Prof. Melamed’s research interests span cell biology, endocrinology, epigenetics, fertility, gene regulation, hormones, and reproduction. Her lab focuses on the role of epigenetics in controlling reproduction. Epigenetics is a field of study that looks at how genes are regulated through altering their accessibility and packaging, without changes in the DNA sequence. The field comprises a means of regulation that occurs during normal development and in response to the environment. She and her team aim to understand how DNA packaging at key genes encoding regulatory factors plays a role in normal reproductive development, and how epigenetic modifications (chemical changes in the packaging) affect pubertal timing and fertility.
Prof. Melamed is a member of the Technion Faculty Ambassador Program, which prepares faculty to serve as speakers during events and meetings with supporters in the U.S. and globally. As such, Ambassador Faculty are mentored to better understand the mission of the ATS and other Technion Societies. This “Win-Win” Program is expected to benefit the Technion while also offering its Ambassadors wider exposure to their research and opportunities to polish their presentation skills.
Born in London, Prof. Melamed is a graduate of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University, and conducted postdoctoral work at the University of Toronto and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Finishing her studies in 1999, she was on the faculty at the National University of Singapore in the Department of Biological Sciences and the Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering. Prof. Melamed joined the Technion in 2008, where she is now a tenured professor.
Among her many professional affiliations, Prof. Melamed is a member of the Endocrine Society in the U.S., the European Society of Endocrinology, and the Society for the Study of Reproduction. She has won many honors including the Hans Lindner Prize for Basic Endocrinology research from the Israel Endocrine Society.
