Organization profile

The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences at Bar-Ilan University brings together fundamental, computational, engineering and translational research across the life sciences. Its research reaches from the molecular processes that regulate genes, RNA, proteins and cells to the interactions among the brain, immune system and microbiome, and from human health and disease to plants, marine organisms and ecosystems.

Research

The Faculty's research spans nine major areas: Bioengineering; Developmental and Cellular Biology; Ecology, Marine Biology and Plant Sciences; Immunology and Cancer Research; Microbiology and Virology; Neurobiology; Neuroimmunology and Neurodegenerative Diseases; Optometry and Vision Sciences; and Structural and Computational Biology.

At the molecular and cellular level, researchers investigate how biological information is generated, modified and translated into cellular function. Research into RNA dynamics and editing, gene regulation, protein quality control and cellular signaling is complemented by structural and computational approaches, including machine learning, that reveal interactions among genes, RNA and proteins and their roles in health and disease.

These discoveries increasingly meet the ability to engineer biological systems. Faculty research includes CRISPR-based approaches to correct disease-causing mutations, engineering immune cells and proteins for cancer immunotherapy, and developing microfluidic technologies for personalized medicine. Bioengineering also reaches vision restoration, where neural biology is combined with gene therapy, stem cells, tissue engineering and artificial retinal technologies.

Research on health and disease frequently crosses biological systems. Studies of the microbiome examine communication among microorganisms, the immune and nervous systems, and the effects of diet and microbial metabolites on physiology and disease. Neuroimmunology connects immunity with cognition, aging and neurodegenerative disease, while other research investigates cancer, infectious disease and the molecular mechanisms that underlie aging and cellular decline.

The nervous system is studied from individual neurons to perception, motivation and behavior. Experimental and computational approaches explore how neurons process information, how physiological needs shape behavior, and how visual perception and eye movements provide windows into brain function. Research on sleep connects genes and neural circuits with broader questions about nervous-system function and evolution.

The Faculty's research also places living systems within a changing environment. Plant research addresses development, disease resistance and responses to environmental stress, with implications for crop resilience and sustainable agriculture. Marine research examines coral biology and reef resilience, biological rhythms, and interactions between phytoplankton and viruses that influence marine ecosystems and global carbon cycling.

Across these areas, molecular and cellular biology meet computation and engineering; microbiology connects with immunity, metabolism and neuroscience; and research on organisms and ecosystems links fundamental biological mechanisms with environmental processes. This interplay across levels and disciplines is a defining feature of the Faculty's research environment.

Research environment and scientific training

Faculty research groups bring together researchers, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, research staff and collaborators, combining experimental, computational and quantitative approaches. Research and advanced scientific training are closely integrated, with graduate students and postdoctoral researchers participating directly in ongoing scientific work.

Education and mission

Research-based education is central to the Faculty's academic mission. Undergraduate and graduate programs combine a broad foundation in the biological sciences with exposure to contemporary research questions, methods and technologies. The Faculty promotes scientific excellence, curiosity, critical thinking and scientific integrity, together with awareness of the ethical, social and environmental dimensions of advances in the life sciences.