The Technion recently welcomed 25 new faculty members during a festive reception at the David and Janet Polak Visitors Center. The reception was attended by Technion management, faculty deans, and Technion President Professor Uri Sivan, who shared words of wisdom for the new cohort. The new faculty members will join the talented ranks of Technion educators to continue developing the next generation of Israel’s innovators and leaders.

Thirty-five percent of the new faculty members are women, and many are Technion alumni themselves. The group will bring their expertise to 13 different faculties with research focusing on a wide range of fields, including underwater engineering systems, algorithmics, inequality in education, smart transportation systems, artificial intelligence in construction, black holes, rehabilitation robotics, the history of philosophy, drug development, neural networks, computer vision, and tissue engineering.

At the ceremony, President Sivan said: “Each year, the event welcoming new faculty members is one of the most joyous occasions. It symbolizes the Technion’s rejuvenation and growth … As the first university in Israel, the Technion bore on its shoulders the country’s establishment, the growth of its industry, its security, and responsibility for its society. You have a right to be very proud of having joined the ranks of this institution, and we have no doubt that you will not only display professionalism, but also a sense of obligation and responsibility for Israel’s social robustness.”

The reception was hosted by Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Professor Naama Brenner. She greeted the new faculty members and said: “You came to the Technion at a challenging time, during a war. This is a period of crisis. It’s important to remember your role, and ours, on behalf of the State of Israel. As members of the faculty, we have an obligation – and a privilege – to fulfill a leadership role in Israeli society.”

The new faculty members for this academic year are:

• Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning: Eliyahu (Eli) Keller
• Faculty of Biomedical Engineering: Dr. Efrat Shimron (who will also join the Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering)
• Schulich Faculty of Chemistry: Ori Green
• Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering: Dr. Lucy Solomon Liberman
• Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Professor Sigal Kaplan and Dr. Lior Rubanenko
• Henry and Marilyn Taub Faculty of Computer Science: Dr. Or Litany, Dr. David Wajc, Dr. Nadav Amit, Assistant Professor Brit Youngmann, and Naama Ben-David (TCE)
• Faculty of Data and Decisions Science: Gal Mendelson
• Faculty of Education in Science and Technology: Professor Miri Yemini
• Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Haggai Maron and Assistant Professor Pavel Sidorenko
• Faculty of Mathematics: Professor Gilad Gour
• Faculty of Mechanical Engineering: Dr. Nili Krausz, Dr. Evgeniy Boyko, and Professor Morel Groper
• Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine: Hadas Benisty
• Department of Physics: Dr. Ram Adar, Dr. Shmuel Bialy, Dr. Ilya Svetlizky, Dr. Ido Schwartz, and Dr. Ben Ohayon