“We’ve accomplished some great things here”

For five years, Prof. Ze’ev Zalevsky served as Dean of the Faculty of Engineering. His term began with the outbreak of COVID-19, then an academic strike, and now a still-raging war with no clear end in sight. “I think I had a very challenging term as Dean, all these events added quite a few white hairs to my head,” he says, “but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and ultimately, an organization can improve under pressure. During COVID-19, for example, we established a hybrid teaching infrastructure, and now it serves our students and faculty on reserve duty.”

Increase in Programs, Infrastructure, and Human Capital

Despite his eventful term, Prof. Zalevsky lets himself to look back on his time as head of the Faculty of Engineering with satisfaction. “My original term was to last three years, and I requested two additional years because I wanted to accomplish more things. Indeed, during my tenure, we’ve accomplished some great things here. First and foremost, we established new study tracks, which include four new study programs: Industrial Engineering and Information Systems, Materials Engineering, Data Engineering, and Software Engineering; and five new specialization tracks within existing programs: Quantum Engineering, Neuro-engineering, Chip and Hardware Design, Bio-medical Engineering (to begin in October 2024), and Electrical Engineering with a specialization in Computer Engineering – a new graduate track, also set to launch this October. This is a very significant development. Opening new study programs is a difficult and long procedure with the Council for Higher Education, and specialization tracks, although an internal procedure, also require quite a bit of work.

“Secondly, I was involved in the significant growth trend at the faculty, both in the number of students and the number of faculty members with unique specializations. This is significant because the more senior faculty members in the faculty, the more influence it has within the university. Quite a few faculty members were promoted during my term, and quite a few new researchers joined our ranks. I want to emphasize that they were recruited not by default, but due to their research excellence, and I'm proud of this positive trend.

“My third point of pride is the faculty's infrastructure. During my term, five theoretical laboratories were built in the faculty, with two more intended for the Materials Engineering program currently under construction. This required a complex process of approvals, budgeting, and regulation compliance. We are also in the initial processes of building an additional building that will be connected to the current one housing the Faculty of Engineering, thereby doubling the area of the faculty, from 15 m² to twice that. Most of the planning, from concept through fundraising, municipality approvals, and architectural design, was completed during my term. The new building will include designated spaces for teaching and research, and a technological entrepreneurship complex, which will not only advance the Faculty’s researchers but also create an ecosystem oriented towards the high-tech industry, allowing for much closer cooperation between graduates, researchers, entrepreneurs, and high-tech professionals. I'm very proud of this.

“Fourthly, I think I managed to create a pleasant and reciprocal discourse between the faculty members in the various study programs, and also between the faculty and the students. In my opinion, the interaction has become much more fruitful, and there is much more activity with the students and their representatives, the student council. We set up an organized system aimed at assisting and easing the burden on students, especially during the difficult period they endured in the last five years. We offer a network of academic advisors and have established many committees such as the teaching committee, or the committee for preventing student dropout. Dropout rates, despite the difficulty of the period, are still relatively low at the Faculty of Engineering. This is the result of joint work of all faculty parts. It serves both the students and the faculty, and I see it as crucial. In addition, I'm glad I was able to promote more gender equality. In the last five years, we have steadily increased the number of female engineering students. When I started my term, the percentage of women in the first year stood at 34%-33%, and in October 2024, for the first time ever, more women than men – 52% – will be starting their first year.

“The fifth thing I tried to promote, and the fruits of which we should be seeing in about six months, is international student initiatives. Hosting a large number of international students makes a significant impact on the international ranking of both the Faculty of Engineering and the university in general. In recent months, I met with rectors of several good universities, ranked at least as high as Bar-Ilan, in Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan, and was able to secure several MOUs – inter-university cooperation agreements. As a result, it is highly likely that soon there will be dozens of students from these universities attending Bar-Ilan to attain a double master's degree from both their home university and Bar-Ilan. In addition, we are in the processes of securing a joint master's degree initiative with a consortium of universities in Europe, within the framework of a European program called Erasmus Mundus. I think this will also significantly increase the number of international students in the Faculty of Engineering.”

One Hundred Patents, Four Start-ups, and More to Come

At the end of September, Prof. Zalevsky will officially step down from his role as Dean, will be handing over the reins to his successor, Prof. Orit Shefi. In October he will enter his new administrative role at the university, as Vice President for Academia-Industry Relations. “I hope that within the framework of the new role, I will be able to promote applied research throughout the university and among the students who come to specialize with us, with the understanding that their training will be tailored to the needs of the Israeli high-tech market. In addition, I want to create collaboration of entrepreneurship and applied research between our campus and relevant industries, at the national and international level. This connection between academia and industry is important to the university in terms of international ranking as well as maintaining our technological advantage at the national level.”

But even in his new role, Prof. Zalevsky will carry on his research work and continue to supervise students. "My time as Dean was very intensive, and naturally it interfered with my research, but I tried as much as possible to minimize the damage, to continue in the direction I was engaged in before, to maintain an active research group of about 20 graduate students, publish articles, submit applications for grants, and initiate collaborations with high-tech companies in my research areas. Considering the time and work the role of Dean required, I think I managed to preserve my level of research as much as possible, and I hope to continue with this in the next role as well.”

Prof. Zalevsky has over a hundred patents registered in his name, and several start-up companies have emerged from his laboratory, including 'Nano Drops', which develops eye drops for correcting vision problems; 'Z Square', which develops a disposable endoscope; 'Sanitis Medical', which develops an optical sensor for remote monitoring of heart and lung diseases; 'Cognifiber', which develops an optical computer and recently completed a successful fundraising of $5 million, and more. “These companies are based on technologies developed in my laboratory, which were then commercialized through BIRAD company. Some of them are based on technologies I've worked on for decades – Z Square, for example, is a commercialization that was created 15 years ago – and even now there are several companies in line for commercialization through BIRAD. It's important to me that these ventures succeed, that the technology is realized and reaches the market; otherwise, we’ve wasted years of work, which is why both I and the university have an interest in their success.”

He also has some words to share with his successor, Prof. Orit Shefi, the new Dean of the Faculty: "I wish her to drink a lot of alcohol, so she can deal with things she can't affect, and a lot of coffee, so she has a lot of strength and alertness to deal with things she can. I wish her to know how to look ahead: in the end, we’re running long-distance, and you need patience. In addition, I wish her the ability to cope with the unexpected – during my term, every year or so, something unexpected came up. I wish her a blessed routine for a change.”

“Finally, on a personal note, I want to thank everyone who accompanied me throughout my term and did plenty of significant work. I'm talking about all the heads of programs and tracks, the chairs of the teaching committees for undergraduate and graduate degrees, the chair of academic advisors, the faculty researchers in Senate committees, the administrative staff who accompanied me and assisted me in all of our work, the former head of administration Dina, the current head of administration Yossi, the administrative assistants for undergraduate and graduate degrees, Shimrit, Reut and Tal, the recruitment team and all other members of the faculty's administrative staff, including our computer staff. Without you, the progress of the faculty would have been significantly hurt, and I am grateful to each and every one of you.”