With an impressive academic background in Pharmacy and Medicine, Dr. Haitham Amal's research focuses on autism spectrum disorder, Alzheimer's disease, and other brain disorders. He has published numerous papers and received prestigious awards and grants, including the Krill Prize and recognition as one of the 40 most promising young people. Dr. Amal leads a group of scientists at the Institute for Drug Research, collaborating with institutions like MIT, Scripps Institute, and Imperial College London.

Dr. Sheera Adar from Hebrew University's Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics is passionate about understanding the mechanisms behind DNA damages and repair. Her research is focused on exploring the various ways in which the genome can be compromised by internal and external damaging agents, and the consequences of these damages on cellular function and disease development.

Join Martin Gitonga, an International MSc in Plant Sciences, as he delves into his ground-breaking research on reducing the acidity in passion fruit. As a native of Kenya, Martin's ultimate goal is to bring the knowledge and techniques he is learning in Israel back to his home country to help the local farmers improve the quality of their crops. With his passion for plant sciences and commitment to making a difference, Martin is sure to inspire you in this newest Bite.

Sesame seeds are healthy and tasty, but it’s a very labor-intensive crop, as pods must be picked by hand. As a result, sesame production has left Israel, moving entirely overseas. Now, Idan Sabag is working to bring it back. Together with Prof. Zvi Peleg, he is bringing sesame into modern agriculture, making it better suited for mechanized harvest. Idan Sabag is a doctoral student in the Department of Plant Sciences & Genetics in Agriculture

Dr. Yaniv Elkouby, from the Faculty of Medicine in The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, discovered a previously unknown structure in zebrafish egg cells that forms a remarkable molecular cable system to mechanically control chromosomes. This groundbreaking discovery can lead to better understanding of human fertility.

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Elkouby Lab Website

In a world facing increased water shortages, irrigating crops with treated wastewater isn’t just a good idea – it’s a necessity. But what happens when that wastewater contains traces of pharmaceuticals? Dr. Evyatar Ben Mordechay is analyzing how the pharmaceuticals that enter our sewage make their way into the agro-environment, and back into our bodies via crops we consume. Dr. Evyatar Ben Mordechay recently graduated and is now a postdoctoral researcher Department of Soil and Water Sciences.

Healthy soil is critical for sustaining life on earth. In fact, every single bite of food starts as a plant growing in the ground. Dr. Yair Mau studies how the basic act of watering crops affects soil salinity, while gaining insights into basic processes that affect soil quality. He also studies how plants cope with environmental stressors posed by climate change. Dr. Yair Mau is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Soil and Water Sciences.

With less than 10% of the world’s plastic being recycled, Dr. Lianet Noda-Garcia is taking a different approach. Mimicking evolutionary processes in her lab, she’s working to engineer bacteria that are capable of digesting or breaking down plastic. Ultimately, she hopes to clean up decades worth of plastic debris from our planet. Dr. Lianet Noda-Garcia is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology.

Gabriel Mulero came all the way to Hebrew University from Nigeria to study the future of food – specifically wheat. His doctoral research employs advanced remote sensing technology, which he uses to gain a glimpse into the inner workings of plants, gaining valuable insights that will ensure an adequate food supply for a warming planet. Gabriel Mulero is a doctoral student in the Department of Soil and Water Sciences at Hebrew University.

As the world is changing – how are we protecting nature? In this HUJI Bite, Dr. Niv DeMalach from Hebrew University’s Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture finds the answers in a box. Dr. Demalach places different plants in large containers and examines how they interact. Whether the plant communities become increasingly similar or increasingly diverse indicates how they will behave when faced with diversity in nature. Looking at statistics from around the world, using big data we can better understand how plants thrive in different conditions.