Advancing Women in STEM

We continue to lead the way in advancing women in STEM in academic institutions. Much remains to be done, but the Zuckerman STEM Program believes it’s important to increase the momentum.

Each Zuckerman female scholar is making an impact in her field, creating a larger group of peers, and easing the way for other women to be accepted.

 

To date the Zuckerman Stem Leadership Program has supported the following outstanding women:

• 22 Faculty Scholars opening Zuckerman labs in 7 Israeli universities
• 49 Postdoctoral Scholars at 7 Israeli Universities
• 30 Israeli Postdoctoral scholars at 20 North American universities and research centers
• 28 Israeli Zuckerman-CHE Postdoctoral scholars at 19 North American universities and research centers

 

Cycle of excellence

Meet the Israeli Zuckerman Faculty women who are paving the way for women in Israeli academia.

Meet the Zuckerman postdoctoral women from North America who are currently at universities in Israel.

• 4 Postdoctoral scholars at 4 Israeli universities

Eleanor (Ellie) Diamant
At the University of California Los Angeles’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Eleanor Diamant’s doctoral research explored how bird populations in LA respond to rapid human-caused (anthropogenic) change. Her work showed the importance of studying populations in situ to fully understand their responses to the combination of changes they face.

Dr. Diamant’s postdoctoral research at Ben-Gurion University’s Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology focuses on the relative impact of habitat change and competition on three bird species in the Negev desert. She uses an animal-tracking system that allows her to test interactions between the species as well as the effects of human disturbance on them.

Dr. Diamant hopes her results will help guide conservation policy in Israel and beyond.

At Ben Gurion University of the Negev
From University of California, Los Angeles

Shoshana Ginsburg

For her PhD research in Food Science & Technology at The Ohio State University, Shoshana Ginsburg explored lipid chemistry through chemical reactions, analyzing the chemical and physiochemical properties of the products. Specifically, she used different catalysts to perform transesterification on various oils, investigating how the resulting lipids affected the oils’ crystallization. For her postdoctoral research in the Lab for Food Materials Engineering at Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, Dr. Ginsburg plans to develop a novel plant-based bigel product that will mimic butter in its texture, taste, and flavor, a discovery which would be of great value to the food industry, which is actively seeking nutritionally valuable formulations to replace animal-based products such as cheese, meat, and eggs, which have environmental and sustainability issues.

At Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
From The Ohio State University

Claudèle Lemay-St-Denis
Claudèle Lemay-St-Denis earned her PhD in the Biochemistry Department at the Faculty of Medicine of the Université de Montréal, investigating how catalytic proteins evolve, and how we can use this knowledge to improve global health. In her postdoctoral research in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Haifa, Dr. Lemay-St-Denis is developing novel AI methods for exploring how virus evolve. Exploiting their compact nature, she is able to study their evolution and uncover fundamental biological processes. In addition to providing insights into the mechanisms that allow viruses to recognize and infect cells, she hopes to reveal cross-reactivities in our immunological response to viruses, which could better inform clinical studies.

At University of Haifa
From Université de Montréal

Sarah Spitzer
Dr. Spitzer did her PhD research in Space Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan’s College of Engineering. She used ion mass spectrometers in situ to remotely sense the interaction between the solar system and the Very Local Interstellar Medium.

Dr. Spitzer joins a team at Weizmann Institute of Science that is creating a large cost-effective telescope from smaller individual telescopes. Her postdoctoral research centers on the Oort Cloud, a collection of icy objects which is hypothesized to be orbiting the Sun at distances of thousands of astronomical units, but which has never been directly measured. Measuring the Oort Cloud with these new telescopes could further our understanding of how our solar system was formed.

At Weizmann Institute of Science
From University of Michigan

Meet the Zuckerman Israeli postdoctoral women who are currently at universities in the US.

• 4 Israeli Postdoctoral scholars at 4 US universities

Dana Binyamin
Dana Binyamin’s doctoral work at the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine at Bar-Ilan University explored the role of gut microbial communities (the microbiome) in aging and age‑related diseases, as well as in pregnant women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), demonstrating how microbial dynamics influence metabolic health, immune function, and disease susceptibility. In the Department of Pathology at Stanford School of Medicine, Dr. Binyamin will research the mechanisms underlying microbiome-host interactions, specifically through the metabolites the microbiome produces. Eventually, manipulating the microbiome for therapeutic purposes could lead to targeted interventions to prevent and treat disease.

At Stanford
From Bar-Ilan University

Sapir Bitton
For her PhD in Electrical Engineering at the Technion, Sapir Bitton developed simulations of perovskite solar cells, proving that free iodine ions in the perovskites are detrimental to device performance. She later demonstrated the value of her simulation by adapting it to organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs). Dr. Bitton’s postdoctoral research at MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science focuses on developing Electrochemical Random-Access Memory (ECRAM) devices for neural network algorithms in deep learning. Her work enables calculations within the memory component, reducing computational load, processing time, and energy consumption.

At MIT
From Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

Rana Shahout
For her PhD in Computer Science at Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, Rana Shahout designed and developed streaming algorithms for data analytics, reducing space requirements and enhancing system speed. As a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, she bridges the theoretical and practical worlds. She focuses on the development of novel data structures and probabilistic algorithms for optimizing large-scale machine learning and networking systems. She hopes her solutions will be applied to industry, enhancing big-data solutions and large-scale systems.

At Harvard University
From Technion–Israel Institute of Technology

Gal Vishne
Dr. Vishne’s postdoc, at the Data Science Institute of Columbia University, aims to shed light on the role of temporal anticipation and uncertainty in shaping both our perception of the immediate sensory environment as well as our ongoing conscious experience.  She earned a doctorate from the International PhD Program in Computational Neuroscience at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where she focused on elucidating the neuronal mechanisms behind our ongoing perception of the visual world.

 

Zuckerman Women Alumni Demonstrate Leadership

“I am immensely grateful to the Zuckerman STEM program for providing me the opportunity to pursue my postdoctoral research in the United States. My postdoc was a transformative experience, impacting me not only on a scientific level but also on a personal one. Throughout this journey, I had the privilege of working alongside inspiring advisors, engaging with exceptionally talented and creative colleagues from diverse backgrounds at both the Broad Institute and Yale University, and fostering collaborative relationships with leading researchers in my field.”
– Miri Adler, Assistant Professor at the Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel – Zuckerman Israeli Postdoctoral Scholar, Broad Institute and Yale University -2019-2021

“The Zuckerman program allowed me to work on projects at the forefront of understanding stony coral biomineralization with top researchers. I had an amazing time in Israel and look forward to continuing collaborations that were established during my time as a Zuckerman postdoctoral fellow.”
– Jeana Drake, Assistant Project Scientist and Lecturer and Director of Marine Programming at The Center for Diverse Leadership in Science at University of California, Los Angeles, USA – Zuckerman Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Haifa 2019-2021

“I am very grateful to the Zuckerman STEM program for providing this opportunity to do postdoctoral research in Israel. It was a memorable time in my life: I had a lot of fun working with my postdoctoral advisor and colleagues and enjoyed living in such a culturally rich country.”
– Sarah Kostinski, Assistant Professor of Physics at New York University, USA – Zuckerman Postdoctoral Scholar Tel Aviv University, 2017-2021

• Adi Ashkenazi, Senior Lecturer, Tel Aviv University, Israel
• Adi Biram, Postdoctoral training fellow, The Francis Crick Institute, London
• Alexandra Shtein, Postdoc, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, MA, USA
• Alexandra Lai, Postdoc, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
• Amanda Lounsbury, Contractor to the US Department of Energy, Boston Government Services (BGS), TN, USA
• Anastasia Yanchilina, Postdoc, Caltech, CA, USA
• Anat Rotstein, Postdoc, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY, USA
• Anat Yaskolka Meir, Postdoc, Harvard, MA, USA
• Andrea Price, Freelance Editor, Cactus Communications, NJ, USA
• Angela B. Grommet, Assistant Professor, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
• Ariel Ganz, Postdoc, Stanford University, CA, USA
• Avia Raviv-Moshe, Postdoc, Stony Brook University, NY, USA
• Avital Fischer, Resident Physician, Stanford Health Care, CA, USA
• Ayala Allon, Senior Data Scientist, retrain.ai, NY, USA
• Ayelet Uzan, Postdoc, Princeton, NJ, USA
• Biana Bernshtein, HFSP Postdoctoral Researcher at Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, MA, USA
• Bracha Laufer Goldshtein, Assistant Professor, Tel Aviv University, Israel
• Christine Hall, Visiting Assistant Professor, Lafayette College
• Claudia Ciotir, Collection Manager, Canadian Clonal Genebank (CCGB) at the Harrow Research and Development (HRDC) Centre, ON, Canada
• Crystal Rapier, Consultant, Indiana Department of Health, Indiana, USA
• Dahlia Klein, Postdoc, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
• Dahlia Perez, Postdoc, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
• Dana Rubi Levy, Postdoc, Harvard Medical School, MA, USA
• Danielle Gutman, Postdoc, University of Pennsylvania
• Deborah Pereg
• Ella Jewison, Researcher Assistant, Understory, CA, USA
• Emily Stark, Assistant Professor, Wesleyan University, CT, USA
• Esther Brielle, Postdoc, Harvard, MA, USA
• Grace Smarsh, AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow, Office of Naval Research, VA, USA
• Grace Snyder
• Hadar Elor, Assistant Professor, Tel Aviv University, Israel
• Hillary Anne Craddock, Postdoc, Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland
• Inbal Rachel Livni-Navon, Postdoc, Stanford University, CA, USA
• Inbar (Hotzen) Grinberg, Application Manager, Bruker Technologies, Israel
• Ivy Curren, Deputy Director of Research, Helmholtz Munich, Germany
• Jacqueline Grimm
• Jacqueline Warren, Data Scientist, StackAdapt, ON, Canada
• Jeana Drake, Assistant Project Scientist and Lecturer. Director of Marine Programming at the Center for Diverse Leadership in Science, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA
• Jennifer Gilda, Scientific Researcher, Genentech, CA, USA
• Judith Wexler, Postdoc, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
• Julie Shapiro, Research Assistant, French Agency for Food, Environmental, and Occupational Health and Safety, France
• Karin Yaniv, Postdoc, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
• Kathleen Jagodnik
• Kelsey Moreno, Assistant Professor, Saint Xavier University, IL, USA
• Koral Goltseker, Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, NY, USA
• Krista Natasha Oswald
• Laura McCaslin, Senior Member of the Technical Staff, Sandia National Laboratories, CA, USA
• Laurel Stephenson, Machine Learning Engineer, Q Bio, CA, USA
• Leehe Peled-Avron, Assistant Professor, Bar Ilan University
• Lee Shaashua Berger, Postdoc at Weill Cornell Medicine, NY, USA
• Lilach Gorodetski, Postdoc, UC San Diego, CA, USA
• Lucia Myongwon Lee, Assistant Professor, Queen’s University, Canada
• Kate Gallagher, Senior Technical Activity Manager, USAID’s Integrated Natural Resource Management, Washington, DC, USA
• Maayan Pour, Postdoc, New York University, NY, USA
• Margaret Lutz, Research Fellow, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland
• Margarita Orlova, Assistant Professor, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, NY, USA
• Maya Yablonski, Postdoc, Stanford University, CA, USA
• Megan Mackintosh, Postdoc, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
• Merav Stern, Postdoc, University of Oregon, OR, USA
• Michal Polonsky, Postdoc, Caltech, CA, USA
• Michelle Tallal, Duke University, NC, USA
• Miri Adler, Assistant Professor, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
• Monica Mowery, Postdoc, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel
• Moran Balaish, Junior Research Group Leader, Technical University of Munich, Germany
• Naama Kadmon Harpaz, Postdoc, Harvard University, MA, USA
• Nanami Kikuchi, Research Scientist, Cell Signaling Technology, MA, USA
• Natalie Fardian-Melamed, Postdoc, Columbia University, NY, USA
• Nelli Bodiford, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Texas Christian University, TX, USA
• Netali Morgenstern-Ben Baruch, Associate Research Fellow, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, OH, USA
• Nili Krausz, Postdoc, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
• Or Szekely, Postdoc, Duke University, NC, USA
• Rachel Blau, Postdoc, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
• Rachel Gur-Arie, Assistant Professor, Arizona State University, AZ, USA
• Renata Balgley, Process Development Scientist, Amgen, CA, USA
• Sarah Kostinski Assistant Professor of Physics, New York University, NY, USA
• Shai Berman, Postdoc, Columbia University, NY, USA
• Shdema Filler-Hayut, Postdoc, MIT, MA, US
• Shifra Lansky, Postdoc, Weill Cornell Medicine, NY, USA
• Shira Landau, Postdoc, University of Toronto, Canada
• Shira Faigenbaum-Golovin, Postdoc, Duke University, NC, USA
• Shira Weingarten-Gabbay, Postdoc, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, MA, USA and The Rockefeller University, NY, USA
• Shira Tanny, Postdoc, Institute for Advanced Study, USA
• Shiran Bar, Postdoc, Stanford University, CA, USA
• Shiri Kult Perry, Postdoc, University of Chicago, IL, USA
• Sonya Tiomkin, Assistant Professor, University of South Florida, CA, USA
• Tal Gilboa, Postdoc, Walt Research Group, Harvard University, MA, USA
• Tal Gordon
• Tal Iram, Postdoc, Stanford University, CA, USA
• Tali Magory Cohen, Postdoc, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
• Talia Borofsky
• Tamar Regev, Postdoc, MIT, MA, USA
• Tiffany R. Lewis, Assistant Professor, Michigan Technological University MI, USA
• Whitney Fleming, Bangor University, Wales, UK
• Xi Shen, Postdoc, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA
• Yael Avni
• Yael Tsarfati, Postdoc, Stanford University, CA, USA
• Yulia Shmidov, Postdoc, Duke University, NC, USA