The Alexander Kofkin Faculty of Engineering Annual Report, 2022/2023 ג“תשפ
2 Ranked #1 in Israel for electrical engineering by THE (Times Higher Education) for the third year running, the Alexander Kofkin Faculty of Engineering has already attained an impressive reputation. However, this year proved that we can always reach higher. With our highest-ever student enrollment, new educational tracks and initiatives aimed at preparing our graduates for tomorrow’s job market, groundbreaking collaborations and research and impressive awards, the Faculty went ‘above and beyond’ in every facet of our activity. We always say that the Faculty of Engineering is like a family, and perhaps this is the secret of our success. Celebrating each other’s accomplishments, working together towards shared goals and supporting each other through challenges, the Faculty fosters a collaborative, innovative atmosphere where anything is possible. Below we are proud to report on some of our achievements from last year.
3 We are continually growing and updating to fit the needs of our students and the changing market. Spotlight on Education Student numbers The 2022-23 academic year began with our highest ever student enrollment. There are currently 1,320 students studying at the Faculty- nearly 1,000 undergraduates, 230 master’s students and, for the first time in the Faculty’s history, more than 100 PhD students. The increased enrollment (a trend which began more than five years ago) is testament to the Faculty’s popularity, and more importantly, to its highly acclaimed academic reputation.
4 Educational Programs and Tracks Degree Programs: • Electrical Engineering • Computer Engineering • Industrial and Information Systems Engineering • Data Science Engineering (to be opened in 2023-2024 academic year) • Materials Engineering (waiting for approval from the Council for higher Education) • Software Engineering (waiting for approval from the Council for Higher Education) Tracks and specializations offered in academic year 2022-2023 4 Educational Programs and Tracks Degree Programs: • Electrical Engineering • Computer Engineering • Industrial and Information Systems Engineering • Data Science Engineering (to be opened in 2023-2024 academic year) • Materials Engineering (waiting for approval from the Council for higher Education) • Software Engineering (waiting for approval from the Council for Higher Education) Tracks and Specializations offered in academic year 2022-2023 Program Track Principal investigator/ head of program Electrical Engineering General Prof. Tomer Kalisky Neuro-electrical Prof. Shahar Alon Quantum electrical Prof. Eli Cohen Hardware and Chip Design Prof. Adam Teman Electrical + mathematics Prof. Tomer Kalsiky Electrical and physics Prof. Eli Cohen Electrical+ music Prof. Sharon Gannot Computer Engineering General Prof. Carmit Hazzay Computer and physics Prof. Eli Cohen Computer and mathematics Prof. Tomer Kalisky Industrial and information systems General Prof. Itzik Cohen
5 “One of our goals is to train engineers who can bring together various fields when planning or optimizing processes. We are training students who will act in key positions in hi-tech and other industries, including research at leading universities.” Dr. Itzak Cohen, Head of the IISE Program Industrial and information systems engineering (IISE) program- our newest addition Although only a year old, the Faculty’s newest program is already successfully training the industry leaders of tomorrow. The only undergraduate engineering program to combine industrial engineering and information systems is preparing today’s students for careers in hi- tech and industry. In today’s ever-changing market, information systems are quickly becoming an integral part of management, planning, and controlling processes in the hi-tech industry. Students in the program study such diverse subjects as economics, behavioral science, financial management mathematics, statistics, AI and of course- engineering. One of the program’s most unique features is the emphasis on project-based learning. Most engineering students begin to work on field projects only during their last year or two of study. At IISE, students gain hands-on experience through projects they will work on throughout their undergraduate career, allowing them to work with research and key industry players and continually apply the methods and technologies that they learned. Forty-three students are enrolled in IISE this current year, and we are confident that this number will rise significantly next year.
6 Data Engineering Track (to be opened in academic year 2023-24) The Kofkin Faculty is gearing up to open its newest educational track. The 4-year Data Engineering track will be offered to students from the first semester of the 2023-2024 academic year. “It’s a hot and highly soughtafter field, both in industry and academia, and our Faculty already offers many courses in the core of the field, including courses in signal processing, machine learning, computer networks, and cryptography,” says Prof. Sharon Gannot, who will be heading the new program. “The program is designed for students who excel in quantitative and analytical thinking and will provide them with the scientific and technological foundations of data science and engineering, including extensive technical knowledge and the practical skills required to effectively and efficiently analyze and process signals and data.” Graduates will be able to work in software development for data processing and analysis and statistical inference, develop modern algorithms for machine learning and signal processing from various sources, and delve into a theoretical analysis of problems and performance evaluation, management, storage, and transfer of data in a reliable and secure manner, and more. "These fields are in great demand, and it’s a trend that will only continue to rise," explains Prof. Gannot. "Graduates of the program are bound to have a promising future in industry or academia and engage in fascinating topics at the forefront of science and application."
7 A guided tour of the brain Dr. Yaara Erez may be new at the Kofkin Faculty, but her research is already gaining world- wide attention. Thanks to brain mapping performed on patients with brain tumors, Dr. Erez’s research group was able to identify neural networks (groups of neurons that work together to process and transmit information throughout the brain) that are associated with higher cortical functions- the cognitive processes associated with the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain that controls perception, voluntary movement, language, reasoning, decision making and other complex cognitive functions. Dr. Erez conducts her brain mapping on patients with cancerous brain tumors, but the procedure is just as relevant for other brain diseases. “We work with non-aggressive tumors, the kind that patients can live with for years post-diagnosis. Such tumors are currently not curable, but removing significant portions of their results in a much longer survival—as long as 15–20 years postdiagnosis. These tumors have a core, which should always be removed when possible; but they also tend to spread to the healthy tissue around them, and this raises a dilemma: to remove or not, and if so, how much? Our goal is to remove as much of the tumor as we can, while still maintaining brain functions to ensure high quality of life for the patients and allow them to resume normal life,” she explains. “For that to happen, during the resection we perform a procedure called functional mapping, which we use to try and identify areas that are critical for specific functions. In the lab, we develop methods and tools to improve functional mapping beyond the ones currently in use.” Improved brain mapping techniques will enable surgeons to identify, on the level of an individual patient and in real-time, which areas of the brain are related to high executive functions, and provide patients with optimal, personalized treatment. Dr. Yaara Erez Spotlight on Research and Developments
8 Nanodiamonds for medicine delivery Prof. Dror Fixler and his team have confirmed that diamonds really are a girl’s (and boy’s) best friend. They have proven that when the precious gems are reduced to tiny particles, called nanodiamonds, they can penetrate the skin to provide accurate diagnoses and medicinal treatment. Nanodiamonds — a millionth of a millimeter in size — are produced by detonating explosives inside a closed chamber. Under these conditions, high temperature and pressure cause the carbon atoms found in explosives to fuse together. The nanodiamonds created in the process are small enough to penetrate tissue – and even cells — without inflicting harm. Nanodiamonds have also been proven effective antioxidants; this property ensures that particles penetrating the body are both safe and therapeutic, as their chemical properties allow them to be coated with medication prior to their insertion into the body. Fixler and his team created a noninvasive laser-based optical method that quantifies nanodiamond penetration and determines their location and concentration within tissue. Patients are briefly exposed to a blue laser beam, and an optical system creates a photograph-like 3D image through which changes in treated tissue can be compared to untreated tissue using a specially-created algorithm. This method can also be relevant to the drug and cosmetics industries. Channa Shapira, a key researcher in Prof. Fixler’s lab Prof. Dror Fixler “This is a significant development in dermatology and in optical engineering, it could open the door to developing drugs applied through the skin alongside modern cosmetic preparations using advanced nanotechnology” Prof. Dror Fixler explains, “Nanodiamonds are antioxidants, can be coated with different materials, and can penetrate the skin barrier. Our method can show the precise depth to which the pharmaceutical or cosmetic treatment penetrates, and actively see how effective it is under the skin.”
9 Spatial Genomics- the new RNA roadmap Spatial Genomics is a new field that seeks to map the physical position of millions of RNA molecules in cells and tissues and correlate them to normal and pathological conditions. Through a combination of technological development, data analysis and experimental work, Spatial Genomics can bring new insights into learning and memory, neurological diseases and cancer biology. Head of the Spatial Genomics lab Dr. Shahar Alon and his team have developed a new technology for RNA sequencing inside tissues, which allows researchers to identify the exact location of RNA molecules – highly valuable information in fields such as learning and memory, Alzheimer’s prevention and cancer research. In fact, this technology is key in personalized medicine, which starts by characterizing the genetic and epigenetic blueprint of patient’s tissues. Alon’s technology is of particular importance to two fields of research. The first is the study of brain tissue: “The molecules’ location in the tissue affects processes such as learning and memory. For the first time, our technology allows measuring the location of the different RNA molecules inside intact brain tissue with the resolution of individual synapses. We can find out which of the molecules takes part in the processes of memory and learning. This would enable us to know whether molecules or their location are damaged as a result of diseases such as Dr. Shahar Alon Alzheimer’s.” Cancer research is another field that may be assisted by the technology. “One of the most fascinating questions today in cancer research is how the immune system affects cancerous cells”, says Alon, “With our technology, we can see where cancerous cells are located in the tissue in relation to the location of immune system cells, and what their molecular contents are. One of the things we discovered using the new technology is that cancer cells act differently in the vicinity of immune system cells, and vice versa. In other words – show me your neighbors and I’ll tell you who you are.”
10 Fields of research: Machine learning and signal/image processing Post-doc: New York University Tirer (38) joined the Faculty of Engineering this past October, as part of the Data Science track. “A large part of my research focuses on signal reconstruction: say we have a noisy image from which we want to extract a clean image; or a blurry, or low-resolution image, and we want to restore the original image, clean and in high resolution. These tasks are the first stage in many systems, and from there we can move on to object detection or classification,” explains Tirer. As his research progressed, he found himself integrating more and more deep learning tools. “In the field of signal processing, having an algorithm that’s based on a mathematical model has been considered an advantage, because it allows you to perform a mathematical analysis, establish theory that predicts the algorithm’s performance, or bound its errors. The problem starts when you want to recover signals you can’t properly model mathematically: like natural images that we take with a camera, which can be landscapes, soccer games or selfies. These signals are hard to model mathematically.” And here’s where deep learning techniques come in handy. “In these methods, you train deep neural networks using a vast number Dr. Tom Tirer Spotlight on Personnel Newly recruited Faculty members “I gladly joined the Faculty of Engineering in Bar-Ilan University due to its Data Science track that combines the fields of signal processing and machine learning, similarly to my line of research. I am also enthusiastic to teach and train new generations of researchers and engineers, from every layer of society in Israel.” Tom Tirer of examples, which saves the need for mathematical modeling of complex data,” explains Tirer. Next semester he will be teaching a course on optimization and later some courses on advanced topics in image and signal processing. For now, he is forming his research group: “I’m looking for master’s and doctoral students who are curious and self-motivated, to join me in exploring this spectrum that ranges from signal processing to machine learning—facing theoretical and applicative research questions. My overarching goal is to improve our understanding of methods that use deep learning, whether as building blocks in general algorithmic frameworks, or as a complete solution, so that we can employ them effectively and reliably, rather than treat them as a black box.”
11 Fields of research: Control networks & Information theory Post-doc: Stanford University and Princeton University Dr. Yamini’s research on control networks and information theory aims to bridge the substantial gap of knowledge that exists between the design, analysis and optimization of large-scale information and control networks- such as robotics networks, autonomous driving networks, drone networks, and sensor networks - and the veracity of the shared data. In recent years, our reliance on multi-agent networks- where no single user possesses all the knowledge of the network and target goal have progressed rapidly- has become alarming due to the fact that many real-life resilient and security issues are left unresolved, such as communication failures and untruthful Fields of interest: Biophotonics: a combination of electrooptics neuroscience and neuroimaging Post-doc: Harvard Medical School Dr. Ozana’s research focuses on non-invasive electro-optic brain testing, which can be used to measure the brain’s activities during various interactions, when exposed to environmental stimuli and in brain/computer interfaces developmental processes. This type of testing, which can be done remotely, has Dr. Michal Yemini Dr. Nisan Ozana Spotlight on Personnel “Today’s research environment has changed from solving a single and often isolated problem to collaborative, multi-disciplinary research that consolidates diverse expertise. I find this approach enriching and imperative in solving the current and future problems that the 21st century presents. Thus, naturally, I was instantly drawn to the collaborative, creative and cutting-edge atmosphere that the Faculty of Engineering at Bar-Ilan University promotes.” Dr. Michal Yemini Dr. Nisan Ozana and malicious intruders. Dr. Yamini’s timely research addresses the design, control, and optimization processes needed for secure networks. a myriad of potential uses, from medicine to security. For instance, the technology can be used during brain surgery to measure functioning, for remote medical diagnostics, to improve the lives of ASL patients or to assess if drivers are impaired by drugs (in real time). In short, there is no end to the potential applications of this groundbreaking research. Dr. Ozana’s aims to utilize AI to increase the accuracy of the imaging and to collaborate with local hospitals to use the device in-situ on patients, while he and his team analyze the data remotely. For his research, Dr. Ozana has received several prestigious awards, including the Wolf Foundation Prize, BSF grant and the Prize4Life organization.
12 Spotlight on Events and Activities Outreach and “inreach” initiatives on and off campus that connect our students to industry, to the community and to each other. Hackathons, where individuals and /or teams collaborate on finding solutions to computer problems, are very common in the academic sphere. But at the Kofkin Faculty, we’ve taken hackathons up a notch- we’ve initiated our first BioThon (BioTech + hackathon). Supervised by biotech industry leaders, the BioThon will expose students to real-time challenges of the biotech industry, allow them to network with industry representatives and hone their engineering skills by developing creative products and solutions. The BioThon, to be held in May 2023, will task each participant (individual or team) with three assignments led by representatives from AION Labs, the Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure, Elbit, and the Kitchen Hub. A special initiative by the Faculty of Engineering’s Student Council, our first ever “bootcamp” - a series of short, practical courses which help students smoothly enter the work force- will begin in May 2023. “We thought about how we can promote our students and make the job market more accessible to our graduates. Almost every student or graduate with no prior job experience can relate to the feeling that there’s a gap between the vast scientific and engineering knowledge we acquire during our studies, and the daily technological tools used in the industry,” explains Moriya Weitzman (24), fourth-year student and Chairperson of the Department of Industry and Academia at the Faculty of Engineering’s Council. “This gap is there, whether you go out into the workforce or stay in academia, and that’s exactly what we want to fill, by providing students with tangible tools that will give them an edge when joining the workforce.” BioThon Bootcamp: Gearing up for the work force
13 Spotlight on Events and Activities Spotlight on Achievements Student achievements Eden Sade from Prof. Moti Fridman’s lab, and Noga Entin from Dr. Adi Makmal’s lab, who were chosen to take part in the 2023 Israel-Germany Quantum Future Academy Workshop. The two students were chosen, together with other 13 students from Israel, for their academic excellence out of hundreds of worthy applicants. The first part of the workshop was held in Israel in February and the second part will take place in Germany, in September 2023. We wish them the best of luck and are looking forward to seeing them representing our country and Faculty. PhD students Michal Danino Levi of Dr. Shahar Alon’s lab, and Reut Plen of Prof. Orit Shefi’s lab, were admitted to TEVA’s bio-innovation scholarship program for 2023. In addition to a generous stipend, this prestigious program includes mentorship from industry experts and is designed to support and promote studies in the field of biological treatments, as well as collaborations in this field between academia and the industry. Only a select few outstanding doctoral students are accepted each year, based on personal performance in school and in research. This year, two of the lucky winners are from our very own Faculty of Engineering.
14 Dr. Leonid Yavits recently won a generous grant from the EU for a four-year project in which he will be developing algorithms and methods of in-memory computing, to be used in Biocomputing applications. Prof. Zeev Zalevsky received the prestigious SPIE (The International Society for Optics and Photonics) Prism Award for co-inventing the remote laser-based continuous biomonitoring and authentication technology being developed by ContinUse Biometrics. Siginet.bio, a project fresh from the labs of Prof. Rachela Popovtzer (from the Faculty of Engineering) and Prof. Ehud Banin (from the Faculty of Life Sciences), won the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology’s Award for Entrepreneurship Postdoc. The project develops biochip technology for simple, noninvasive bowel disease diagnosis and monitoring. Drs. Yossi Ben-David from Prof. Banin’s lab and Shir Hochwald-Liber from Prof. Popovtzer’s lab worked on the groundbreaking project. Siginet.bio works closely with UnBox, Bar Ilan’s research-based entrepreneurship center, which provides them with all the business support they need to become a proper company: from recruiting a CEO to validating clients to raising funds. Siginet.bio won a one-year scholarship, and they are hoping to have the company up and running by the end of 2023. “The greatest advantage of this technology is that it’s generic and can be used for many things—in disease research, for sure, but in other fields as well,” assures Dr. Hochwald-Liber. “As of today, we’re collaborating with other entities and developing this technology for other applications, such as identifying biological and chemical threats, or in agriculture and the food industry.” Dr. Leonid Yavits Prof. Zeev Zalevsky Prof. Ehud Banin Faculty awards and achievements Prof. Rachela Popovtzer
15 Appendix A: Scholarship recipients ID# Name Year Amount Supervisor Field 315309898 Rana Abu-Hamam 2 48000 Prof. Doron Naveh Nano-electronics Information and data science 304973340 Ireman Brauner 2 48000 Dr. Ethan Fetaya 206105850 Elisheva Berkowitz 2 48000 Prof. Joseph Shor Nano-electronics 206109209 Efrat Naomi Berkowitz 1 48000 Prof. Orit Shefi Bioengineering Information and data science Prof. Sharon Gannot 205751548 Roi Guetta 2 48000 208989350 Tal Goldberger 1 48000 Dr. Shahar Alon Bioengineering 345818090 Victor Manual Galindo-Limon 1 48000 Prof. Adam Teman Nano-electronics 308335470 Leroy Dokhanian 2 48000 Prof. Avi Zadok Electro-optics 316453232 Yaara Diamant Karasik 1 48000 Dr. Shachar Alon Bioengineering 204621031 Elad Zehavi 2 48000 Prof. Avi Zadok Electro-optics 308121888 Elad Yisraeli 1 48000 Prof. Zeev Zalevsky Electro-optics 308545631 Yochai Israelashvili 2 48000 Dr. Tomer Kalisky Bioengineering Information and data science Dr. Ofir Lindenbaum 201103579 Itai Cohen 1 48000 205856412 Coral Cohen 1 48000 Prof. Zeev Zalevsky Electro-optics Information and data science Prof. Sharon Gannot 316167063 Daniel Levy 1 48000 315425694 Sara Meir 1 48000 Prof. Moti Fridman Electro-optics 329854327 Eliana Feifel 1 48000 Prof. Adam Teman Nano-electronics 209515253 Elia Krongauz 1 48000 Prof. Doron Naveh Nano-electronics
16 Appendix B: Predicted expenses for 1/10/22 - 30/09/23 Somekh Chaikin 8 Hartum Street, Har Hotzvim PO Box 212 Jerusalem 9100102, Israel +972 2 5312000 KPMG Somekh Chaikin, an Israeli partnership and a member firm of the KPMG global organization of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Limited, a private English company limited by guarantee May 1, 2023 To: Bar-Ilan University Ramat-Gan Dear Sirs, Re: "Faculty of Engineering budget for the academic year 2022-2023" At your request, and as the auditors of Bar Ilan University (hereinafter – “the University”) we hereby report that the financial information relating to the Faculty of Engineering budget for the academic year 2022-2023, attached hereto and stamped by our office for purposes of identification, is in accordance with the University budget for the academic year 2022-2023 presented to us. The Budget was not reviewed nor audited by us. The financial information presented in US Dollars according to an exchange rate of NIS 3.661 to US Dollar. Sincerely, Somekh Chaikin Certified Public Accountants (Isr.) Member Firm of KPMG International
17 Appendix B: מנהל מחלקת התקציבים אגף הכספים אגף הכספים, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן (ע"ר) | רמת גן, 5290002 ,טל. משרד:544/5318532-03 Finance Division, Bar-Ilan University (RA) |Ramat-Gan ,5290002, Office Tel: 03-5318532/544 | 24 אפריל 2023 ב"ה, ג באייר התשפ"ג Kofkin faculty of engineering To: Mr.Alexander Kofkin Dear Mr.kofkin Below is a chart presenting the predicted expenses for 1/10/22 - 30/09/23 in US dollar. Kofkin faculty of engineering Budget for 1/10/22-30/09/23 in US dollars 13,048,349 personnel maintenance 92,578 student scholarships and stipends 1,107,694 equipment and consumables 308,649 miscellaneous 833,124 15,390,396 Total בברכה, העתק: דן שטיינגולץ – כלכלן – אחראי תקציבים חיים אנקונה – מנהל מחלקת תקציבים חיים אנקונה
Impacting tomorrow, today. Dr. Sharon Goldman, Vice President for Global Resources Department of Global Resource Development Cell: +972-54-864-3920 Email: [email protected]