IES Fellows

Her research focuses on investigating the impact of introducing middle and high school students to climate change adaptive primary literature, and its effect on their inquiry competencies. She holds a BSc in Chemistry and MSc in Biophysical Chemistry from Ben Gurion University of the Negev. In her PhD work, Kanary introduces middle and high school students to adaptive primary scientific literature, with a focus on climate change. These adaptive primary papers maintain the canonical structure, argumentative genre, and evidence-based conclusions of original scientific papers. Her goal is to analyze how this exposure to scientific methodology in the papers can enhance students' abilities to design and conduct experiments, and to draw conclusions based on data-driven evidence. Ultimately, her research aims to explore the potential of adaptive primary papers in providing an apprenticeship-like experience for students in their inquiry process. 

Under the guidance of Dr. David Zeevi in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Weizmann Institute, Shai utilizes data-driven computational techniques in his research. Prior to his PhD, Shai obtained a BSc in agriculture from the Hebrew University of the Negev and an MSc in Biology from Ben Gurion University of the Negev. Shai's current research revolves around the metagenomic analysis of the soil microbiome in a wheat field situated in a semi-arid region of Israel. This specific field encompasses approximately 100 different combinations of agricultural practices. The primary objective of Shai's work is to enhance our comprehension of the intricate interconnections among the environment, microbiome, and plants. Ultimately, this knowledge will contribute to the advancement of sustainable agricultural methods while simultaneously addressing the challenges posed by a growing global population and depleting resources.

He has a BSc in Biotechnology and Agricultural Sciences from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and an MSc in Biochemistry from the Weizmann Institute of Science. In his PhD work, Oz focuses on the formation pathways of biological structures made of crystalline material. His work explores the remarkable ability of living cells to create complex 3D crystal shapes, surpassing current artificial fabrication techniques. Oz's research highlights the role of spatial confinement by cellular macromolecules in shaping intricate bio-crystals. Currently, he is developing innovative imaging methods to identify chemical conditions at intracellular crystal formation sites.         

She conducts her research under the supervision of Prof. Ron Blonder in the Department of Science Education at the Weizmann Institute. She has a BEd in Teaching Biology-Chemistry and MEd in Science Education Material Sciences - Chemistry-Physics from the Arab Academic College of Education in Israel, and an MSc in Science Teaching from the Weizmann Institute of Science. To develop student agency related to sustainability issues, Ayshi is working on a model based on environmental citizenship. The model links three pedagogical processes and illustrates how each process supports the other. If students have relevant knowledge about the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and can also develop data-based arguments and activism, while they change or build their pro-environmental attitudes, this can lead to developing and nurturing their agency regarding sustainability issues.
As a science teacher, Ayshi strives to include sustainability and energy topics in lessons and discussions with students to raise awareness and foster interest in these issues, with the aim  to cultivate an activist mindset and encourage students to be a change agent in making positive changes in society and their environment. 

He has a BSc in Biology and Psychology from Ben Gurion University of the Negev and MSc in Life Sciences from the Weizmann Institute of Science. In his PhD work, Asaf uses C. elegans nematodes to investigate neural circuits and molecular mechanisms that underpin multiple types of behaviors, such as responses to pain, drugs, and environmental stress. Currently, he is developing a novel experimental setup that will enable high throughput screening for behavioral responses to many environmental stressors in isogenic populations, using cutting-edge recording and tracking technologies. In parallel, he is working on merging this behavioral-oriented analysis with transcriptome and proteome methodologies.

She has a BSc in Medicinal Chemistry and MSc in Bioinorganic Chemistry, bo th from Bar-Ilan University. Jenny-Lee’s PhD research utilizes electrochemical power to achieve environmentally friendly industrial processes by using water as an oxidant. In her recently published work, she oxidized water electrochemically to produce hydrogen peroxide (a benign oxidant) and activated it to produce oxidized wanted compounds. Currently, Jenny-Lee is working to develop a new method of in-situ water activation, using a water oxidation catalyst composed of cobalt and oxygen atoms. She is focused on electrochemical heterogeneous catalysis with the idea of transforming the current industrial polluting epoxidation production to an ecofriendly and more economical process.

Jenny-Lee volunteers with the iScientist program for Green Chemistry, where students are encouraged to explore the subject and expand their horizons, and introduces them to new role models. She also leads the Women’s Forum at the department of Chemistry at Weizmann Institute.

Dina’s PhD work is focused on de-novo design of enzymatic function in protein scaffolds. During her research, Dina developed a method for analyzing and ameliorating strain in designed proteins. Dina is also enthusiastic about applying protein design to sustainability research. Her MSc was dedicated to enhancing the catalytic activity of Rubisco with the intention of removing bottlenecks in potential carbon-fixating processes. Currently, Dina is collaborating with different labs on topics dealing with plastic and lignin degradation and Rubisco stabilization.  

He has a BSc in Physics from the Hebrew University and MSc in Physics from the Weizmann Institute of Science. In his PhD work, Itamar uses data from climate models and observations to quantify how the different spatial and temporal scales of weather and climate phenomena are changing as part of the changing climate. Recently, Itamar has discovered that future Southern Hemisphere temperature anomalies, including heatwaves, are to become spatially larger and less persistent. Itamar is currently examining whether a shift in the spatial scale of storms has already occurred in the last few decades.

Itamar is a team-leader in the WIS Green Forum. His team has successfully promoted the addition of climate and environment-related courses to the WIS course selection, starting next year. Itamar also uses social media to inform people about climate change: you can follow him at @itamar922.

Dan has a dual BSc in Geophysics and Geography from Tel Aviv University, and an MSc in Earth Sciences from Tel Aviv University, where he conducted research in collaboration with the Geological Survey of Israel. In his current PhD work, Dan combines experimental data derived from lab-scale physical aquifer models with numerical models to observe and quantify various mechanisms involved in solute transport. Dan's primary focus is investigating the impact of time-dependent velocity fields on the dispersion and mixing of chemicals in porous media. Through the construction of macroscopic lab-scale models, Dan can generate and analyze transport phenomena that have previously been primarily described theoretically. The development of robust numerical models that effectively quantify the experimental data enables explaining and predicting similar phenomena on larger scales.

Expanding the scope of his research, Dan has recently applied the same numerical models to assess the response of spring discharge to changing precipitation patterns in a karst system located in the Alps.

She has a BSc as a Polymer Material Engineer from Shenkar College and an MSc in Molecular Biology from the Weizmann Institute of Science. In her PhD work, Gal operates at the interdisciplinary nexus of synthetic organic chemistry and biomedical sciences, focusing on the rational design of sophisticated drug delivery platforms. Most recently, she engineered carriers that effectively penetrate cellular barriers and facilitate the internalization of cell impermeable therapeutic agents into diverse cellular targets. 

Outside of the lab, Gal serves as the head of WISemom, a program dedicated to mentoring student moms in academia that focuses on maintaining a healthy work-life balance. The program provides invaluable support and guidance to student moms, fostering an inclusive and supportive environment that enables them to thrive both academically and personally.

He has a BSc in Materials Engineering fromBen-Gurion University of the Negev and an MSc in Chemistry from the Weizmann institute. Yuval’s current work is concerned with developing novel approaches using magnetic resonance techniques to study chemical and electrochemical processes that occur in “beyond-Li” rechargeable batteries, such as Sodium and Potassium ion batteries. Currently, Yuval is working on identifying beneficial compounds that form in the anode-electrolyte interphase of a model system. In the future, Yuval plans to deploy these characterization techniques on a variety of battery systems, with the aim of increasing the knowledge of the inner workings of “beyond-Li” batteries. 

She obtained her BSc in Geology and MSc in Marine Science from China University of Geosciences. Her PhD project focuses on characterizing shifts in water and dust sources to the Dead Sea watershed during past warm periods, spanning over millennia. To achieve this, she employs geochemical tools such as U, Pb, Sr, and Nd isotopes. As the Dead Sea Basin straddles the Saharan desert and Mediterranean climate zones, the changes in water and dust sources may further refine our understanding of the expansion and contraction of these climate zones. The paleoclimate research can provide a long-term perspective on the behavior of regional hydroclimate in a warming world and complement model projections.

She has a BSc in Biochemistry & Food Science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and an MSc in Life Sciences from the Weizmann Institute of Science. In her PhD work, Eliya is developing a sustainable bio-production platform based on metabolically engineered microbial cells. She utilizes a synthetic autotrophic E. coli that was created in the lab that can utilize CO2 for all biomass production as a prototype for creating a platform for bio-production from CO2 and as a case study to understand fundamental design principles of carbon fixation.