Gal Carmeli is a master's student in the Department of Biotechnology Engineering at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. His work focuses on the development of advanced biosensor systems, including optic-fiber bioluminescent bacterial sensors, for water and sediment toxicity monitoring. He has expertise in system optimization for environmental applications and is actively involved in developing methods for toxin extraction from sediments. Gal’s contributions aim to enhance the precision and applicability of biosensors for environmental protection and decision-making.
Abraham A. Paul is a short-term postdoctoral researcher in Biotechnology Engineering at
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. His research focuses on developing
alginate-based composite hydrogels for biosensing and regenerative medicine.
Through photochemistry, EDC/NHS coupling, and nanoparticle integration, he
engineers hydrogels with enhanced reactivity, electrical conductivity, and
magnetic responsiveness. His recent work includes covalently conductive
alginate-polypyrrole composites, photoactivatable alginate–benzophenone
systems, and alginate-coated magnetic nanoparticles for antimicrobial
biosensing and enzyme immobilization. Abraham has extensive experience in
extrusion-based 3D bioprinting, flow-cell biofilm inhibition, Fmoc solid-phase
peptide synthesis, and core–shell microencapsulation for biosensor
applications. He holds First-Class Honours and Distinction degrees in
Biochemistry from Kaduna State University and Obafemi Awolowo University,
Nigeria. With over 15 peer-reviewed publications and additional manuscripts in
progress, he has also explored marine and plant-derived bioactive compounds
with antihypertensive, antimalarial, and immunomodulatory potential. His
research vision centers on multifunctional nanogels for in vivo imaging and
theranostics.
Kathelina Kristollari is a PhD candidate in the Department of Biotechnology Engineering at the Ben Gurion University of the Negev. She earned her bachelor's degree in Biotechnology (2015-2018) from the Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tirana, Albania. In 2020, she completed her master’s in Molecular and Industrial Biotechnology at the same institution. That same year, she began her PhD in the Biosensors Lab under the supervision of Prof.Dr. Robert S. Marks. Her research focuses on diagnostics and the development of point-of-care (POC) biosensors.
Prof. Robert S. Marks is a full professor at the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, at the Department of Biotechnology Engineering, The National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev and Ilse Kats Center for Nanotechnology. He is presently a visiting adjunct professor at the NTU-MSE and a program coordinator for the NRF CREATE program “Nanomaterials for Water and Energy Management". He previously co-founded Biosensing Technologies Ltd., Biopixel Ltd., Polyrizon Ltd., Biosensorix Ltd., and Eclipse-Diagnostics Ltd. His skills range from basic scientific research to applied research in the field of diagnostics. He has five issued patents and filed a dozen . His research topics mainly include bioluminescence, whole-cell bioreporter biosensors, chemiluminescence, optic-fiber biosensors, amperometric biosensors, biomaterials, and enzyme nanolithography.
