My passion for teaching, mentoring, and promoting diversity is one of my incentives to work in Academia. I believe that part of my duties as a faculty member is to provide both undergraduate and graduate students with a supportive learning environment. Moreover, I believe that education to scientific literacy starts at a very young age and that scholars should take a lead role in promoting it.
Microorganisms, the environment, and evolution are frequently discussed by the public. However, the connection between our day-to-day life and fundamental microbial processes, like photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation, is often not fully understood. Drawn from my scientific background, I hold an integrative vision of how those different disciplines should be taught in conjunction. For example, I like to introduce the concept of photosynthetic primary productivity as a proxy for environmental health. I believe that by fostering this integrative understanding, students can benefit from relating science with environmental phenomena and their own actions, from recycling to activism.
I currently take great joy in mentoring students in the lab and will post information about courses taught by me in the near future.
Academic employment and teaching experience
[2017-present] Guest lecturer in “Microbial physiology” and “Microbial ecology and diversity” at Rutgers University.
[2004-2010] Co-Teaching and Teaching Assistant, the Mina and Everard Faculty of Life Sciences at Bar-Ilan University: Biochemistry -200 level, Introduction to Ecology, and The Global Importance of Algae.
[2002-2003] Program Supervisor, Bar Ilan University, outreach program aimed at teaching gifted young scientists plant and environmental sciences.
Courses that I am interested in teaching
- Cell biology
- Microbiology
- Biochemistry
- Molecular biology
- Recombinant DNA techniques
- Environmental microbiology/ecology
- Photosynthesis / Advanced photosynthesis
- Marine biology
- Algae-from the Environment to Biotechnology
- Courses of which I would like to teach teach sections:
- Plant physiology
- Ecology
- Scientific writing and presentation
