: Archaeology

PhD Advisor: Prof. Yuval Gadot

Helena Roth was born in investigations of pottery Moscow in the former Soviet vessels in technological and Union, and as a young child, typological perspectives. Her made Aliya with her mother. main goal is to reconstruct the She studied painting and art social complexity of the region from a young age, as well as during the period between the science, and served in an Air mid-third and mid-second Force intelligence unit. millennia BCE, and to better link archaeological finds and Subsequently, working known historical events and as a certified tour guide, 88 processes, while shedding she became interested in light on Canaanite cultural archaeology and decided history. to pursue the subject academically. She earned She volunteers in the

2018 Fellow Tel Aviv University 2018 Fellow Tel Aviv University a bachelor’s degree at the nonprofit Ratsei Hasimta University of Haifa and a (“The Alley Runners”), master’s degree at Tel Aviv an athletic track and field University in archaeology and club founded as a social the Ancient East. project to empower youths. Helena works with several Her PhD research focuses on young women, helping and economy and society in the supporting them in their northern Judean Highlands academic studies. during the Intermediate and Middle Bronze Ages, Helena and her husband, and involves field work in Itamar, live in Tel Aviv and excavations, as well as lab are expecting their first child. Maysoon Faculty of Humanities Research Field: Palestinian folk literature and Arabic Shibi prosody

PhD Advisor: Prof. Jeries Naim Khoury

Maysoon Shibi lives in the in general, specifically in examining analytic models Arab town Tira, in Israel’s modern Arabic poetry, Arabic from the study of other 90 central region, where she prosody in modern times, nationalities’ fairy-tales. was born and raised. She folk literature, and modern Maysoon teaches an studied biotechnology in literary theories in her introductory course on high school but turned to advanced degrees, also at Tel modern Arabic literature a different direction in her Aviv University. She wrote at the university. This year, 2018 Fellow Tel Aviv University 2018 Fellow Tel Aviv University academic studies, pursuing her master’s degree thesis on as part of her volunteering an undergraduate degree in the rajaz meter in modern activities, she initiated a English literature and Arabic Arabic poetry and is currently competition on literature language and literature at conducting PhD research on and general knowledge of Tel Aviv University, while Arabic folk literature from Arab culture, which took also completing a teaching a formalistic and a semiotic place at her department certificate in English at the perspective. at the university, with the Beit Berl College. Her research addresses participation 22 students Maysoon’s interest in the Palestinian fairy-tales, a field from 11 high schools and an study of Arabic language and with a paucity of research. audience of 420 pupils and literature led her to specialize Her focus is on poetic stanzas their teachers and principals. in modern Arabic literature and magic statements, while Keren Taub Sagol School of Neuroscience

Research field: Cognition and eye movements

PhD Advisor: Prof. Shlomit Yuval- Greenberg

The eyes are our body’s during encoding and correspondent in Bamahane, most highly developed retrieval improves memory the IDF’s weekly magazine. sensory organ. Every time performance, but this She later worked for several 93 we move our eyes, we are mechanism could have both Israeli media channels, and actively changing the visual motor and visual components. travelled to Africa. image we perceive, making Using an eye tracker, Keren Upon her return to Israel, she eyesight an active sense. aims to understand the role studied at Tel Aviv University, In fact, our eyes serve as a of eye movements in memory 2018 Fellow Tel Aviv University earning both her BSc and MSc direct window to our brain, retrieval, and to evaluate in neuroscience. Currently, and can expose cognitive the influence of reading she is mentoring a student processes in real time. Keren experience on this behavior. with hearing impairment Taub is investigating how Keren was born in Kibbutz who is on her third-year of eye movements help us Mishmar Haemek in bachelor’s degree studies. remember better, and how Israel’s northern region. Keren lives in Tel Aviv with they are affected by individual She completed a one-year her husband. differences, such as reading voluntary pre-military service direction. program in an educational It was found that performing institution, and served as a the same eye movements School of Education

Research field: Personal information management

PhD Advisor: Prof. Rafi Nachmias The current era is and her master’s degree in characterized as one of educational technologies, ubiquitous information, with both at the Open University. vast amounts of information For five years, she and her constantly created and husband lived in a youth shared, in both the personal village, caring for 13 foster and professional arenas. children in addition to Impossible to fully digest, their own three. Seeking a these can induce stress and stimulating and challenging anxiety. career path, she joined Prof. Nachmias’s research group, Lilach Alon examines which concentrates on the 95 individuals’ practices of meeting points between managing their personal information and technologies information spaces in – and learning and teaching the current, information- processes. overloaded era, bringing into University 2017 Fellow Tel Aviv the discussion their affective Today, Lilach lives with aspects. The conclusions of her family in Karmiel, in Lilach her research have led to a new northern Israel, traveling to view of personal information the university several times a management and the gap week. She is an active member Alon between the actual situation of the Ariane de Rothschild and the desired one. Women Doctoral Program’s steering committee and A former teacher and dreams of becoming a senior educator, Lilach completed lecturer in the academia. her bachelor’s degree in psychology and literature School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry, and Biophysics

Research Field: Molecular biology

PhD Advisor: Prof. David Sprinzak

The cells in our bodies are from synthetic biology, constantly sending and quantitative imaging, receiving signals to and micropatterning technology, from one another. When and mathematical and cell communication goes statistical modeling. wrong, diseases may result. Bassma was born in Kafr In fact, most diseases involve Kanna in the Galilee. at least one failure in cell She studied physics and communication. By the same mathematics at the Franciscan token, the success of many Sisters' High School in disease treatments relies on 96 Nazareth, attaining top cell communication. Bassma grades. She holds a BSc Khamaisi studies the Notch- degree in medical sciences signaling pathway, a key and life sciences (2015) and inter-cellular communication an MSc in biochemistry and 2017 Fellow Tel Aviv University University 2017 Fellow Tel Aviv system present in most molecular biology (2017), multicellular organisms that both from Tel Aviv University. plays a major role in processes She is currently enrolled in such as the proliferation, fate, the direct PhD program at differentiation, and death of cells. the university’s Biochemistry Bassma Bassma’s research explores and Molecular Biology the factors that govern Department. Notch signaling, including Bassma is an active member Khamaisi ubiquitylation and receptor- of the Ariane de Rothschild ligand affinity. Her research Women Doctoral Program’s follows an interdisciplinary steering committee. approach combining methods Faculty of Exact Sciences

Research Field: Geography

PhD Advisor: Prof. Tovi Fenster

Yara Sa’diya was raised of collective memories, in Haifa, where she also identities, etc. The research lives today. Growing up, employs a micro-geographical she attended the Sisters of approach and draws on Nazareth School in Haifa and critical theories in exploring studied classical music (piano the meanings and resonance and theory) at the Rubin of various concepts, such as Conservatory of Music. She authenticity, ruins, landscape, earned her undergraduate and temporality. In seeking degree in psychology and out the human and social music at the University of aspect of the history of urban Haifa, and continued to MA- regeneration, her research degree studies at The Hebrew could provide important 98 University in Jerusalem. She insights into the ways in developed an interest in the which urban planning field of human geography policies have affected historic (which focuses on humans’ neighborhoods. relations with and across 2017 Fellow Tel Aviv University University 2017 Fellow Tel Aviv Yara volunteers in the space and place), leading her Women’s Courtyard of Haifa, to conduct research on the which constitutes an anchor everyday spatial experience point for many young women of Palestinian students at the who experience social or university’s Mount Scopus personal challenges. The Yara campus. program is designed to Her PhD research focuses support the women through Sa’diya on the politics of neoliberal dialogistic relationships with urban renewal of historical the volunteers, as well as neighborhoods in Israel, and through various mentoring the implications of these and enrichment programs. policies on the construction Keren Faculty of Humanities Shafir Research Field: Psychoanalytic theory and literature

PhD Advisor: Prof. Shirley Zisser

Keren Shafir made Aliya alone Keren combines mourn, not what may be from Johannesburg, South psychoanalytic theory and deemed mourning “proper” in Africa, in 2005. After serving literature in her PhD research. a psychoanalytic sense. Keren, in the IDF, she completed She works on the genre of in turn, proposes a counter- a BA in psychology and elegy and other forms of form to elegy, which she terms 101 English literature at Tel Aviv poetic mourning. Mourning “poetic burial”, through her University, while volunteering is one of the core questions reading of Paul Celan’s poetry. at the Ichilov Medical Center. of psychoanalytic theory Earlier this year, she spent a She then undertook her MA and practice; Keren finds semester at the University of

degree studies in clinical child its exploration via literary Oxford’s Bodleian Library, University 2017 Fellow Tel Aviv psychology and educational texts a fascinating prism researching pastoral elegy in psychology at the University through which to examine this the English Renaissance. of Haifa. During her studies, foundational issue. She volunteers in the Academy she worked as a psychologist In examining elegy’s ancient for Life program, mentoring at an elementary school and origins and evolution, Keren students in preparation for at Rambam Medical Center’s found that some of the genre’s academic studies. Keren lives Infant, Child & Adolescent major conventions attest with her husband in Tel Aviv. Psychiatry Unit. to a melancholic refusal to Faculty of Natural Sciences Shiran Research field: Bioinformatics PhD Advisor: Prof. Itay Mayrose Abadi

Biotechnology can improve may help specifically target people’s lives; a salient disease-causing genes, for example is the CRISPR- example, in cancer and based gene editing, which has hepatitis. emerged as a powerful new Her research follows a BSc tool – with the potential of and an MSc in bioinformatics, revolutionizing everything also at Tel Aviv University. from medicine to agriculture. She was born and raised in CRISPR enables scientists Tel Aviv, and was diagnosed to edit genes in diverse with diabetes type 1 as an 103 organisms – including plants, infant. Despite this, after mice, and humans –quickly majoring in chemistry, and cheaply. Shiran Abadi mathematics, computers, seeks to improve this potent English, and French in high genetic technology to benefit 2016 Fellow Tel Aviv University school, she volunteered to the human health. IDF and served as a computer Shiran conducts her research technician in one of its elite (in the direct PhD track) in units. Prof. Mayrose’s lab at Tel- Currently, Shiran teaches Aviv University’s Faculty bioinformatics at the of Life Sciences, focusing university's School of on developing an algorithm Computer Science, and to calculate the specificity volunteers with the Academy of CRISPR, with the aim of for Life and Bat Ami improving its precision. The programs. algorithm she is developing Tasneem Bareia

Tasneem Bareia was born and Weizmann Institute’s labs, Quorum sensing enables raised in Fureidis, an Arab and was exposed to the world coordinated behavior in town in the Haifa district. Her of bacterial communication; bacteria, with impact on decision to major in chemistry subsequently, in her MSc the bacteria’s ability to in high school would chart studies at Tel Aviv University, cause disease. Tasneem’s her future scientific path; she chose to focus on research can help further recently, she has returned to microbial genetics. the understanding both of 105 the same school as a volunteer diseases and the formulation Her PhD research combines to work with outstanding of new antibiotics against diverse tools and skills in students in their final school them. the fields of microbiology, science projects. genetics, molecular biology, She volunteers at the Ajyal 2016 Fellow Tel Aviv University 2016 Fellow Tel Aviv University After high school, Tasneem microscopy, and molecular Center in Fureidis, an Faculty of Life Sciences pursued a BSc in biochemistry evolution, in an investigation after-school framework and food sciences at The of quorum sensing – or for at-risk youth. She Research Field: Bacterial Hebrew University’s Faculty bacterial communication – works with students with of Agriculture in Rehovot. and its involvement in the unfulfilled potential, helping communication During that period, she regulation of cooperation them to make headway in worked in one of the between bacterial cells. mathematics. PhD Advisor: Prof. Avigdor Eldar Iman Jaljuli

Iman Jaljuli was born in Tira, in The highlight of Iman’s work is the Israel’s central district, where she assessment of credibility of clinical also lives today. She's the first Arab results and its extension to other religious woman in her community populations of treatment arms. She is pursuing a PhD in exact sciences. developing a statistical quantification method that enables better She was also the first Arab female understanding of the results of an 106 student ever to pursue a graduate ensemble of related studies. Her work degree in statistics at Tel Aviv combines programming, analyses, and University. Her undergraduate studies theoretical development. accomplishments gained her an outstanding BA student award, and Beyond her academic and research 2016 Fellow Tel Aviv University 2016 Fellow Tel Aviv University after one year of graduate studies, she activities, Iman volunteers in her home transferred to the direct PhD track. town, teaching mathematics to a group of high-school students with learning Her doctoral research addresses difficulties and serving as a public the central issue of replicability in representative on the university's Faculty of Exact Sciences experimental science. Viewing similar campus. In addition, she is a leading clinical studies held in unrelated member of the Tira Academics clinics and/or over different time Research field: Statistics and operational Organization, mainly volunteering in periods, Iman studies the lack of research academic guidance for high-school replicability phenomena in pre-clinical students and in hospitals. studies, developing evaluation tools of PhD Advisor: Prof. Yoav Benjamini consistency in findings. Faculty of Humanities

Research field: Sentence processing

PhD Advisor: Prof. Aya Meltzer-Asscher

Maayan Keshev was raised in During her studies on the PhD research investigates 108 Kiryat Ono, in central Israel. program, she developed error-prone sentences and She completed her military an interest in the relation the uncertainty of processing service in the Intelligence between the way in which natural language (which often Corps’ research division we understand language and includes misspelled words and and enrolled in Tel Aviv general cognitive abilities, other errors). The research is 2016 Fellow Tel Aviv University 2016 Fellow Tel Aviv University University’s Adi Lautman such as memory, attention, significant for understanding Interdisciplinary Program and consciousness. Her MSc how humans parse language, Maayan for Outstanding Students, a thesis, at the university’s and has applications in the highly competitive four-year Sagol School of Neuroscience, fields of linguistics, cognition, direct MSc program (only 15 centered on the cognitive and artificial intelligence. participants are accepted each mechanisms involved in Keshev Maayan volunteers in the year), in which students are the processing of complex Academy for Life program, encouraged to take courses sentences, and on forming mentoring four at-risk from various disciplines, often the relation between youths and helping them from advanced years, in order two non-adjacent words. prepare for their mathematics to develop research skills and Continuing in the field of matriculation exams. an interdisciplinary approach. sentence processing, her 110 Dear Friends, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation on the special milestone it celebrates this year: the 10th anniversary of the Ariane de Rothschild Women’s Doctoral Program. The Weizmann Institute of Science is humbled and proud to be a partner to the program. Through your generous funding and diverse programming, every year four outstanding female doctoral students at Weizmann are offered a special opportunity to pursue their dreams for a career in science. As a result, every year, Israeli science blossoms and grows. The program is an exemplar of how philanthropy can be applied to make a major difference in the lives and careers of women, enrich science, and shape the future of scientific leadership in Israel. The program dovetails perfectly with the Weizmann Institute’s emphasis on excellence and the

Weizmann Institute of Science ardent belief that the best people make for the best science. Indeed, we are like-minded in our realization that investing in the brightest minds— individuals who are passionate and curious—will pay dividends in terms 112 of creating new understanding and knowledge that will benefit humanity. I look forward to our ongoing partnership. In the meantime, mazal tov on all that the Ariane de Rothschild Women’s Doctoral Program has achieved in the last decade.

Sincerely,

A letter from the president T he Prof. Daniel Zajfman President Weizmann Institute of Science Prof. Daniel Zajfman President Weizmann Institute of Science Rosalie Faculty of Biochemistry Lipsh- Research field: Computational protein Sokolik design

PhD Advisor: Dr. Sarel J. Fleishman Weizmann Institute of Science

Rosalie Lipsh-Sokolik was multi-cultural and a mixed- design efficient and selective 114 raised in Kfar Chabad, a gender educational institute proteins. Haredi community in central for the first time. Currently on As one of the few Haredi Israel. After high school, the direct PhD track, Rosalie women at the Weizmann rather than training to become is developing methods for the Institute, she seeks to a teacher – the “usual” design of proteins with novel help other young women 2018 Fellow T he route of female high-school or enhanced properties, such from her community to be graduates in her community as new enzymes for green involved in science. She – she paved her own path and chemistry. Her achievements meets Haredi high school became a scientist, earning include methods for designing students and shares with them an undergraduate degree efficient enzymes to break her experience of studying in bioinformatics, summa down plant waste products towards an advanced degree cum laude, at the Jerusalem into sugars and enzymes, in a non-religious academic College of Technology (Lev which may be used for institution while maintaining Academic Center). treating poisoning by nerve a Haredi way of life. agents, e.g., Sarin. She is She continued to graduate now applying machine- Rosalie lives with her husband studies at the Weizmann learning and other methods to in Kfar Chabad. Institute, experiencing a Gil Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science Research Field: Theoretical mathematics

Goffer PhD Advisor: Prof. Tsachik Gelander

Gil Goffer grew up in Haifa, her undergraduate degree the oldest of five siblings who studies in mathematics at were all encouraged to work Ben-Gurion University. hard and excel. She attended She went on to complete a gifted students’ class at Leo a master’s degree in Weizmann Institute of Science Baeck High School, focusing mathematics at the Weizmann on physics, mathematics, and Institute, where she continued music (she plays the piano to to a PhD – the sole female this day). Her mathematical doctoral candidate in the field 116 achievements led her to of theoretical mathematics. In participate in several national her research, Gil investigates Youth Math Olympics – highly the symmetry of objects – prestigious competitions for infinite tree-shaped graphs; school children. Later, prior to 2018 Fellow T he she is developing the serving in an elite intelligence mathematics to describe their unit in the IDF, she behavior. volunteered for one year with the Society for the Protection Gil is an organizing member of Nature in Israel. of the women’s forum in her department. She volunteers After her military service, she in the Academy for Life became a tour guide and led program, mentoring an at-risk groups on hikes throughout young woman, and lives with Israel’s southern region for her husband and their two two years. She then embarked children in Rehovot. on a volunteer program in Cambodia, before undertaking Yael Gropper

Faculty of Biology

Research field: Immunology, autoimmunity, and cancer-immunology

PhD Advisor: Prof. Jakub Abramson Weizmann Institute of Science

Yael Gropper grew up in a BSc degree. During that Specifically, she is trying to Dimona in the southern period, she participated in isolate “auto-antibodies” from periphery. She studied the Edmond de Rothschild patients with autoimmune 119 physics and biology at the Partnerships’ Ambassadors disease. These antibodies can Zinman High School and program, doing volunteer recognize melanoma cells and was in the Israeli scouts work and founding a can be used to develop new throughout her youth, neighborhood social café melanoma treatments, using

eventually filling leadership together with neighborhood antibodies already “designed” 2018 Fellow T he positions. She completed a residents. by nature. year of community service in She completed a master’s Yael and her husband live in Jerusalem before joining the degree in biology at the Rehovot. She volunteers at the IDF, serving as a flight-control Weizmann Institute, Davidson Institute of Science course commander in the continuing directly to a PhD. Education, where she teaches Israel Air Force. Her doctoral research goal is science lessons to school From an early age, Yael to elucidate the development children from all over Israel, aimed to pursue her love of autoimmune disorders, with the aim of arousing the for science in the academia. and exploit this knowledge youths’ creative curiosity and She studied biology at Ben- for cancer immunotherapy. interest in sciences. Gurion University, earning Michal Faculty of Physics Shavit Research field: Turbulence PhD Advisor: Prof. Gregory Falkovich

Michal Shavit was born in Michal turned to her master’s Tajikistan and came to Israel degree studies in the field of as a young child. Her family high-energy physics at the settled in Shavei Shomron, a Weizmann Institute. Her PhD religious community in the focuses on the theoretical northern West Bank. During foundations of turbulence, Weizmann Institute of Science her school years, Michal took an ancient open problem part in Bar-Ilan University’s of classical physics. In her program for youths gifted in research, she also studies mathematics, studied physics, strongly interacting electron 121 and was also on a gymnastics systems from the viewpoint team. of hydrodynamics – an emergent field called ‘viscous She served for five years in electronics’. the Israeli Air Force, working 2018 Fellow T he with airborne systems. In her Michal is active in the First undergraduate studies, she in Science program, meeting participated in the Technion’s students of junior-high and excellence program, earning high schools throughout Israel a bachelor’s degree in and talking with them about mathematics alongside science and her own path. She architecture studies. She also and her husband, who live in took part in an exchange- Rehovot, are expecting their student program at Cornell first child. University, where she focused on physics and decided to pursue this direction further. Faculty of Biochemistry Adi Research field: Molecular genetics Millman

PhD Advisor: Prof. Rotem Sorek Dayan Weizmann Institute of Science

Bacteria are frequently genetic engineering and help families with the opportunity attacked by viruses (called elucidate the bacterium-virus to acquire values and skills 122 bacteriophages, or phages interaction. while learning chess. in short); in response, they Adi grew up in in Ashkelon, in In addition to research and have developed multiple Israel’s southern region, and volunteering, dance is an sophisticated active defense served in the IDF’s computer integral part of Adi’s life – systems. Encoded in the and information systems and has been ever since she 2017 Fellow T he bacterial genome, scientists center for five years. She was a young girl. She started have shown that these earned her BSc in biology at dancing at age 10, was trained systems are clustered in Tel Aviv University as part in classical ballet and modern defense “islands”; in her of an outstanding students’ dance, was a member of a PhD research, Adi Millman program, and her master’s professional ballet company, Dayan is attempting to degree at the Weizmann and still dances ballet today. systematically identify and Institute. isolate these “islands” in Adi currently lives with her various bacterial species using She volunteers in Children husband and their young a computational approach. Playing Chess – a non-profit son in Kibbutz Na’an, near The outcomes of her work can organization that provides Rehovot. provide important tools for children from underprivileged Gil Department of Science Teaching Schwarts Research field: Mathematics education

PhD Advisors: Prof. Abraham Arcavi and Dr. Ronnie Karsenty

A native of Kibbutz Ein Department of Science practice. Her research is Hahoresh, in central Israel, Teaching for a master’s expected to make both a Gil Schwarts is the first degree that combined her theoretical contribution, member of her family to mathematical knowledge in capturing facilitators’ pursue a university degree. and experience in education. professionalization Weizmann Institute of Science After high school, she She also received a teacher’s processes, and a practical volunteered for a year with certificate and worked as impact, in providing HaShomer HaTzair youth a teacher, then opted to recommendations for the 124 movement in Acco, and served continue to a PhD in her field. design, implementation, and in the IDF as a teacher- evaluation of facilitators' The focus of Gil’s research soldier. education and the support is on how lead teachers in needed during their initial She completed a BSc in mathematics can become years of activity. mathematics at Ben-Gurion successful facilitators who 2017 Fellow T he University and travelled foster professional growth Gil and her husband live in to Sweden on a student among peers. She closely Tel Aviv. She serves on the exchange program. Setting follows facilitators of a Ariane de Rothschild Women her sights on making an video-based professional Doctoral Program’s steering impact on mathematics development program committee. learning in Israel, she joined during their qualification the Weizmann Institute’s phase and first year of Faculty of Biochemistry

Research Field: Molecular genetics

PhD Advisor: Prof. Maya Schuldiner

Peroxisomes are small Eden received her BSc organelles found in animal, degree in plant science and fungi, and plant cells, conducted research as part which carry out a variety of of the Amirim program for metabolic reactions, such as outstanding students at The the breakdown of fatty acids. Hebrew University’s Faculty As depicted in the 1992 film of Agriculture. She continued Lorenzo’s Oil, peroxisomes to a master’s degree at the are implicated in several Weizmann Institute, and, in

Weizmann Institute of Science rare inherited diseases that her PhD research, is part of a may lead to death. In her lab dedicated to uncovering research, Eden Yifrach has novel functions for yeast identified nearly 40 new organellar proteins. 126 peroxisomal proteins in yeast Eden, who lives in Rehovot cells and is now characterizing with her husband and their their function, in research two young children, is a that can give rise to a new member of the Ariane de understanding of peroxisome- 2017 Fellow T he Rothschild Women Doctoral related diseases. Program’s steering committee. She grew up in Kibbutz Massad in the Lower Galilee and studied at the Kadoorie Eden agricultural high school, where she discovered an innate interest in scientific Yifrach research. Prior to her military service, she volunteered for one year at the Sde Boker field school in the Negev, where she also served in the IDF. 129 Dear Friends, I am honored to take this opportunity to thank the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation for their wonderful support of the Ariane de Rothschild Women Doctoral Program at Ben-Gurion University. This important program, aspiring to promote gender equality and empower talented female researchers, was launched at BGU in 2018. We are thrilled to have the privilege of taking part in this exciting project, enabling our leading female doctoral students to invest their time and efforts in their research, and reach their highest potential. This program is vital to advancing our social agenda to encourage our female researchers to “break the glass ceiling” and conduct the ground-breaking work that I know they are capable of. At a time in history when women are finally receiving an opportunity to lead and to make a difference, the Ariane de Rothschild Doctoral Program is especially relevant and will play a key role in ensuring women’s success in academia. I strongly believe that our excellent female researchers have the potential 130 to change our reality and ensure a brighter future for the Negev, for Israel and for the world. Thank you for letting them shine. Our BGU students embody hope – and nothing is more important than hope. Thank you for partnering with BGU.

In friendship, A letter from the president Ben Gurion University of Negev

Prof. Daniel Chamovitz Prof. Daniel Chamovitz President President Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Reem Faculty of Natural Sciences Al-Aasam Research field: Computer vision PhD Advisor: Prof. Jihad El-Sana

Reem Al-Aasam is the first their future potential – and video (object tracking), virtual Bedouin woman to complete a persevered. reality, and more. Reem’s bachelor’s and master’s degree research includes algorithm Her master’s degree research in computer science at Ben- development and testing. integrated her different fields Gurion University. of knowledge, addressing Beyond her studies and She grew up in Tel Sheva, word recognition in historical research, she is a teaching where she also lives today. (over 1,000 year-old) hand- assistant at the university and As a young girl, she loved written manuscripts in teaches high-school computer 132 studying, both at school Arabic, and yielding three science one day a week. She and on her own – teaching publications, with Reem as the also volunteers with three herself Hebrew, English, lead author. organizations working within and mathematics. After high Bedouin society (the Tamar In her doctoral studies, she school, she joined the English Center, BridgeTech, and Ahd 2018 Fellow Ben-Gurion University of the Negev focuses on augmented reality literature and language School Hora) to empower and computer vision, a broad undergraduate program, Bedouin high-school students field that encompasses image adding computer science a and motivate them to seek processing – and therein, also year later. The studies were higher education. word recognition – as well as challenging, but she saw Faculty of Natural Sciences Nanomaterials, as the Helena, who holds a BSc Research field: name suggests, are very and an MSc in chemistry small – less than one from Ben-Gurion University, Nanomaterials millionth of a meter in size. joined Prof. Taleb Mokari’s Their unique physical and research group at Ben-Gurion PhD Advisor: chemical features may confer University as a PhD student Prof. Taleb Mokari improved properties, such in 2018. The group focuses as greater reactivity, tunable on novel nanomaterials electrical characteristics, for optical, electrical, and and functionality. Helena energy-related applications. Fridman studies the Understanding nanomaterials, formation mechanisms of their inherent properties 135 metal chalcogenide and other – and how these can be semiconductor nanoparticles, harnessed and changed – is of and how the nanomaterials’ great consequence due to their surface properties relate to significant potential for future

their composition, size, and use – e.g., for storing solar 2018 Fellow Ben-Gurion University of the Negev shape. energy.

She grew up in Beit Shemesh, She teaches at the university Helena near Jerusalem, taking part one day a week, and in a high-school science volunteers in the Lone Soldier and mathematics excellence Center in Memory of Michael program. During her military Levine – accompanying Fridman service at an Air Force two lone female soldiers Intelligence Unit, she acquired and providing them with the skills and aspiration that counseling and guidance on would later serve her chosen an ongoing basis. direction of research. Shenhav Malul

Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management

Research field: Accounting and actuarial science

PhD Advisors: Prof. Rami Yosef and Prof. Ilanit Gavious

Shenhav Malul grew up in a which she left in 2018 to in the Department of Business 136 Haredi community in Beer focus on her PhD research. Administration. Sheva. She studied business Her research is an empirical Throughout her career, administration and accounting actuarial assessment Shenhav has engaged in at the Ono Academic College of corporate liabilities, volunteer activities aimed at Haredi Campus (including centering on the listing a encouraging young Haredi 2018 Fellow Ben-Gurion University of the Negev two consecutive years on the process and conducted across women to enter the academia, dean’s list), graduated, and international jurisdictions. seeking to inspire others from obtained her CPA license. Shenhav began teaching early her community to pursue an She subsequently worked as on in her career, preparing academic degree. an auditor at two of Israel’s students for external exams leading accounting firms. Shenhav lives in Beer Sheva in statistics, financing, with her husband and their She then pursued a graduate economics, and accounting, two daughters. degree in finance and and also trained local insurance at Ben-Gurion authorities’ teams throughout University. In 2016, she co- Israel in her fields of founded an accounting and expertise. She currently also business consulting firm, serves as a teaching assistant Faculty of Natural Sciences

Research field: Plants’ metabolic response to stress

PhD Advisor: Dr. Yariv Brotman

Leah Michael Rosental biotechnology of drylands, applies the tools of molecular from Ben-Gurion University. biology in an attempt to Plants had interested Leah improve tomato plants’ ever she was a young girl, resistance to drought and growing grew up in Kibbutz enhance their growth in Hannaton in the Lower reduced water conditions. Galilee. She would later move She works with various (not with her parents and two necessarily edible) tomato brothers to central Israel, strains, and searches for genes 138 study high-school chemistry, and metabolic mechanisms biology, and computer associated with their response science, and serve as an officer to stress, with the aim of in the Caracal Battalion, a transferring these to crop mixed (‘coed’) IDF infantry 2018 Fellow Ben-Gurion University of the Negev varieties. Leah combat unit. In previous work, Leah Having returned recently from studied the genetics of the U.S. with her husband another crop plant: In the and their two children, Leah Michael service of the U.S. Agricultural began her PhD research at Service, she researched lettuce Ben-Gurion University. In plants and their response parallel, she also volunteers as Rosental to heat conditions. Her BSc a mentor to a young woman in is in agronomy, from The the Academy for Life program. Hebrew University’s Faculty of Agriculture in Rehovot, and her MSc is in agriculture and Index of program participants (2009-2019)

102 Abadi Shiran 18 Kardosh Nour 28 Shlezinger Mor 32 Abargil Maayan 45 Keller Chaya 36 Solomon-Khalifa Leron 40 Abtew Ester 108 Keshev Maayan 24 Soudah Nadine 74 Abumanhal Masarweh Hanan 96 Khamaisi Bassma 92 Taub Keren 45 Abu-Much Huda 76 Khoury Maria 72 Toubiana Shir 41 Aburabia Rawia 81 Krinsky Nitzan 41 Tsvirkun Darya 42 Aizenberg Olga 60 Kulisch Daniele 44 Tsybulsky Dina 132 Al-Aasam Reem 62 Lazar Moran 45 Uzefovsky Florina 94 Alon Lilach 66 Levy David Shlomit 64 Vinokur Jenia 40 Barash Harman Yael 114 Lipsh-Sokolik Rosalie 81 Vishinkin Rotem 104 Bareia Tasneem 54 Litwin Anat 38 Wainer Katsir Kerem 50 Beckerman Margarita 136 Malul Shenhav 81 Warwar Damouny Christine 40 Belinko-Sabah Lital 42 Marey-Sarwan Ibtisam 126 Yifrach Eden 58 Ben-El Greenblatt Rina 138 Michael Rosental Leah 30 Zalaznik Dina 40 Bonjak Maayan 122 Millman Dayan Adi 81 Zalmanovich Neta 43 Brandes Ofra 42 Nimri Lili 86 Bukchin Shira 56 Omar Rawan 44 Elnekave Mazal 78 Orlova Yevgeniya 43 Fayez Jaber Liana 20 Pash Pe’era 41 Feldman Daria 22 Pasitselska Olga 134 Fridman Helena 34 Paz Yael 116 Goffer Gil 42 Reich Israeli Lior 43 Greenberg Raanan Malka 43 Reichenberg Shiran 118 Gropper Yael 70 Roitman Sheila 41 Grunin Michelle 88 Roth Helena 52 Haj Jozafina 98 Sa'diya Yara 81 Hanuka Adi 42 Sasson Keren 26 Holzer-Kawalko Anna 124 Schwarts Gil 68 Homede Abo Jabal Ekhlas 100 Shafir Keren 44 Israel Moran 120 Shavit Michal 106 Jaljuli Iman 90 Shibi Maysoon | 143

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