Fellows will work alongside students, faculty, and research staff in a wide range of academic research areas, including biology, medicine, psychology, business, law, and engineering, among other topics. Our program will provide fellows with an immersive experience studying and contributing to scholarly research. Fellows will be responsible for contributing to their group’s research or scholarly activities. In doing so, they will gain exposure to the American academic system, thus offering them valuable training and experiences and building friendships. By sharing time and participating in this exchange, students of different cultures, backgrounds, and life experiences will create positive dialogue and mutual understanding, greatly enriching learning communities.

The bridge fellowship concerns cultural exchange between fellows from Israeli universities. We expect candidates to meet English language proficiency requirements. Selection criteria include a strong commitment to spending 5 weeks engaged in full-time academic training/research and particular personal qualities or experiences that indicate a likelihood of success in our program. All applicants meeting the eligibility criteria are welcome to apply, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or citizenship. We encourage applications from those who meet the eligibility criteria and who have also completed military or national service (if applicable), as well as anyone affected by the October 7 massacre or the ongoing war.

As in the 2024 inaugural program, we expect to bring 40 fellows who will join labs and research teams of faculty at the University of Pennsylvania and engage in five weeks of research activity, participate in daily academic seminars led by leading Penn faculty, and participate in social activities together with undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Pennsylvania. The program will begin with a three-day orientation, which will include Penn faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, and Academic Bridge Fellows. This orientation will allow fellows to learn about the U.S. academic system and the scientific process. The orientation will also allow fellows to get to know one another and the program leaders and create a community before traveling together to the U.S.

The structure mentioned above has three main pillars: Academic, communal, and personal. Academically, the program aims to sow the seeds that will later grow into academic cooperation and further future research. Communally, the program aims to expose the fellows to the rich and diverse range of communities in and around campus and to create and maintain ties between them and these communities. The program wishes to give fellows a wide range of tools to turn them into better researchers, expose them to a broad scope of opinions, and help them in their future educational journey. During the 2024 program, fellows developed close bonds with professors, students, and members of the United States’ local communities.

Program Highlights:

• Orientation and Preparatory Activities: Following team-building activities and workshops on cultural literacy, fellows will gather for an intense three-day orientation featuring lectures by Penn faculty and leading figures in Israeli society.
• Faculty Mentored Research: Fellows matched with members of Penn’s faculty for a five-week mentored research experience integrated into their respective research groups.  
• Academic Exposure: Daily seminars expose the Fellows to cutting-edge research in various disciplines. Faculty engaged with students outside the seminars, including gatherings at their homes.
• Social Activities: Fellows will participate in local trips and social activities, joining local students in these events and building bridges between Israelis and Americans. During last year’s program, fellows visited New York City, Washington DC, and the Jersey Shore; they attended sports games and concerts and organized numerous social events in Philadelphia.

Leadership:

Penn Faculty:  Jessica Wachter (finance), Peter Decherney (cinema studies), Claire Finkelstein (law), Kara Bernstein (medicine), Ronny Drapkin (pathology), Michael Kahana (psychology), and Abraham Wyner (statistics).

Shai Dromy, SJD candidate at the University of Pennsylvania Law School (2025 Program Director).