Dissertation Topics

Dissertation Topics

Dr. Miri Adler
Universal Principles of Tissues in Health and Disease
Genetics
  1. Universal design principles of optimal division of labor in tissues.
  2. Cell-cell communication circuits for stability of cell ratios and proper cell hierarchy in tissues.
  3. Development of a computational method to infer and characterize the heterogeneous tissue environment without direct measurements of the cell microenvironment
  4. Principles of cell-cell communication circuits in wound healing and fibrotic diseases.
  5. Development of novel computational and theoretical methods to understand dynamics and structure of complex networks.
Dr. Uria Alcolombri
Microbial ecology and biogeochemistry of the ocean
Plant Sciences
  1. Understanding the microbial processes that control carbon sequestration in the ocean; bio-mechanistic understanding of the biological pump.
  2. Investigating the enzymatic processes behind sulfur-gas production in the ocean and elucidating the broader biological factors influencing their emissions from marine ecosystems.
  3. Symbiotic interactions between algae and bacteria and their impact on nutrient transformation and circulation.
  4. Plankton adaptation to life in a fluctuating environment (e.g., in response to shifts in nutrient quality, micronutrient availability, light intensity, or temperature)
  5. Plankton adaptation to life in suspension; growth and survival without surfaces.
Prof. Shy Arkin
Structural Biology of Membrane Proteins
Sturctual & Molecular Biochemistry
  1. Structure determination of membrane proteins by FTIR spectroscopy
  2. Structure and function of viral ion channels
Prof. Aroeti
Cell Biology of Infectious Diseases
Sturctual & Molecular Biochemistry
PDF icon Research Overview (698.95 KB)
  1. Mechanisms by which enteric bacterial pathogens attack epithelial host cells and how the host cells defend themselves
  2. Mechanisms of human enteric diseases
  3. Developing new technologies to diagnose and combat infectious/inflammatory diseases of the human gut  
 
Prof. Daphne Atlas
Peptide Therapy for Neurodegenerative & Inflammatory Diseases
Sturctual & Molecular Biochemistry

1. Signal Transduction in neuronal cells: the molecular mechanism of transmitting an extracellular signal to the nucleus

2. Activation of transcription factors during neuronal activation of voltage-gated calcium channels: a mechanistic connection to autism

3. Developing new molecules for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease such a Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

4. Preventing oxidative stress and premature apoptosis; the importance of inflammation

Dr. Tamar Avin-Wittenberg
How Do Plants Degrade Cellular Components for Energy Production
Plant Sciences
  1. The roles of autophagy in plant metabolism during plant development.
  2. The roles of autophagy in plant metabolism during stress and recovery.
Dr. Tsevi Beatus
Micro Flight Lab
Ecology, Evolution & Behavior

In the Micro-Flight Laboratory we use ultra-fast cameras and advanced image analysis methods to measure the flight of insects and their correction maneuvers. 

Our main research questions are:

  1. Experimental research on flight in small and fast scales: How do insects control their flight?
  2. How do insects represent information on their own orientation?
  3. How do insects combine sensory information from multiple modalities during flight?
  4. What are the neural and genetic mechanisms that determine flight control in insects?
  5. Can we build tiny insect-like flying robots?
Prof. Shimshon Belkin
Basic & Applied Aspects of Environmental Microbiology
Plant Sciences
  1. Life in the Tamarix (= the Eshel tree) leaf microbiome
  2. Molecularly engineered bacterial biosensors for environmental monitoring 
  3. Microbial detection of buried landmines and other explosive devices
Prof. Nissim Ben-Arie
Genetic Regulation of CNS Development & Neurodegenerative Diseases
Genetics
  1. Characterizing of the importance and function of bHLH transcription factors during the development of the embryonic nervous system (e.g. the cerebellum, Parkinson’s-related dopaminergic neurons and the spinal cord), using genetically engineered mice and chick embryos.
  2. Discovering the molecular mechanism through which bHLH transcription factors act.
  3. Applying the knowledge on normal embryonic development t to direct the fate of stem cells (as a tool for treating diseases like Parkinson’s).
  4. Identification and study of disease caused by mutations in bHLH transcription factors.
Professor Nissim Benvenisty
Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Genetics
  1. The use of pluripotent stem cells to study human genetic disorders
  2. The tumorigenicity of human stem cells
  3. Haploid human pluripotent stem cells
Dr. Eran Blacher
The Gut-Brain Axis
Sturctual & Molecular Biochemistry
  1. Discovering and modifying immune metabolic pathways involved in aging.
  2. The role of the gut microbiome in aging and ischemic stroke.
  3. The function and structure of the enteric nervous and glial systems. 
  4. Harnessing the intestinal immune system to fight brain tumors.
  5. Utilizing microbiome-associated metabolites as a potential approach to treat neurodegenerative diseases. 
 
Prof. Guy Bloch
Sociobiology, Chronobiology & Physiology of Bees
Ecology, Evolution & Behavior
  1. The interplay between biological clocks, sleep, and social behavior
  2. The temporal organization of insect societies
  3. The adaptive significance of circadian clocks
  4. What does it take to make a social insect? Using the comparative approach to understand the molecular, physiological, and neuronal modifications during the evolution of insect societies
  5. Social, hormonal, and molecular mechanisms controlling body size and their influence on the social organization of bumblebees 
  6. Hormones and social behavior in bees
  7. The involvement of RNA editing and mircoRNA in the regulation of complex behavior in bees
  8. Social and molecular mechanisms regulating body size and caste differentiation in bumblebees
Dr. Michal Breker-Dekel
Systems genetics of green microalgae – from fundamental cell biology to translational applications
Plant Sciences
  • Systematic mapping of the chloroplast protein import system
  • Elucidating the genetic network that drives retrograde signaling during chloroplast proteotoxic stress 
  • Elucidating guiding principles of the Chlamydomonas-plant microbiota ecosystem
 
Dr. Amnon Buxboim
Mechanobiology of Stem Cells and Nucleus
Sturctual & Molecular Biochemistry
  1. Nuclear lamins regulate oxidative homeostasis in health and disease.
  2. Nucleus mechanotransduction: applied mechanical forces stabilize the nuclear lamina and direct cell fate decision making.
  3. Mapping matrix directed protein interactome of A-type lamins using genetic code expansion.
  4. Single-cell analysis of matrix-directed differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells.
  5. Mechanobiological profiling and regulation of oocyte maturation and embryo preimplantation development.
  6. Morphokinetic analysis of human embryo preimplantation development (computational).
  7. Developing machine-learning classifiers for evaluating the developmental potential of embryos during early preimplantation stages (computational).
Prof. Liran Carmel
Ancient DNA & Human Evolution
Genetics

Our lab deals with a host of topics in the general fields of molecular evolution and genetics. Among the topics that are currently pursued are:

  1. Human evolution. Recent advances in ancient DNA sequencing yielded genomes (either shotgun sequences with varying degrees of coverage, or SNP arrays) of many ancient anatomically modern humans, as well as of Neanderthals and Denisovans. This open unique opportunities to study the genetic aspects of the very recent lag of our own evolution.
  2. Paleo-epigenetics. We developed a technique to reconstruct full DNA methylation maps from high-coverage ancient genomes, and use it to study evolutionary changes in gene regulation, ancient environments and phenotypic adaptations.
  3. Paleo-genetics. We study the genetic structure of ancient populations in Israel.
  4. RNA biology. We are studying many aspects of RNA biology, including splicing, nonsense-mediated decay, 3'-end processing, and circular RNAs.
  5. Multivariate data analysis. My lab is also active in some fields of applied mathematics: multivariate analysis, statistical pattern recognition, data visualization, and machine learning.

 

Prof. Ariel Chipman
Developmental & Evolutionary Biology
Ecology, Evolution & Behavior
  1. The evolution of developmental pathways and comparative embryology as a tool for studying evolutionary processes.
  2. Early stages of embryonic patterning in arthropods and the evolution of the segmental body plan.
  3. The evolution of the arthropod head and the distinction between head and trunk.
  4. Comparative genomics of model and non-model systems..
  5. Historical biogeography of Israel, using the National invertebrate collection.
Dr. Ami Citri
Experience-Dependent Plasticity
Sturctual & Molecular Biochemistry
  1. Molecular Characterization of a cocaine-responsive neuronal ensemble in the nucleus accumbens.
  2. Synaptic and circuit-level characterization of a cocaine-responsive neuronal ensemble in the nucleus accumbens.
  3. Functional interrogation of the transcriptional networks underlying the formation and maintenance of addiction.
  4. The role of the claustrum in selective attention
  5. The role of the claustrum in reward and addiction
  6. Internal connectivity of the claustrum and its role in segregating attention
Prof. Marshall Devor
Pain & Anesthesia Research Laboratory
Neuroscience & Behavior
  1. Neural basis of pain-free surgery
  2. Brainstem control of arousal and consciousness
  3. Neural pathways for transition to unconsciousness in anesthesia
  4. Spinal processes in anesthesia: analgesia and atonia  
  5. Sleep, fainting and coma. 
Dr. Amir Eden
Epigenetics, Chromatin & Cancer
Genetics
  1. Epigenetics and chromatin in cancer
  2. The molecular basis for changes in DNA methylation in cancer
  3. The role of DNA methylation in repression of human transposable elements
  4. Histones and their modifications in transcriptional control
  5. Cancer causing mutations in chromatin modifiers 
Prof. David Engelberg
Developmental Mechanisms of inflammatory Diseases & Cancer
Sturctual & Molecular Biochemistry
  1. Development of intrinsically active variants of the MAP kinases p38 and ERK.
  2. Revealing the mechanisms of activation of p38 and ERK through the use of the engineered active variants.
  3. Revealing the specific roles of ERK1 and ERK2 in cancer in cell lines and in transgenic mice.
  4. Revealing the specific role of p38 in chronic inflammatory diseases in cell lines and in transgenic mice.

 

Prof. Maoz Fine
Marine ecosystems in a changing world
Ecology, Evolution & Behavior
Dr. Omri Finkel
Terrestrial microbial ecology and plant-microbe interactions
Plant Sciences
  1. Empirically modeling plant microbiome assembly and dynamics
  2. Plant microbiome deconstruction and optimization
  3. Desert plant and soil metagenomics
Dr. Miguel Frada
Marine Microbial Eco-Physiology
Ecology, Evolution & Behavior
Dr. Uri Gat
Developmental Biology, Regeneration and Evolution of the Sea-Anemone Nematostella
  1. Molecular mechanisms underlying the high regeneration ability of the sea anemone Nematostella.
  2. A comparison between the processes of embryonic development and regeneration
  3. Cthrc1 genes: function in Nematostella, evolution in animals (metazoans) and protein structure.
  4. The ADAMTS metalloproteases in development and regeneration in sea anemones and other cnidarians 
  5. Inversion of body polarity – two headed Nematostella polyps

 

Prof. Amatzia Genin
Biological Oceanography & Coral Reef Ecology
Ecology, Evolution & Behavior
  1. Physical-biological interactions in the coral reefs and plankton.
  2. Behavioral ecology of fish that form social groups. 
  3. Vertical mixing and plankton dynamics in the ocean.
  4. Ecological long-term monitoring in the sea.

 

Prof. Michal Goldberg
Early Events in Cancer Development
Genetics
  1. Identification and characterization of novel genes involved in familial breast and ovarian cancers.
  2. Uncovering DNA damage response regulation. 
  3. Identification of novel cancer therapeutic drugs.
  4. Characterizing the interplay between estrogen, breast cancer and genomic instability.
Prof. Rachel Green
Circadian Rhythms in Plants
Plant Sciences
  1. The molecular basis of the circadian (~24 hour) oscillator in plants
  2. The adaptive significance of circadian rhythms 
  3. Understanding how environmental signals entrain (set) the circadian oscillator
  4. Cell-specific circadian rhythms

 

 

Dr. Gili Greenbaum
Ecological genomics & evolutionary modeling
Ecology, Evolution & Behavior
  1. Modeling gene drive spillovers
  2. Impacts of population structure on genetics of populations
  3. Genetics of fragmentation processes in population networks
  4. Analysis of large genomic datasets for conservation
  5. Modeling and analyzing genomic diversity distributions
  6. Machine learning methods for predicting conservation risks from genomic data
 
Dr. Itamar Harel
Experimental Biology of Vertebrate Aging & Age-Related Diseases
Genetics
  1. The molecular basis of aging, longevity, and age-related diseases.
  2. Identifying novel genes involved in cellular and organismal aging.
  3. Developing the turquoise killifish, the shortest-lived vertebrate, as a genetic model for experimental aging.
  4. Applying cutting-edge molecular and genomic approaches in the killifish and human cells (such as single-cell RNA-seq, CRISPR screens, Mass-spectrometry).
  5. Modeling age-associated diseases (e.g. neurodegeneration, decline in immune function) in the turquoise killifish using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing.
  6. Live-imaging of aging-related process by generating fluorescent transgenic killifish.
  7. Exploring the effect of early life-history traits, such as age at sexual maturity, on the rate of aging.
Dr. Dror Hawlena
Functional Ecology of Food-Web Dynamics
Ecology, Evolution & Behavior
Prof. Joseph Hirschberg
Genetics, Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering in Plants
Genetics
A. Research topics for master's and doctoral theses
 
1. The genetic regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis in plants.
 
2. Genetic engineering and genomic editing in the tomato plant.
 
3. Molecular and genomic analysis of the ABA hormone activities under environmental stress.
 
4. Biotechnology to increase the nutritional value of tomato fruit.
Prof. Jacob Hochman
Cell Biology of Malignant Cells
  1. The relation between cell adhesiveness and growth control in malignant lymphoma cells.
  2. Molecular mechanisms involved in the selection of non-malignant variant cells from malignant cell populations.
  3. Different approaches to reversal of multi-drug resistance of malignant cells. Growth regulation of malignant lymphoma.
  4. Metastasis of malignant lymphoma.
Prof. Benny Hochner
Motor Control of the Flexible Arms of the Ooctopus - Inspiration for Rrobotics
Neuroscience & Behavior
  1. Motor control of the flexible arms of the octopus - inspiration for soft robotics.
  2. Neurobiology of learning and memory in an advanced invertebrate - the Octopus
Prof. Emeritus Shaul Hochstein
Visual Systems
Neuroscience & Behavior
Studying human and animal visual systems with special emphasis on the division of labor and interactions of various cortical visual processing pathways.

 

Prof. Ronen kadmon
Biodiversity & Nature Conservation
Ecology, Evolution & Behavior
  1. Species diversity, Population and Community Ecology.
  2. Conservation Biology and Applied Ecology.
  3. Plant Ecology and Plant-Animal interactions.
  4. Macroecology and Global Change Biology. 
Dr. Nir Kalisman
Computational Structural Biology
Sturctual & Molecular Biochemistry
  1. Cross-linking and Mass-spectrometry for the study of protein-protein interactions in the mammalian cortex.
  2. Cross-linking and Mass-spectrometry for the study of protein-protein interactions in the cancer cell-lines. 

 

Prof. Batsheva Kerem
Genomic Instability & Disease
Genetics

1. The mechanisms underlying different patterns of chromosomal instability in cancer. 

  • How alterations in the transcriptional profile, DNA replication timing and the 3D genome organization drive tumorigenesis?
  • The involvement of chromosomal fragile sites in the genomic instability in cancer.

2. Personalized medicine approach for the treatment of rare genetic diseases – CF as a model.

  • Establishment of patient-derived cellular models that will serve as a pre-clinical tool to predict the therapeutic response of CF patients carrying rare mutations to novel therapies.
  • Development of novel therapeutic approaches for CF patients carrying nonsense mutations  -  RNA transcript stabilization by epigenetic modulation.
Prof. Nir Keren
Transport and Homeostasis of Metals in Photosynthetic Organisms
Plant Sciences

1. Nutrient bioavailability and the organization of the photosynthetic apparatus.

Including:      

   a. Mechanism of iron and manganese transport.

   b. Nutrient co-limitation and its effect on photosynthesis and growth.

2. Effects on the quantum/classical border in photosynthetic processes.

Including:      

   a. Exciton energy transfer in photosynthetic antenna.

   b. Acclimation and adaptation of photosynthesis to extreme environments. 

 

Dr. Oren Kolodny
Modeling Ecological & Evolutionary Dynamics
Ecology, Evolution & Behavior
  1. The role of the microbiome in host evolution
  2. Ecology and evolution of species on a patchy landscape: meta-population dynamics
  3. Conservation of fragmented populations: ecology, genetics, and behavior
  4. Human prehistory from an ecological perspective
Prof. Roger Kornberg
Mechanism & Regulation of RNA Polymerase II Transcription
Dr. Eitan Lerner
Single-Molecule Biology
Sturctual & Molecular Biochemistry
  1. Determination of the structure of the bacterial transcription complex in states that evade antibiotic inhibition, using single-molecule spectroscopy and computational models.
  2. Method development for determination of protein structures inside the cell, using  single-molecule spectroscopy and computational models.
  3. Characterization of the α-Synuclein oligomers: The protein α-Synuclein (α-Syn) is a central player in the development of Parkinson's disease (PD). This protein tends to bind to its partner α-Syn proteins, and by that to form fibrils that do not dissolve in the cellular medium. The nucleation process of such a fibril involves many α-Syn oligomers, with many different sizes and structures. Most probably, most of these oligomers do not contribute to the formation of the fibril. On the other hand, it is known that there is a subset of these oligomers that tend to adsorb onto cellular membranes. The project aim: characterizing the oligomers of α-Syn that adsorb to cellular membranes, and by that act as cell toxicity factors in the development of PD. The characterization will be performed using a combination of single-molecule spectroscopy measurements and computational modelling.
  4. The study of allosteric signal transmission mechanisms in biology in general and through DNA in particular: in allostery ligand 1 that binds a protein at a binding site A, modulates that affinity of ligand 2 to a binding site B on that protein, distant to binding site A. And so, mechanical communication is enabled through the protein. What is the mechanism by which allosteric signal transmission is enabled? Is it possible to design proteins and DNA with engineered allosteric characteristics? Can DNA-binding proteoins (DBPs) "report" their position on DNA to other distant DNA-bound DBPs by allosteric signal transmission over DNA?
Prof. Alex Levitzki
Signal Transduction Therapy
Sturctual & Molecular Biochemistry
  1. Recruitment of the immune system to attack cancer cells.
  2. Expression of anti-cancer proteins in plant cells (in collaboration with Prof. Oded Shoseyov from the faculty of Agriculture

 

Prof. Michal Linial
Neeuroscience & Computational Biology
Sturctual & Molecular Biochemistry
  1. Bioinformatics methods for global classification of protein sequences, structure and function inference.
  2. Evolution of viruses and co-evolution of hosts.
  3. Synaptic proteins and translation regulation.
  4. Neurotoxins as cell modulators - computational approach.
  5. Proteomics methods for neuronal cell differentiation.
  6. Machine learning tools for functional prediction. 
  7. MicroRNA as a key for cancer diagnosis.
  8. Fat cells as sensors for cell metabolic homeostasis.
Dr. Yael Litvak
The interactions Between Pathogens, the Host and the Gut Microbiota
Sturctual & Molecular Biochemistry
  1. How do virulence factors promote the expansion of bacterial pathogens in the gut? 
  2. Interaction of bacteriophages (bacterial viruses) with the microbiota and the mammalian host. 
  3. Mechanisms of colonization resistance against pathogens in the intestine. 
Prof. Oded Livnah
Stuctural Biology of Proteins
Sturctual & Molecular Biochemistry
  1. The biochemistry, biology, and structural aspects of MAP kinase of canonical and alternative activation pathways.  
  2. The structure, activity, and selectivity of NelD – an effector in bacterial infection.  
  3. Development and optimization of anti-viral agents via structural studies.
  4. Bio-engineering and refinement of biotin-based high affinity systems via protein design and manipulation. 

 

Prof. Yonatan Loewenstein
Decision Making Research
Neuroscience & Behavior
Dr. Mickey London
Neural Coding
Neuroscience & Behavior
In my lab we combine experimental methods, theoretical and computational modeling in order to understand dendritic computation and neural coding. We focus on two systems: The somatosensory cortex and neural circuits controlling ultrasonic vocalization in mice. The main methods used in the lab are electrophysiology, two photon imaging and optogenetics.  Potential topics for MSc and PhD: 
  1. Effects of neuromodulation on dendritic computation.
  2. Role of HCN channels and dendritic excitability in mice models of autism.
  3. Sub cortical neural circuits controlling ultrasonic vocalizations in mice 
  4. The role of dendritic computation in working memory
 
Prof. Eran Meshorer
Epigenetics, Stem Cells and Neurons
Genetics
  1. Using embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells to model and study Huntington’s and Machado Joseph disease.
  2. Epigenetic mechanisms and heterogeneity in stem cells and neuronal differentiation.
  3. Paleo-epigenetics (with Prof. Liran Carmel): reconstructing DNA methylation in archaic genomes, and testing phenotypes in stem cells and minibrains.
  4. Live imaging of nuclear dynamics in stem cell differentiation.
  5. Histone turnover in glioblastoma.
Prof. Eduardo Mitrani
Tissue Engineering
  1. Tissue Engineering. Development of a biological micro-pancreas.
  2. A second generation Biopump for the secretion of Biologicals.
  3. A second generation biological angiopump for the treatment of vascular diseases.
  4. Discovery of novel antibiotics derived from amphibia.
  5. Characterization of signals involved in skin ageing and homeostasis.
  6. In vitro and in vivo ovarian micro-organs to treat human fertility.
  7. Development of complex artificial scaffolds for tissue engineering.
  8. Role of connective tissue in carcinogenesis.
Prof. Adi Mizrahi
Neuronal & Circuit Plasticity
Neuroscience & Behavior
1. Perceptual Learning:
    a. What are the perceptual boundaries in sensing sounds and smells? 
    b. What are the neural correlates of perceptual learning in primary cortex and association areas?
    c. Which brain circuits are necessary and sufficient for learning and for expert perception?  
2. The social Brain:
    a. How does the brain process complex social cues like mouse vocalizations and social odors?
3. Parental Neuroscience:
    a. What are the behavioral and underlying neural mechanisms of maternal and paternal behavior?
4. Adult Neurogenesis: Why have new neurons in Adult Brains? and How? 
 
Prof. Yehu Moran
Molecular Evolution
Ecology, Evolution & Behavior
  1. The evolution of post-transcriptional regulation by microRNAs.
  2. The evolution of microRNA mode of action.
  3. The developmental roles of microRNAs in Cnidaria.
  4. The molecular evolution of animal venom.
  5. Ecological and organismal factors driving the evolution of venom and venom delivery mechanisms in sea anemones.
Dr. Daphna  Nachmani
Translation regulation by RNA modifications in hematopoietic stem cells and disease
Genetics
  1. The role of RNA modifications in translation regulation – how rRNA modifications control ribosome function and its translational capacity?
  2. Hematopoiesis – We aim to understand how translation-regulation controls hematopoietic stem cell function and the generation of blood cells.  
  3. Ribosome hijacking during Viral infection – We explore how pathogens, like viruses, utilize the host’s ribosome to their own advantage to facilitate viral replication and disease manifestation.  
Professor Nahmias Yaakov
Liver Tissue Engineering & Metabolism
Genetics
Prof. Ran Nathan
Movement Ecology
Ecology, Evolution & Behavior
  1. Movement ecology: A new transdisciplinary paradigm to study movement of organisms across multiple spatial and temporal scales.
  2. Lifetime tracks of organisms, their underlying mechanisms, their use to assess the species' ecology and biology, and what elements are most critical for fitness.
  3. Ecology, evolution and behavior of various phenomena related to movement – including migration, search, foraging, dispersal, wandering, exploration, navigation and spread of diseases – in birds and fruit bats.
  4. The relationships between sociality and social rank, movement, performance and fitness.
  5. Development of new tracking devices and data analysis tools for movement ecology.
  6. Management of huge datasets in the emerging Big Data era of movement ecology.
  7. Spreading of invasive plants and long-distance dispersal. 
Prof. Rachel Nechushtai
Structure & Function of Photosynthetic Proteins
Plant Sciences
  1. Structure of PSI in various photosynthetic organisms
  2. Reconstruction of artificial photosynthetic systems
  3. Characterization of the protein mitoNEET which is involved in iron homeostasis
Prof. Israel Nelken
Auditory Neurophysiology
  1. Transformations of sensory representations in the ascending auditory system.
  2. Perception-action loops - quantifying information processing in auditory-driven behavior.
  3. Statistical learning in audition.
Prof. Orly
Steroid Endocrinology
Sturctual & Molecular Biochemistry
  1. Characterization of novel transcription factors regulating gebe expression of steroidogenic hormones in mammalian ovaries and uterus during ovulation and fetal development during pregnancy.
  2. Degradation of mitochondrial proteins following hormonal stress conditions
Prof. Oren Ostersetzer-Biran
Plant Phenotypic Response
Plant Sciences
  1. Group II introns splicing in plants organelles: Regulation of organellar gene expression
  2. The roles of various RNA-binding cofactors in the splicing of organellar transcripts
  3. Establishment of an in vitro splicing system for plant organellar group II introns
  4. The establishment of Mitochondrial Mutant Libraries (MML’s) in plants
  5. Insights into the composition and assembly of plant mitochondria respiratory complexes
  6. Environmental effects on plant mitochondria biogenesis
Prof. Etana Padan
Molecular & Structural Biology of Membrane Proteins
Sturctual & Molecular Biochemistry
  1. Structure and function of NhaA Na+/H+ antiporter, an example of membrane proteins that comprise 30% of the proteome.
  2. Structural and functional dynamics of NhaA Na+/H+ antiporter.
  3. Molecular biology of adaptation to salts in bacteria.
  4. Molecular biology of adaptation to pH in bacteria.
Dr. Michal rabani
The system-level regulation of mRNA molecules in early embryos
Genetics
PDF icon Research Overview (176.47 KB)
  1. Computational genomics of early embryogenesis, and posttranscriptional gene regulation in the absence of mRNA transcription
  2. Maternally deposited mRNAs, and their role in development
  3. How is genetic information on mRNA regulation encoded in the genome?
  4. Which molecular machineries control mRNAs, and what is their role in embryogenesis?

 

Dr. Oren Ram
Epigenomics
Sturctual & Molecular Biochemistry
  1. Chromatin regulation during differentiation
  2. Single cell Microfluidics technology development
  3. Enhancer regulation and Epigenetics
  4. Heterogeneity in biological systems
  5. Computational biology
  6. Chromatin and cell cycle 
Prof. Tommer Ravid
Quality control-associated proteolysis by the ubiquitin-proteasome system
Sturctual & Molecular Biochemistry
  1. Roles of the ubiquitin-proteasome system and molecular chaperones in misfolded protein degradation
  2. System-wide analysis of nuclear protein quality control and degradation
  3. Activity and regulation of enzymes of the ubiquitin-proteasome system

 

Dr. Dana Reichmann
Protein Homeostasis & Stress Response
Sturctual & Molecular Biochemistry
Prof. Idan Segev
Neural Conduction
Neuroscience & Behavior
Prof. Julia Shifman,  photo credits: Sharon Gabai, ICRF
Protein Engineering: Modulation of Protein-Protein Interactions
Sturctual & Molecular Biochemistry
  1. Protein engineering and design
  2. Protein evolution
  3. Design of new therapeutic proteins from various natural scaffolds — better drugs for cancer treatment
  4. Understanding basic principles of protein binding interactions
Prof. Sagiv Shifman
Genetics of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Genetics
  1. Mapping and characterization of genetic variations involved in brain disorders, such as autism and schizophrenia, using computational analysis of genomic data.
  2. Studying genes and proteins associated with brain disorders using molecular tools.
  3. Studying brain development and function using embryonic stem cells and neuronal cell lines.
  4. Mouse as a model for brain disorders: influence of genes on brain and behavior.
  5. Application of crispr pooled libraries to study genetic interactions.
Prof. Giora Simchen
Molecular Genetics of Budding Yeast
Genetics

1. Repair of DNA breaks during meiosis in yeast as a source of new mutations.

2. Involvement of error-prone DNA polymerases in mutagenicity during meiosis.

3. Evolutionary impact of enhanced mutagenicity during meiosis.

In collaboration with: Dr. Ayelet Arbel-Eden, Senior Lecturer at Hadassah Medical College (ayeletar@hadassah.ac.il).

Prof. Hermona Soreq
Cholinergic Signaling in Health and Disease
Sturctual & Molecular Biochemistry
  1. Mis-regulation of RNA metabolism in the mammalian brain: From acute stress responses to neurodegenerative diseases.
  2. Fire, wire and inspire rules of cholinergic signaling: From structure to mental function in health and disease.
  3. Non-coding RNAs and micro-RNAs in brain-to-body communication. 
Prof. (Emeritus) Ruth Sperling
Structure and Function of the Nuclear Pre-mRNA Processing Machine
Genetics

1. The endogenous spliceosome – structure and function in controlling posttranscriptional gene expression.

2. A new quality control mechanism within the endogenous spliceosome.

3. Small non-coding RNA as novel regulators of RNA processing and splicing.

4. Nuclear microRNA in cancer.

Dr. Netanel  Tzarum
Structural and Functional Studies of Hepaciviruses
Sturctual & Molecular Biochemistry
  1. Structural studies of the immune recognition of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) to facilitate structural-based vaccine design. 
  2. Development of a small-scale expression and solubility screening system for viral envelope glycoprotein.
  3. Structural studies of the entry mechanism of HCV-related hepaciviruses.
  4. Structural and biochemical studies of the interactions between the HCV envelope glycoprotein and host cell receptors.
 
Prof. Dudi Tzfati
Telomeres & Telomerase
Genetics
  1. Three-dimensional structure and the mechanism of action of telomerase.
  2. Genetic diseases of telomere dysfunction such as dyskeratosis congenita, Hoyeraal-Hreidarsson syndrome and Coats plus.
  3. How telomeres control cell proliferation and prevent cancer.
  4. The role of helicases in telomere structure and maintenance.
Dr. Yonatan Tzur
Germ Cells Development
Genetics
  1. Characterization of non-coding RNA in sperm and oocyte development.
  2. How does inter and intra cell signal transduction affect oocyte aging?
  3. Unexpected effects of DNA break repair following CRISPR engineering and how to avoid it.
  4. Characterization of sex chromosome silencing in germ cells.
  5. Mechanisms of protecting the proliferative germ cell population

 

Prof. Emeritus Yosef Yarom
Neurobiology of the Cerebellum
Neuroscience & Behavior
Dr. Alon Zaslaver
Systems Biology & Neurogenetics
Genetics
  1. Trans-generational epigenetic memory.
  2. Genetic and neuronal mechanisms underlying Learning and Memory, Aging and Neurodegenerative diseases.
  3. Systems Biology of how genes and neural networks shape behavioral outputs.
  4. Computational Biology - how sensory systems encode the environment (experiments and theory).
Prof. Ehud Zohary
Visual Perception and its Neural Correlates
Neuroscience & Behavior
  1. Studying the neural correlates of human visual perception.  
  2. Development of vision following late emergence from congenital blindness
  3. Perception-action loops, and active vision. 
  4. Coordinate frames and transformations in the human visual pathways. 
  5. Studying the human mirror system.