THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2025

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Anat A. Herskovits

Prof. Anat A. Herskovits Education 1996 BSc. Tel-Aviv University 1998 MSc. Tel-Aviv University 2003 PhD Weizmann Institute of Science 2008 Post Doctoral studies, University of California, Berkeley, USA Academic Positions Full professor of Microbiology and Cell Biology, The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research 2021-now Chair of the MSc Program in Microbiology 2018-2023 President of the Israel Society of Microbiology 2022 Elected as a member of the European Academy of Microbiologists (EAM). 2022- present Head of the Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research ​ ​​ Academic and Professional Awards 1996 Life Science Tel-Aviv University; Dean 's award for excellence 1998 Wolfson Prize for academic excellence, Tel-Aviv Unisersity 1999 PhD scholarship granted by Feinberg Graduate School, of the Weizmann Institute of Science 2000 EMBO fellowship 2003 The Feinberg Graduate School Dean's award for excellent PhD 2003-2006 Post-Doctoral Fellowship- Miller Institute for Basic Science, University of California, Berkeley, USA 2013 Received ERC-StG Grant 2015 The Israel Society of Microbiology- Moshe Shilo Prize for excellent studies 2019 Received ERC Consolidator Grant

Alexander Ploss

Alexander Ploss completed his Ph.D. in Immunology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Cornell University and postdoctoral training at The Rockefeller University in New York City. Dr. Ploss is the endowed Harry C. Wiess Professor in the Life Science and Molecular Biology, member of the executive committee of the Center Health and Wellbeing and Co-Director of the Program in Global Health and Health Policy at Princeton University. He is also a full member of the Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Dr. Ploss’ lab is interested in human-tropic viral pathogens, including but not limited to hepatitis viruses and classical flaviviruses. Research in the Ploss lab covers three main areas of investigation: Deciphering mechanisms of viral infection/replication, systematically identifying barriers preventing transmission of human viral pathogens to non-primate species and translating their discoveries into devising experimental systems that are suitable for dissecting host responses to these diseases. Dr. Ploss serves various editorial boards, NIH and other grant study section and is member of the International Coalition to Eliminate HBV. In support and recognition of his work Dr. Ploss received numerous awards including the including the Astella’s Young Investigator Award from the Infectious Disease Society of America, the Liver Scholar Award from the American Liver Foundation, the Löffler-Frosch Prize from the German Society of Virology, Merck Irving Sigal Memorial Award from the American Society for Microbiology, and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Investigator in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease Award. Dr. Ploss is also an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.