Dr. Gal Ofir is currently an EMBO and HFSP postdoctoral fellow with Prof. Detlef Weigel at the Max Planck Institute for Biology – Tübingen, Germany. Following his BSc studies at Tel Aviv University, he received an MSc and PhD from the Weizmann Institute, both in the lab of Prof. Rotem Sorek in the Department of Molecular Genetics. His PhD work, supported by SAERI, focused on the discovery of novel microbial immune systems and the surprising connection between immune mechanisms of bacteria and plants.

In his postdoctoral studies, Gals applies his expertise in discovery and analysis of immune genes to the genomes of plants, aiming to better understand plant resistance to pathogens that are becoming a bigger and bigger threat to food security around the world. Through this work, he combines a love for nature and botany with his passion for molecular biology and sustainability.