Our research addresses fungal resistance and tolerance, which are major challenges with far-reaching consequences for global agriculture and human health. We focus on uncovering how gene expression regulation contributes to the development and persistence of antifungal resistance and tolerance. In parallel, we investigate the antifungal potential of plant-derived compounds using advanced genomic approaches, with a particular emphasis on genome-wide CRISPR screens. By dissecting the genetic and molecular mechanisms that drive fungal resistance and tolerance, our lab is committed to developing innovative, sustainable antifungal strategies.
Research Areas:
Antifungal Resistance Mechanisms: Uncovering the genetic factors and molecular pathways that enable fungi to develop resistance to both synthetic fungicides and natural antifungal agents.
CRISPRi-Based Genomic Screening: Utilizing CRISPRi technology to perform unbiased, high-throughput screening to identify novel molecular pathways involved in antifungal resistance.
Plant-Derived Compounds: Investigating the antifungal properties of plant-derived compounds and their potential as eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic fungicides.
Academic Background
(2022 – 2024) Postdoctoral Researcher, Faculty of Biology, Technion, Israel
Supervisor: Prof. Benjamin Horwitz
Research Focus: Genome-wide CRISPRi-based characterization of stress responses in fungi.
(2016 - 2022) Direct Ph.D. track in Biology, Technion, Israel
Supervisor: Prof. Yoav Arava
Thesis: Roles of Aminoacyl tRNA synthetases in mRNA regulation.