Group
Research Associate and Lab Manager
Dr. Nirit Kara
Nirit completed her M.Sc. and Ph.D. at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, and supervised the Psychobiology lab of the Academic College of Tel-Aviv-Yaffo. She carried out her postdoctoral work at Cork, Ireland, where she studied the role of the gut microbiome in neuropsychiatric disorders. She loves spending time with her family, swimming, scuba-diving and taking care of her pets.
Research Associate
Dr. Einat Shaer-Tamar
Einat earned her Ph.D. in Biology from the Technion, focusing on phage-bacteria coevolution in structured environments. Her research expertise extends from microbial evolution and bacterial motility to advanced imaging. Her professional experience includes leadership roles in pre-clinical R&D, leveraging advanced data analysis to enhance therapeutic modalities.
Ph.D. student
Tal Belity
Tal is a Ph.D. student in the Blacher laboratory at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. She completed her M.Sc. at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, focusing on stress-related psychopathology. Some of her favorite activities include traveling and hiking in nature, sports, and eating chocolate :)
Ph.D. student
Claire Naveh
Claire completed her M.Sc. in the Faculty of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Bristol, focusing on characterising a stem cell differentiated neutrophil system in the context of malaria. She is passionate about providing molecular evidence for how the environment around us influences and impacts host inflammation. She likes any activity in the outdoors and the way to her heart is through her stomach!
M.Sc. student
Neta Mandel
Neta completed her undergraduate studies in Life Sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and currently pursuing a Master's degree. She is particularly intrigued by the interplay between the innate immune system and its functions, and the gut microbiota in aging, and how it shapes human health and disease. She enjoys running, traveling, and spending time with friends.
M.Sc. student
Atara Kaplan
Atara completed her B.Sc in Molecular Biology from Ariel University, studying epigenetics-mediated effects in mouse models of bipolar disorder. She is very passionate about integrative and holistic approaches to study the human body and interested in periphery-brain crosstalk. She knows (the TV show) ‘Friends’ by heart, and likes to read, hike, and spend time with her nieces.
Undergraduate intern
Aaron Mehl
Aaron is an undergraduate student at the Silverman Institute of Life Sciences of the Hebrew University. He is interested in the complex and unintuitive interactions between the brain and the gut microbiome during dysbiosis. He loves relaxing by getting lost in a good book or spending hours experimenting in the kitchen.
Undergraduate intern
Omer Rachkovski
Omer is an undergraduate student at the Psychobiology honors program in Life Sciences and Social Science faculties of The Hebrew University. She is interested in the effects of aging on metabolic decline in mammals, which often leads to increased susceptibility to neurological diseases. She loves to dance, to practice Pilates, walking along the beach and to cuddle with her dog.
Undergraduate intern
Nadin Eid
Nadin is an undergraduate student at the ‘Etgar’ program for outstanding students in Life Sciences of the Hebrew University. She is interested in discovering new pathways of gut-brain communication that can be clinically translated and impact human health. She likes reading about new diets while enjoying fine cuisine, and is famous for her best Spotify playlist.
Undergraduate intern
Netta Shamir
Netta is an undergraduate student at the ‘Etgar’ program for outstanding students in Life Sciences of the Hebrew University. She is interested in studying the role of the gut microbiome in health and disease, and to decipher mechanisms of gut-brain interactions. She enjoys relaxing with a cup of tea and a captivating book, or by practicing meditation.