Research in Resilience: TAU’s Summer That Almost Wasn’t

Tel Aviv University’s 2025 Summer Research Programs in Sciences and Humanities was unlike any before it. Even as unexpected challenges disrupted plans and reshaped the season, students and faculty pressed forward with curiosity, creativity, and an unshakable commitment to their work.

This year’s participants came from universities across the globe to join TAU’s world-class labs and research groups. Their projects spanned medical history, nanostructures, the aerodynamics of swimming ducks, the Dead Sea scrolls, and more.

When the crisis hit, some international students stayed in Tel Aviv, others returned home in June, only to come back as soon as the situation stabilized. Either way, the determination to see research through became the defining feature of the summer.

Learning by Doing at the Highest Level

For Menachem Guttmann, an undergraduate from Toronto, the summer was a chance to immerse himself in optomechanics, an area rarely covered in undergraduate studies. Working in Professor Tal Carmon’s lab, he found himself not just observing but actively running experiments.

“The PhD students have really taken me under their wing,” Menachem shared.

“They’ve given me the opportunity to run with experiments, learn from mistakes, and gain confidence. I’m taking an optomechanics course next year, and I feel like I’m going to ace it because of this experience.”—Menachem Guttmann, Summer Research Program in Sciences (Photonic Enhancement Lab)

From Theory to Measured Reality

In Professor Gal Ribak’s lab, Ayan Mayank Patel from India was deep into a project on whitefly aerodynamics. Past studies had relied solely on video analysis; this summer’s work added acceleration data for greater precision.

Patel working on the whitefly aerodynamics project in the Biomechanics of Animal Locomotion Laboratory

“The hope,” Patel explained, “is that by adding this extra layer of measurement, we can make the calculations significantly more accurate. It’s exciting to know our contribution could refine the understanding of something so specific yet important.”

Similar stories unfolded across the university’s 400 labs where participants engaged in diverse research projects: TNF-α concentration studies comparing naive and activated cells, new desalination technologies, plastic decomposition under different conditions, infant gaze behavioral research requiring consistent observation, history of medicine, and many more.

Support That Went the Distance

Behind the scenes, TAU’s staff worked tirelessly to keep the program running in difficult circumstances, adapting schedules and ensuring research could continue. For many students, that dedication was as memorable as the research itself.

“It would have been so much easier to cancel everything,” said Maureen Adiri Meyer, Director of the Lowy International School, at the closing ceremony. “Anywhere else in the world, that’s what they might have done."

"Here, we found ways to keep going. In these times, to still run a program and make all the efforts for it to be successful takes courage and hard work.”—Maureen Adiri Meyer, Director of the Lowy International School

Short-Term Programs Director Ros Roucher emphasized the unity that emerged: “We understand these programs as one community with shared goals. I’m grateful to all our partners and supervisors for working closely with us to make placements happen and keep the program strong.”

More Than Research

At the final symposium, undergraduate and graduate students presented findings on everything from methylation entropy to the Warren Court’s influence on Israel. Maureen Adiri Meyer, fresh from speaking at the closing ceremony of the Yiddish summer program, joked, “I understood more there than I understand what you’re saying. You’re doing really complicated and amazing stuff.”

Neve Eilam, from Vancouver, worked with Dr. Nir Ben-Tal at the Computational Structural Biology Lab on a project investigating the evolutionary relationships between different proteins of different families.

Her words carried an important message: the pursuit of knowledge has a value that transcends circumstances. As Professor Milette Shamir, head of the Humanities program, had said earlier, “In a crisis, turmoil, and change, the value of social sciences research begins to surface even more than usual, as access to credible information becomes exceptionally valuable.” That truth played out in real time this summer.

Menachem summed it up simply: 

 “It’s really important to get this type of research experience, especially with people who let you learn and explore. TAU, and the professors here, have helped me take that next step.”

Hands-On Research Internships for International Students in Israel

Learn more about how you can join TAU’s Summer Research Programs in Sciences and Humanities and gain hands-on experience through undergraduate or graduate research opportunities, working alongside leading researchers in the heart of Tel Aviv.

Visit the Summer Programs page and watch for the Summer 2026 application announcement.