Avner's Lab
Our Team​
Dr. Avner Cnaani
Principal Investigator
2023- Head of the Institute of Animal Science.
2014-2020 Department head.
2006-2007 Postdoctoral training, Virginia Tech.
2003-2006 Postdoctoral training, University of New Hampshire.
2004 Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
1999 M.Sc., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
1996 B.Sc., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Tali Nitzan
Lab manager
2010 M.Sc., Haifa University.
2006 B.Sc., Tel-Aviv University.
Dr. Aurora Campo
Post-doc
Aurora joined our group after completing her B.Sc. and M.Sc. at the University of Barcelona, and Ph.D. at Sorbonne University (Paris 6). Her research focus on genomic variation as a mechanism of environmental adaptation.
Dr. Camille Bordes
Post-doc
Camille joined our group after completing her B.Sc. and M.Sc. at Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique de Toulouse in France, and Ph.D. from Bar-Ilan University.
Her research focus on the tilapia's systematic response to environmental stress.
Shorok Khaskia
M.Sc. candidate
Shorok joined our group after completing her B.Sc. at The Peres Academic Center on 2022. Her research focus on the metabolic response to low temperature in tilapia.
Dr. Pazit Con
M.Sc., Cum Laude, 2015; Ph.D. 2023.
Pazit joined our group after completing her B.Sc. at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
She received her M.Sc. (with the highest distinction) and Ph.D. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Her research focused on the tilapia's peptide transporters.
Currently she is a Post-doc with Thorben Cordes, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.
Dr. Fotini Kokou
Post-doctoral researcher, 2014-2019
Fotini joined our group after completing her Ph.D. at the University of Crete, and working at the Hellenic Center for Marine Research, Greece.
Her work focused on the fish gut microbiome.
Currently she is an Assistance Professor at Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands.
Ynon Deutsch
M.Sc. 2017
Thesis title: "Gnotobiotic Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) as a research tool for nutritional studies fish".
Ynon joined our group after completing his B.Sc. at the Ruppin Academic Center, and received his M.Sc. from Bar-Ilan University on 2017. Ynon did his Ph.D. with Dr. David Ezra (Agricultural Research Organization), and currently works for a biotechnology company.
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Eyal Hallali
M.Sc. 2016
Thesis title: "Research of parameters affecting food digestibility in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)".
Eyal joined our group after completing his B.Sc. at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and received his M.Sc. from Bar-Ilan University on 2016.
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Dr. Tapan Kumar Chourasia
Post-doctoral researcher, 2014-2016
Tapan joined our group after completing his Ph.D. at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India, and a post-doc research at the Marine Science Institute, University of Texas - Austin. His work focused on salinity effect on intestinal transporters.
Currently he is a post-doc in the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.
Dana Ronkin
M.Sc., Cum Laude, 2015
Thesis title: "A comparative transcriptome analysis of the intestinal salinity adaptation of Oreochromis niloticus and O. mossambicus".
Dana joined our group after completing her B.Sc. at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and received her M.Sc. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on 2015.
She currently works for a biotechnology company.
Dr. Enbal Ben-Tal Cohen
Post-doctoral researcher, 2012-2013
Enbal joined our group after completing her Ph.D. at Tel-Aviv University. Her work focused on tilapia's cation transporters.
She is currently a Research Engineer in Dr. Yuval Cinnamon lab, at the Agricultural Research Organization.
Shahar Malamud
M.Sc., 2013
Thesis title: "Salinity and pH effects on growth and osmoregulation in the white grouper (Epinephelus aeneus)".
Shahar joined our group after completing his B.Sc. at the Ruppin Academic Center, and received his M.Sc. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on 2013.
He currently works at Tel-Aviv University.
Ariel Velan
M.Sc., 2011
Thesis title: "Examining aspects of salinity tolerance in Oreochromis mossambicus and O. niloticus".
Ariel joined our group after completing his B.Sc. at Tel Aviv University and received his M.Sc. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on 2011.
He currently works at the Weizmann Institute of Science.