The MICC has selected three staff scientists as recipients of the Prize Program for Outstanding Staff Scientists. This award is given in recognition of their exceptional achievements as leading research fellows in the areas of scientific excellence, scientific curiosity, and collaboration.
The awards were granted to:
Keren Bahar Halpern, Ph.D. is an associate staff scientist at the lab of Prof. Shalev Itzkovitz. Her research explores the regulation of gene expression and its influence on metabolic organ function. She employs cutting-edge approaches such as spatial omics, single-cell genomics, and systems biology, with a particular focus on liver and intestinal biology. Keren’s papers on the liver have positioned her as a world expert in liver research and liver spatial genomics. She has received awards such as the prestigious Maxine Singer Prize and delivered numerous invited talks at world-wide conferences.
Dr. Lital Adler is a staff scientist in the Department of Molecular Cell Biology at the Weizmann Institute of Science, working at Prof. Ayelet Erez’s lab. Her research focuses on cancer metabolism, particularly investigating the role of HNF4a in obesity and cancer cachexia. She earned her PhD in Biochemistry from UCLA, followed by postdoctoral training at the Weizmann Institute and Stanford University. Dr. Adler has authored publications in leading journals and received the NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral fellowship. She is currently an incumbent of the Blumberg Family Research Fellows Chair in memory of Talia Lynn Steckman.
Dr. Osnat Bartok is an associate staff scientist in Prof. Yardena Samuels’ laboratory at the Weizmann Institute of Science. Osnat joined the lab in 2017 after graduate and post-doctoral studies at the Hebrew university of Jerusalem, where she explored the regulation of tumor suppressors and RNA metabolism. Her main interest is to elucidate genetic and non-genetic determinants affecting the anti-tumor immune response, concentrating on intratumor heterogeneity and deregulation of the cancerous translation machinery. Her research aims to identify novel sources of targetable cancer antigens for personalized immunotherapies. She was recently awarded the Maxine Singer Prize for Outstanding Staff Scientists.