Noam Harel was born in the US and raised in Ramot Meir, a small moshav in central Israel. She completed three years of military service in an elite intelligence corps' technological unit. Noam then enrolled in a joint degree program in biological and medical sciences at Tel Aviv University for her undergraduate studies, graduating with honors. During her studies, she worked as a research assistant in the labs of Professors Adi Stern and Uri Gophna, investigating interactions between "cheater" viruses in the MS2 bacteriophage, a virus that attacks bacteria. She continued her academic journey in Prof. Adi Stern's group through the direct PhD track.
During her PhD, Noam explored the multifaceted interactions between viruses
and their hosts, investigating both the evolution and genetics of viruses and
the impact of infections on their hosts. She combined laboratory work with
bioinformatics and data analysis to answer complex biological questions across different organisms.
Noam's primary focus has been on studying bacteriophages, viruses that attack bacteria. Alongside her interest in the social dynamics of viruses, she discovered a mechanism of resistance to virus infection in E. coli bacteria. Such mechanisms are of great interest for their biotechnological potential and their applications in phage therapy, which aims to use bacteriophages as an alternative to antibiotics in resistant infections.
During the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Noam shifted her focus to studying the SARS-CoV-2 virus. She led high-impact projects collaborating with health care providers, including analyzing the patterns of virus spread within Israel and assessing the effectiveness of vaccines against different SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Noam has received multiple awards and scholarships throughout her academic career, including the Na’amat Research in Science Award, the Miriam Smolarz Scholarship for Achievements in Research, the Life Sciences Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award, and the Israel Academy Adams Fellowship, which supported her throughout her PhD. Noam also participated in an applied research project at Google X, utilizing deep learning to better understand disease biology.
In her postdoctoral training in the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, Noam aims to investigate the complex mechanisms of the adaptive immune system and its effects on human health disease. She looks forward to incorporating rapidly growing biological databases, new discoveries in machine learning, and the skills she has acquired during different stages of her career to better understand human biology. Noam is honored to have been chosen as a Ruth Arnon Fellowship recipient, which will allow her to pursue cutting-edge research with increased
financial support and access to a network of leading scientists and resources, ultimately enhancing her ability to make significant contributions to the field of biomedical research.