Doctoral Student Elad Zehavi Awarded the Adams Fellowship

Congratulations, doctoral student Elad Zehavi, for winning the prestigious Adams Scholarship awarded by the Israeli Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Zehavi's research, supervised by Prof. Avi Zadok, focuses on the application of quantum technology on optical fibers. "We are trying to demonstrate quantum sensing using components, infrastructures, and accessible systems. We are trying to implement a phase sensor with quantum sensitivity, relying on non-linear interactions within the optical fiber," he explains.

Zehavi (31), married +1, is has been at the Faculty of Engineering from the beginning of his academic career. After completing his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering, specializing in electro-optics and nano-electronics, he proceeded to pursue a graduate degree under Prof. Avi Zadok in the field of electro-optics, and is currently in the midst of his doctoral studies. "Our lab researches non-linear interactions between acoustic waves and light waves in optical fibers, primarily for sensing purposes. Light waves travel deep within the optical fiber, so they cannot 'tell' us what's happening outside. Our group has developed various techniques based on interactions between acoustic and light waves to gather information about the external environment as a way of overcoming this obstacle," he shares. "The technology could be used in chemical sensing, for example, as a way of helping us understand which chemicals or liquids are present outside the optical fiber. This was the focus of my graduate studies and the starting point for my doctoral studies."

Over the past year, the research group has been working on bringing the lab's specialties to the realm of quantum technology. "Quantum optics is a relatively new research field in our lab, and we are currently working on several projects simultaneously, in collaboration with Prof. Avi Pe'er's group from the Physics department," says Zehavi. "If we succeed, we can implement quantum sensing technology into optical fibers far more easily than we can today."

The Adams Fellowship is awarded annually by the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities in honor of Canadian donor Marcel Adams. Only 6–8 outstanding doctoral students in scientific fields across the country receive the fellowship each year. "It's a great honor to receive this fellowship, and I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped me reach this point: my dear wife Roni, who has supported me throughout, and my beloved family. To Prof. Avi Zadok, my supervisor during my graduate and doctoral studies, who has always been a professional and personal role model. I also want to thank my research group and the Faculty of Engineering’s academic and administrative staff. I've been studying here for eight years, and it's become like a second home, largely thanks to the warm and personal atmosphere.”

Read more about the Adams Fellowship