Her Ph.D. research is investigating whether the Saint-Venant’s principle, which comes from structural mechanics and examines stress distribution of forces on elastic materials, is valid for soft biological tissues. She hopes her research might help physicians diagnose and treat cancerous tumors.
Since discovering her passion for science and technology as a young girl, Ms. Blum has carved out an exceptional career in academia and the military, where she is often the only woman in the room. The daughter of a cardiologist and a Technion graduate, Ms. Blum was born in Israel and spent part of her youth in a suburb of Maryland. Returning to Israel at age 17, she joined the Brakim program, a demanding excellence initiative of the Technion and Israel Defense Forces that allowed her to complete her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering in only four years, while conducting military service.
After graduation, she was appointed Aircraft’s Mishaps, Crashes and Failure Officer in the Israeli Air Force, responsible for investigating airplane accidents. She then entered the Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Research and Development (DDR&D), where she served as head of the Aviation Sciences Section. She now heads a technological division in the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
Throughout her academic and professional journey, one thing has been constant for Ms. Blum — she is often the only woman in the room. After asking herself why we don’t see enough women in tech, as CEOs or in leadership positions, she was inspired to take action. In 2017, Ms. Blum founded “AT” (Hebrew for you, feminine), a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging female high school students to pursue careers in STEM. The organization exposes young women to female role models in tech, provides mentorship and visits to tech companies, and offers programming that opens doors to fields like engineering and computer science. The goal of “AT” is to make STEM accessible to everyone so that every girl believes that she can work in tech, become a CEO, and achieve her dreams, whatever they may be. Her philosophy is “Once you see it, you can become it.” In February 2023, Ms. Blum published an article about “AT” in Nature Reviews Materials.
Her work has earned her a place in Forbes Israel’s “30 Under 30” list of technology superstars and in the Jerusalem Post’s “50 Most Influential Jews of 2022.” She has received many awards, including the honor of being chosen to represent the DDR&D in Israel’s 71st Independence Day Torch-lighting Ceremony in 2019.
