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other ways. When you work with two Photo: Private album demonstrating that the solution

amazing professors who push you we offer is better than existing

and your research forward – there’s measurable solutions. The next

Academy no limit to what you can learn and study will test the solution on peo-

achieve.” ple with pathological findings.”

Shaulian, whose field of research Elgarisi, as mentioned, is a

is biomechanics, did her degree in researcher in Prof. Moran Ber-

Prof. Alon Wolf’s Biorobotics and covici’s Microfluidic Technolo-

Biomechanics Lab (her co-advisor gies Laboratory. “We utilize the

was Prof. Amit Gefen from the Fac- basic physical phenomena of flu-

ulty of Engineering at Tel Aviv Uni- Hadar Shaulian: “The ids such as surface tension and
versity). “My research focused on faculty invests in its graduate buoyancy to shape fluids and
dispersing pressure in the feet of di- students – budgets, attention, ultimately turn them into use-
abetes patients in order to effective- the whole package. My years ful optical components such as
ly treat ulcers in these patients,” she of advanced research in the lenses for glasses or for making
says. “Unfortunately, diabetes is a faculty gave me tons of tools. telescopes in space.
common disease, and the numbers I started my current job with
are only growing around the world. completely different capabilities “In my opinion, I’m in the
One of the results of the disease is coolest lab there is: we combine
pressure ulcers that develop in areas in terms of knowledge, the principles of fluid mechanics
with the field of optics, and cou-

where strain is concentrated, espe- confidence and independence” pled this with topics related to

cially the feet; and to effectively pre- space. Recently we even sent our

vent and treat them, the burden must be regulated. experimental system to the International Space Sta-

“We developed a 3D model of the foot that was tion, where Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe made lens-

based on a CT scan, for use in a finite element en- es in space for the very first time by using the surface

vironment. This enabled us to look at the foot’s in- tension of the fluid under microgravity conditions. I

ternal tissues, and not just at the external pressures. have an awesome advisor who both makes sure that

In the next stage we developed a solution: support everyone develops their research independently,

for the foot that reduces pressure and spreads the but also knows how to provide professional and ac-

weight more equally. ademic guidance when necessary. Our lab has over

“At the end of the research, once we had a solu- ten people – students, engineers, and research as-

tion, we started experimenting on healthy people. We sistants. We all push each other, and that’s very im-

printed soles with a 3D printer and published an article portant in a research environment. 

A Piece of Advice

The golden rules for finding an advisor

1 2 3

Don’t be shy. Proactively approach Discuss. It’s a good idea to talk to Research. Check the research
potential advisors. Professors are veteran master’s and PhD students in fields of professors in the different
in constant need of a high-quality the potential advisor’s team as well. laboratories. We recommend going
workforce for their research teams, They were in your shoes not long ago, the extra mile and reading a few
and they are happy to give of their and many would be happy to share studies they published – or at least
time to students who approach them. and explain. the abstract.

22 | MEgazine | Faculty of Mechanical Engineering