Department of Physics
Faculty of Natural Sciences
My life before BGU:
I was born in Petah Tikva and lived in Neve Monosson until the age of ten, when we moved to England. I studied for my bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Oxford, and did my PhD at the University of Sussex. I completed postdoctoral fellowships in Paris, Heidelberg and Munich.
"One thing that I’ve learned is that often things that appear complicated, because one is unfamiliar with the terminology, become very simple once you understand what the words mean. And things that at first appear trivial can in fact become very complicated on second thought"
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My research:
I work in theoretical physics. I am interested in quantum gravity and in string theory. These are theories that are important primarily for physics of extremely high energies or very small distances. For example, they are important in answering questions about the early stages of the universe. An open question that interests me is why the law of physics are what they are? Could they have been different? I examine this question by determining physics laws that are compatible with quantum gravity. Happily, I recently received a research grant to the sum of NIS 1 million from the Israel Science Foundation.
Why BGU?
I’ve been familiar with BGU’s Department of Physics for years, from various articles. A few years ago, I visited to give a lecture and was really impressed by the atmosphere in the Department and the University. When the opportunity to join BGU came up, especially after having lived abroad most of my life and now that I have children, the choice was easy.
An insight from my research:
One thing that I’ve learned is that often things that appear complicated, because one is unfamiliar with the terminology, become very simple once you understand what the words mean. And things that at first appear trivial can in fact become very complicated on second thought.
Something that doesn’t appear on my CV:
Leisure time? Oh, I remember that…. It was something I had before there were children. I used to play a lot of football.
A source of inspiration:
When I was 16, I found a book in the library called A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking. I had no particular interest in physics before I read that book, but after that…
When I grow up:
As a child I wanted to be diver. Now I want to be a theoretical physicist.
If I wasn’t a researcher, I would:
Study to become a researcher
In Brief:
» Steak or tofu? Tofu. I’m a pescatarian (I eat fish, but not other animals)
» Car or train? Train (whenever possible). I’ve never owned a car until now.
