Logo
Our Team
ROY SALOMON
Principal Investigator
Prof. Salomon started his academic career as a student of psychology in the “Amirim” program for excellence at the Hebrew University. He completed his Ph.D. at Tel Aviv University in cognitive neuroscience studying the neural and cognitive mechanisms of the Self, under the guidance of Prof. Dominique Lamy and Prof. Rafi Malach from the Weizmann Institute of Science. He continued to a postdoctoral fellowship at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland where he worked with Prof. Olaf Blanke on Bodily Self Consciousness. In 2022, he began his appointment as a tenured professor at the The Integrated Brain And Behavior Research Center at Haifa University.
OPHIR NETZER
PhD Student | Scientific Lab Manager
Ophir Netzer is a Ph.D. neuroscience student at the University of Haifa and an Azrieli Graduate Fellow. She holds a B.A. in Cognitive Sciences and Economics and an M.A. in Cognitive and Brain Sciences from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. During her M.A. studies, Ophir investigated sensory substitution and the creation of novel sensory experiences. Her current research investigates the psychological, physiological, and neural mechanisms of trauma experienced under the influence of psychedelics. Specifically, her work examines how psychedelics affect trauma processing, with a focus on the Nova Festival attack in Israel on October 7, 2023, where many attendees endured severe, life-threatening trauma while under the influence of these substances. This interdisciplinary research aims to improve the early detection of trauma-related psychopathologies and inform the development of evidence-based therapeutic approaches.
AMIR HARDUF
Research Fellow | Scientific Co-Director
Dr. Amir Harduf is a research fellow at the University of Haifa. He studied neuroscience at Bar-Ilan University, where he got his Ph.D. As Scientific Co-Director, Amir collaborates closely with Prof. Salomon to shape and implement the lab’s research agenda, oversee daily operations, and mentor students. He leads efforts to develop a unified system for analyzing all VR experiments in the lab, advancing the lab's capacity for cutting-edge research. In addition to managing projects, Amir secures grants and ensures the lab’s extensive knowledge base is maintained and expanded.
Michal Oren Bazumnik
M.A. student | Administration Lab Manager
Michal is an M.A. student in the Experimental Psychology program at the University of Haifa, where she also earned her B.A. in Psychology. During her undergraduate studies, she contributed to several research projects exploring the physiological aspects of anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Since October 7, 2023, Michal has been an integral part of the Nova Project, where she leads the control group component of the study. Her primary research interests focus on trauma experiences and identifying predictors for the development of PTSD, particularly among Nova survivors
DANIEL SAND
Post-Doctoral Researcher
Daniel Sand is a postdoctoral researcher at the Salomon Lab, specializing in the intersection of computational neuroscience and mental health. With a background in brain-machine interfaces, artificial intelligence, and digital health, his work focuses on how technology can enhance the understanding and treatment of mental health, with a particular emphasis on the use of psychedelics for therapeutic purposes. He earned his Ph.D. in Brain Science from the Hebrew University under the mentorship of Prof. Hagai Bergman and Dr. Renana Eitan. He is currently completing a practicum in Hakomi psychotherapy at Soteria. Previously, Daniel held senior roles in AI development for digital health startups, where he contributed to FDA-approved innovations.
Lisa Simon
Post-Doctoral Researcher
Lisa is a postdoctoral research fellow and clinical psychology intern at Reichman University. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Clinical Neuropsychology from Haifa University. Her Ph.D. research explored psychological and physiological mechanisms underlying individual differences in stress responses, leveraging wearable sensors in real-world settings. Currently, her research focuses on the interplay of psychological and physiological processes in trauma, with a particular focus on psychedelics and their therapeutic potential.
YONATAN (YONI) STERN
PhD Student
Yoni is a Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology at Haifa University, co-supervised by Prof. Danny Koren and Dr. Roy Salomon, and an Azrieli Graduate Fellow. He is also a clinical psychology intern at Rambam’s psychiatry division and the ZOHAR clinic for early psychosis detection and intervention. Yoni holds an M.A. in Cognitive Science and a B.Sc. (cum laude) in Biology and Psychology from Ben-Gurion University. His research aims to enhance early psychosis identification by investigating how stress impacts neurocognitive capacities related to the Self, using VR, computational methods and physiological biomarkers.
GADI DRORI
PhD Student
Gadi is a PhD neuroscience student at the Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center at Bar-Ilan University. Gadi holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in neuroscience and has worked for several years as a research assistant at the Sagol Brain Institute at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. Gadi’s research focuses on how the brain creates a sense of reality. His interests include psychedelic neuroscience and computational markers of consciousness. Thesis title: “Neural correlates of the Sense of Reality”
REINA VAN DER GOOT
PhD Student
Reina is a PhD candidate at the Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center at Bar-Ilan University. She obtained a B.Sc. in Psychology and M.Sc. in Cognitive Neuroscience (both Cum Laude) from the University of Amsterdam. During the first internship of her research master she investigated sleep stability using EEG at the Sleep and Memory Lab at the University of Amsterdam. During the second internship she investigated the conscious state-dependency of neural markers of conscious access using EEG at the Consciousness and Cognition Lab at the University of Cambridge. Reina’s main interests include reality and consciousness. Thesis title: ‘Multivariate classification of neural time series data decodes conscious states but not conscious access’.
ALEX LOGOVINSKY
Programmer
Alex Logovinsky is the lab’s programmer and a student pursuing a Master's degree in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). With extensive programming experience, Alex has a strong command of several languages, including Python, Java, MATLAB, R, and ABAP. He also has experience in multiple areas of software development, including Java Full Stack, Python Full Stack, and DevOps, which involves the management and automation of software development processes, including deployment, testing, and monitoring. In addition to his academic pursuits, Alex has volunteered with two nonprofit organizations, BFL (Brothers for Life) and Coast Patrol.
Avraham Shmueli
PhD Student
Avraham is an M.Sc. student in Neurobiology at the University of Haifa. Avraham holds a B.A. in Psychology from the Open university. His main interests are consciousness, philosophy of the mind and interoception. In addition, he is a Breathwork guide and meditation developer.
GIDEON LOSSIN
M.A. Student
Gideon is an M.A. student in Clinical Neuropsychology at Haifa University. He holds a B.Sc. in Psychology and Cognitive Science from Ben-Gurion University. His primary research interests include psychedelics and their therapeutic potential. In his free time, he enjoys music and traveling.
ATALYA CEDER
B.A. Student
Atalya is a B.A. student in Psychology at the University of Haifa. She works as a research assistant on the "Safe Heart" project, focusing on the MRI segment of the research. Atalya's main interests are neurology, mental health, and the underlying connections in neural networks. In her free time, Atalya enjoys spending time with her friends and family, cooking, singing, playing video games, and traveling.
Eden Landesman
B.A. Student
Eden is a B.A. student in Cognitive Science and a B.Sc. student in Information Systems at the University of Haifa. She participated in the Nova project, working alongside Ophir, Noah, Gal, and Michal to manage the control group. Currently, Eden works as a research assistant, collaborating with Amir and Alex on the Alice system and processing data from lab studies. Her main interests include the sense of reality, perception, and the intersection of mental disorders with cognitive processes. Eden is an animal lover and is especially fond of her newly adopted dog, Venus. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, and spending quality time with family and friends.
TZUK POLINSKY
B.A. Student
Tzuk is a B.A. student in cognitive science and mathematics at Haifa University. He joined us after spending three years in robotics automation and developing image processing algorithms. His primary interests lie in the mathematics behind metacognition and learning, as well as understanding how past experiences influence the current cognitive state.
OR MEIR
B.A. Student
Or Meir is a psychology undergraduate student who works as a research assistant on the "Unreal" project, pursuing her interest in perceptual reality monitoring and the neural mechanisms underlying this process. Apart from her studies, Or finds joy in traveling, cooking, and spending time with animals.
YAEL ZINGER
B.A. Student
Yael is a B.A. student in Psychology at the University of Haifa. She works as a research assistant on the Unreal projects. Her main interests include the sense of reality, perception, and the neurological aspects of mental disorders. Yael is an animal enthusiast who likes to read, travel, and spend time with family and friends in her spare time.
ODED KATZIR
B.A. Student
Oded is a B.A. student in Psychology and Cognitive Science at the University of Haifa. He works as a research assistant on the Unreal project. Oded's primary fields of interest are the sense of reality, consciousness, and the use of psychedelics in psychological therapies. During his spare time, Oded enjoys playing the guitar, practicing yoga and meditation, cooking, and spending time outdoors.
RONA CICEU
B.A. Student
Rona recently graduated with a dual B.A. in Psychology and Cognitive Science. She is currently working as a research assistant on the Sense of Agency project. Her research interests include embodied cognition and the phenomenology of psychedelic experiences and hallucinations. In her free time, she enjoys dancing and drumming.

Alumni

Adi Ulmer Yaniv / Ph.D. Graduate and Post-Doctoral Researcher

Felix Schoeller / Postdoctoral Fellow

Amit Regev Krugwasser / Ph.D. Student

Dvir Lehrer / M.Sc. Graduate

Inbar Ben Yehuda / M.Sc. Graduate

Asaf Applebaum / M.Sc. Graduate

Gabriela Panishev / M.Sc. Graduate

Ariel Shaked / M.Sc. Graduate

Oded Hirsh / M.Sc. Student

Paz Bar-Tal / M.Sc. Student

Ariel Berlinger / M.A. Student

Niva Goldberg / M.A. Student

Yaniv Kaplan / B.A. Graduate

Noa Shmueli / B.A. Graduate

Noa Shmueli / B.A. Graduate

Oz Mashiah / B.A. Graduate

Denis Lissitsa / B.A. Graduate

Yotam Goshtchevsky / B.A. Student