“I am driven by the Faculty’s success”

Research at the new Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Prof. Orit Shefi’s lab is driven by the age-old question: Does function follow form, or is it form that follows function? “Traditionally, this adage refers to architecture and structures, but I associate it with the nervous system – a network of cells that covers our entire body and is in charge of our every function, input, and output,” she explains. “In my neuroengineering and rehabilitation lab, we analyze nerve cell growth processes, from single-cells to complex networks, and record and analyze the electrical activity that represents function. With these preliminary insights, we attempt to understand growing and renewing mechanisms, and develop platforms for nerve rehabilitation. Naturally, combining the bare-bone components with biological systems adds other challenges.”

Prof. Shefi is assuming the role of dean after 16 years at the Faculty of Engineering. She is 56 years old, married to Yotam (engineer and pilot), and a mother of three sons (“None of them strayed too far, they’re in computers and hi-tech”). She earned her undergraduate degree prior to her mandatory military service, at Tel Aviv University’s Department of Physics, and was then drafted to the IDF’s 8200 Tech Unit. “My service was significant, and really left its mark. It was an atmosphere of excellence, creativity, problem solving, and even though it was the military, it was extremely open-minded. It gave me a sense of competence. A lot of the people I met there went on to pursue academic careers, and they’ve become my colleagues – overseas and here as well.”

After completing her service, she went on to attain her graduate and postgraduate degrees in physics. Her doctoral thesis explored neural network analysis. “It was a fascinating period in my life. I got to appreciate the value of research and the link between thinking, marking a goal or a problem, and fundamental research aimed at problem-solving. The way I see it, the hardest part in research is finding and fine-tuning the problem I have in mind and will push the field forward. That Eureka moment comes when you identify the exact problem. The path to solving it is much clearer and practical.” Upon completing her PhD, she continued on a postdoctoral research position at UCLA, where she studied sensing throughout the nervous system. “It took three years, during which I gained a more in-depth understanding of the nervous system, studied its natural development, and learned to view it as an array of sensors that could help technology reach an interface that offers solutions or strategies for post-injury rehabilitation.”

In 2008, she returned to Israel and joined Bar-Ilan University’s Faculty of Engineering, at the bioengineering track, developing technological tools for studying and interfering with biological systems in order to promote healing and rehabilitation. In her lab, she incorporates hands-on experimental work with theory, simulations, data analysis and network intelligence. “We do highly interdisciplinary work. We study the nervous system and the links between roles and functions, and at the same time we do applicative research, developing electrodes and implants for transporting cells to their target after a nerve cutoff, for instance as a result of a deep cut. These are like smart bridges that adapt to the elemental cell structure, enabling effective binding and can help with reinnervation. This is essentially tissue engineering: we develop engineering systems that operate and synch with the body’s natural systems. This research has led to patents and commercialization in the field of peripheral nervous system.”

Prof. Shefi has held various positions at the Faculty of Engineering prior to this new role as Dean, including student advisor, Chair of the Graduate School Committee, and Head of the bioengineering track. “But a Dean’s work is unlike anything I’ve done before, there are so many aspects to it,” she elaborates. “The Faculty has grown quite a bit in the last few years, it is a technological forefront; we have additional programs and specializations, including interdisciplinary programs such as the electrical engineering and music program, or the neuroengineering track that combines engineering and neuroscience, or the new track that combines computer engineering and chip design. This variety allows students to pick the engineering topic that’s closest to their heart, and I want to establish that, and continue to promote these programs and research in these fields. I also want to continue promoting excellence in research, encourage undergraduate students to continue their research within the Faculty, forge collaborations among the Faculty’s various disciplines and with the researchers at the Faculty of Industry, because engineering and hi-tech are inseparable.

In addition, she aims to promote the Faculty’s community involvement. "There are communities that are underrepresented in higher education, and their potential is great. I want to actively reach out to these communities - for example, through public lectures, extracurricular courses, and having our students volunteer in schools - to bring up the next generation of engineers, increase our potential, and enhance diversity. For instance, we’ve begun sponsoring high school robotics groups. All of this needs to go hand in hand with innovative teaching. Since COVID, we've realized that conventional teaching as we knew it is not always the best or accessible model. Therefore, my aspiration in the coming years is to develop the field of teaching and teaching innovation in the Faculty. This need is especially pressing now, during the war, when some of our students and lecturers spend days and weeks on reserve duty. We appreciate this, owe them gratitude, and are committed to making efforts to integrate them and help them make up the materials they missed."

Just before assuming the role of Dean, she wishes to thank Prof. Ze’ev Zalevsky, the departing Dean, who served in the position for the past five years. "Prof. Zalevsky is a distinguished researcher who led and pushed the faculty forward during very challenging times, from COVID to the Swords of Iron war, established new study programs, and laid the foundations for the new Engineering building that will be built soon," she says, and adds: "I also want to thank the backbone of the Faculty - the academic staff, both senior and junior, the administrative staff, and of course the head of Faculty administration, Dr. Yossi Talyosef. I am entering the role of Dean with enthusiasm, the success of the Faculty is what drives me, and I believe that our cooperation is key to the Faculty's success.”