Breaking new ground in plant genomics

For Dr. Yoav Voichek, science has always been about solving riddles. As a high school student in Tel Aviv, he was so fascinated by mathematical puzzles that he completed most of his bachelor’s degree in mathematics before graduating. Now, after exploring multiple scientific disciplines, he is returning to the Weizmann Institute to establish his own lab in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences. Here he will focus on a major biological mystery: what are the strategies that plants use to regulate their genes, and how do they differ from other organisms. His research could provide key insights into how plants adapt to changing environments and how we might engineer more resilient crops.

After receiving his BSc, Dr. Voichek continued his journey in academia as a research assistant in Prof. Amos Tanay’s group in the Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at the Weizmann Institute. There, he applied analytical and mathematical tools to decode the complexities of genome regulation. It was the richness of the genomic landscape that sparked his enduring passion for biology. 

“The Weizmann Institute provided exactly the right environment for this transformation. The strong intellectual atmosphere and interactions between different fields allowed me to bridge mathematics and biology in ways I hadn’t considered before,” he says.

Following his work with Prof. Tanay, Dr. Voichek embarked on his PhD studies in Prof. Naama Barkai’s lab in Weizmann’s Department of Molecular Genetics, where he and his colleagues made a groundbreaking discovery in cell division, namely how cells prevent the overproduction of proteins during DNA replication. 

“We weren’t even looking for this initially,” he recalls. “We discovered that cells have a sophisticated system for marking newly replicated genes to prevent them from transcribing proteins twice and thus maintain proper protein production levels during cell division. It was completely unexpected and changed our understanding of how this fundamental process works.”

The next frontier

Since gene regulation has been extensively studied in yeast and animals, plants―with their complex and mysterious gene regulation―emerged as the next exciting frontier. Curious about possible genetic differences between animals and plants, Dr. Voichek moved to a plant genetics lab the Max Planck Institute in Germany for his postdoctoral fellowship, where he developed an innovative “shortcut” method for systematically identifying genetic variants that control traits, even in unsequenced genomes. This approach accelerates research and has been applied in diverse fields―from understanding seahorse sex determination to improving wheat resistance to pathogens.

Dr. Voichek’s work challenges the idea that gene transcription functions the same across all organisms, and by studying plants in diverse environments, he is uncovering unique genetic “rules” that set them apart. During his second postdoctoral fellowship, at the Gregor Mendel Institute in Austria, he found that, unlike in animals—whose genetic regulatory sequences function the same no matter where they are found—the location of some sequences in the plant genome dramatically affects their function. He also identified a novel regulatory sequence that simultaneously controls thousands of genes—insight that could transform how we modify plants for various purposes.

His research could help address global agriculture and food security challenges, with potential applications like creating more efficient “protein factories” in plants or developing crops better suited to changing environments. 

Pushing boundaries

In his lab at the Weizmann Institute, set to open in the summer of 2025, Dr. Voichek plans to combine diverse experimental plant models with his computational expertise to gain systems biology-level insights into plant genomes. By comparing flowering plants with moss species, which diverged 500 million years ago when plants first moved from water to land, he aims to understand whether unique genetic regulatory mechanisms are universal or specific to certain plant groups. His research could provide crucial insights into plant adaptation, evolution, and genetic survival across varying environmental conditions—vital information for helping plants endure the extreme ecological changes affecting the planet.

Looking ahead, Dr. Voichek envisions building a lab that reflects the Weizmann spirit of scientific adventure. 

“I want to create an environment where we have the freedom to follow unexpected findings and cross traditional disciplinary boundaries,” he says. “Science should be fun and driven by curiosity―that’s when the most exciting discoveries happen.”

Dr. Voichek is married to Dr. Maya Voichek, a fellow biologist. They have two children. 

Education and select awards 

• BSc, magna cum laude, The Open University of Israel (2008)
• PhD, Weizmann Institute of Science (2016) 
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Germany (2018-2019) 
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology, Austria
• (2020-2024) 
• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowship from the European Commission (2021); VIP2 (Vienna International Postdoctoral Program) from the European Commission (2020).