Lab Members

Inna Gaisler-Salomon, PhD

Principle Investigator

Prof. Inna Gaisler-Salomon received her BA in Biology and Music Performance from the University of California, San Diego. She did her PhD in Psychobiology at Tel Aviv University ,  and her post-doctoral fellowship at Columbia University Department of Neuroscience.  She is interested in the molecular basis of psychopathology, particularly in molecular and epigenetic mechanisms underlying cognitive dysfunction that characterizes schizophrenia and related disorders. 

Hiba Zaidan, PhD. Lab manager

Hiba obtained a B.A. in Psychology at the University of Haifa in 2008, and an M.A from the University of Haifa in behavioral neuroscience. Her thesis title is "Epigenetic contributions to the transgenerational effects of maternal stress: The role of RNA editing". In 2019, she obtained her PhD degree. Her project involved examining the mechanisms for transgenerational effects on gene expression and behavior, and is currently managing the IGS lab and a lecturer at university of Haifa. Outside the lab, her hobbies are picking horribly noisy ringtones to annoy fellow lab members, and planning huge family weddings. When she can do neither, she likes to watch movies and quote them, and read a variety of books.

Kfir Asraf, PhD student

Kfir received his BA in psychology and criminology from YVC in 2017, received his MA in 2020 from the University of Haifa, and is now a PhD student at the University of Haifa. His thesis focuses on the effect of dorsal CA1 pyramidal neurons inhibition via chemogenetics, in symptoms of schizophrenia in mice. When he is not at the university, he teaches at YVC. In his spare time, he likes to read, watch TV, and fix computers.

Konstantin Andrianov, PhD student

Kostya received his BA in psychology from the Open University in and his BA from Haifa University. His project focuses on role of glutamate in schizophrenia symptoms and cognition in mice . In his spare time, he loves to spend time with family, watch movies and read a variety of books.

Alla Saleh, PhD student

I am Alaa Saleh, a Ph.D. student, i began my doctoral studies in 2022 under the supervision of Prof. Edi Barkai and Prof. Inna Gaisler-Salmon. My academic journey includes a Bachelor's degree in Biology and Medical Science and a Master's degree in Neurobiology. My research investigates the effects of both predicted and unpredicted stress on mice and their subsequent generations

Rachel Buchbut,  PhD student 

Rachel obtained her B.A and M.A in psychology at University of Haifa and currently is a PhD student in the direct PhD program. In general, her projects examines the epigenetic basis of transgenerational transmission in stress-sex and -generation dependent manner. More specifically, she exmaines the effects of exposure to social stress during adolescence on Oxytonergic circuitry, social behavior and cognition of exposed female rats and their offspring. In her free time she loves to work out, travel and spend time with family and friends.

Avital Zigman, PhD student 

Avital obtained a BA in psychology at The Open University of Israel in 2020. She also obtained a MA in counseling and human development at Haifa University in 2012. Her thesis focuses on Glutamate-based  double mutant models for vulnerability and resilience in schizophrenia in genetic knocked out mice. In her spare time, she loves to spend time with her family, cook and read a variety of books.

Brigitte Barham, PhD student 

I obtained a BA in psychology at the Open University of Israel in 2020. Currently is my second year in MA studies at Haifa University in Brain and Psychopathology. My project examines the impact of early life stress in symptoms of schizophrenia in mice. I'm a mother of two amazing children, and I love to spend my time with them and with family. In my free time I like to read literature from the Far East and South America, and listen to classical music. 

Worroud Zayoud , M.Sc student

Worroud received her B.Sc in Biology from The open university in 2019 , and now she is a M.Sc student in neurobiology at the Haifa University. Her thesis focuses on the effect of pre-reproductive social stress in female adolescent rats on the expression of Crhr1/ Oxtr, miR-34a, miR-34c miR-382 and in neonatal offspring brain and the impact on post-partum depression in F1 . When she is not at the university she is a  mom for 2 amazing boys. In her free time she loves to read books, ride horses, walk in nature and plant Roses .

Tzlil Samuel, MA student

Tzlil is married to Haim and is the mother of Daniella. She graduated with honors a BA in Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology from YVC in 2021. Currently, she is a master's student at the University of Haifa in the Psychology Department. Her thesis focuses on the effect of direct and indirect fear exposure on short- and long-term fear memory and the fear learning of offspring. Her research aims to investigate behavioral changes and changes in the expression levels of the C-fos protein in CA1 in the hippocampus. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, going to the beach, watching stand-up comedy, and running.

Cadan Shiener, MA student

Cadan is in her final year of a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and is also enrolled in a direct route to a Master's degree in Psychology Research. She is part of the BA Excellence Research Program. In her free time, Cadan enjoys spending time with friends and family, practicing Pilates, and volunteering with the "Zicharon Basalon" organization for Holocaust remembrance and the "Anad" association, which provides urgent mental health support.

Past lab members:

Donna Linder

Liran Hazan, PhD

Noa Eilat (currently PhD student at University of Haifa)

Lior Heffetz Giterman

Sergiy Chornyy, PhD

Amit Gross

Sharon Lander, PhD

Hagar Bauminger, PhD

Mohammad Khmaisy

Guy Nahardiya

Montaha Karakra

Hazar Ayub

Alhan Abu Hamoud