14/09/2026
We were proud to host the 5th Conference of the Israeli Society for Synthetic Biology (ISSB) https://lnkd.in/dk6A6kjX, chaired by Prof. Tamir Tuller (TAU Biomedical Engineering), President of the ISSB https://lnkd.in/dcxDM64t.
The conference brought together researchers, students, industry leaders, government representatives, and investors to explore emerging directions and opportunities in synthetic biology. It provided a platform for presenting cutting-edge research and technological innovation, fostering interdisciplinary exchange, and strengthening connections between fundamental academic research, technological development, and real-world applications.
A panel brought together perspectives from academia, industry, government, and venture capital, featuring https://lnkd.in/dGV4JJrw:
* Moderator: Dr. Orly Savion, Alagene
* Dr. Avner Finger, VP, Global R&D Vaccines, Phibro Animal Health
* Dr. Michal Soreni-Harari, Director, Bioengineering Division
* Dr. Shai Melcer, Head of the National Bio-Convergence Program, Israel Innovation Authority
* Prof. Ron Weiss, Director, MIT Synthetic Biology Center
* Aaron Zucker, Founder and Managing Partner, Sapir Venture Partners
In addition, the following researchers presented in the meeting
https://lnkd.in/dGV4JJrw:
* Prof. Sarel Fleishman, Weizmann Institute of Science
* Dr. Dana Goldenberg, Phibro Animal Health
* Prof. Farren Isaacs, Yale University
* Prof. Assaf Gilad, Tel Aviv University
* Prof. Philippos Papathanos, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
* Prof. Lior Nissim, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
* Prof. Asaph Aharoni, Weizmann Institute of Science
* Prof. Ayal Hendel, Bar-Ilan University
A central highlight was the recognition of outstanding achievements of researchers through the 2026 Outstanding PhD Awards https://lnkd.in/dDfh5ucf:
* Innovation: Jeremy Garb, Weizmann Institute of Science
* Impact: Itamar Menuhin-Gruman, Tel Aviv University
* Runner-up, Innovation: Eliya Milshtein, Weizmann Institute of Science
* Runner-up, Impact: Keren Roas, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Around 90 posters were presented in the conference https://lnkd.in/dCTvZQRv . We congratulate the researchers recognized with the 2026 Best Poster Awards, for the excellence of their research and scientific presentations. The poster awards were dedicated to the memory of Dr. Hadas Zur, a pioneering PhD student and researcher who worked in Prof. Tuller’s Laboratory of Computational Systems and Synthetic Biology and tragically passed away from cancer at a young age:
* Prem Anand Murugan
* Noam Golan
* Jiayi Fang
* Dar Yaron
* Valeriia Kravchik
Congratulations to all award recipients, speakers, and participants who contributed to the success of the conference. Their work reflects the strength and diversity of Israel’s synthetic biology research community and the importance of collaboration across disciplines and sectors.
