Menu Close
Senior Scientist, Department of Plant Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science

I was born in Haifa, Israel, where I developed a passion to the sea and its mysteries.

Very early in my scientific career I was intrigued by microbial chemical ecology and with the ability of marine microorganisms to shape the biogeochemical cycles of our planet. I’m specifically interested in the chemical “language” used by marine microorganisms and the cellular strategies employed during acclimation to environmental stress conditions.

I earned a B.Sc in Biology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1994), from which I also received my PhD in Molecular Ecology (2004). After conducting postdoctoral research at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris and at Rutgers University, I joined the Plant Sciences department at The Weizmann Institute in 2010.

I’m married to the artist Nivi Alroy, who reinterprets biological themes such as cell-cell communication and apoptosis, and projects them onto urban environments and architectural landscapes. We recently collaborated on a children’s book that explains ecological and environmental issues through the lives of microorganisms in the oceans. Nivi and I are parents to Michael.

Experience

  • –present
    Senior Scientist, Department of Plant Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science