Lab Updates 

Published in Scientific Reports, this study investigates the relationship between autistic and psychotic traits through temporal perception, providing novel evidence that balanced expressions of these traits may have compensatory effects on perceptual processing. 

The President’s Scholarship is awarded to outstanding graduate students who demonstrate exceptional academic and research excellence. We are proud to congratulate Amal Saad and Majd Wely on receiving this distinguished honor.

We are delighted to share that our Diametric Lab member, Roy Ramati, has successfully completed his Master’s degree in Psychology and graduated magna cum laude. 

We are proud to announce that our Diametric Lab member, Youmna Swaed, has obtained her Master’s degree in Community Mental Health, graduating magna cum laude. 

Laurina Fazioli contributed a poster presentation at the 2026 INSAR anuual meeting in Prague, Czech Republic.

The lab had a strong presence the 2026 SIRS conference in Florence, Italy with two poster presentations by Majd Wely and Youmna Sawaed and an Oral Presentation by Prof. Abu-Akel.

The lab had a strong presence at the 2026 I-MAR Conference, presenting five posters. Notably, Itamar Cohen’s poster was awarded second prize for Best Poster.

According to the prestigious Stanford–Elsevier ranking of the world’s most influential scientists, Prof. Ahmad Abu-Akel has been listed among the top 2% in his field for both 2023 and 2024. 

Reflecting on this honor, Prof. Abu-Akel shared:  "I am grateful to my collaborators, students, and colleagues for their ongoing partnership and support. This recognition reflects our shared commitment to advancing rigorous and impactful research in psychopathology and social neuroscience."

Darshit Thakar has been selected to participate in the FENS–Chen Institute–NeuroLéman Summer School.

Youmna Swaed was highlighted in the HBBH newsletter. view

Prof. Abu-Akel Presenting at the Association for Psychological Science, Wessington, USA. 

Prof. Abu-Akel Presenting at the Vision Sciences Society, Florida, USA. 

Prof. Abu-Akel was awarded Era-Net Neuron Grant.

Prof. Abu-Akel Presenting at the 2023 Congress of the Schizophrenia International Research Society (SIRS), Toronto, Canada.

Prof. Abu-Akel Presenting at the International Society for Autism Research, Stockholm, Sweden. 

Prof. Abu-Akel Presenting at the Israeli Meeting for Autism Research, Ben-Gurion University, Ber Sheva, Israel.

Prof. Abu-Akel was awarded the MAOF Fellowship by the Council for Higher Education.

The Lab joins the Haifa Brain and Behavior Hub.