
Zohar Arnon completed his BSc in physics and biology
at Tel Aviv University. He joined Prof. Ehud Gazit’s research group as an undergraduate
and continued in Prof. Gazit’s lab for his MSc and PhD in biotechnology. Zohar’s
PhD, at the interface between physics, chemistry and biology, focused on the self-assembly
process of various organic molecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids and amino
acids.
Self-assembled supramolecular polymers emerge from the
associations of building blocks through non-covalent interactions to form well-ordered
structures with intriguing properties, such as self-healing, tunable physical attributes
and controllable reorganization. These qualities are highly desirable for device
development for nanotechnological applications. Yet, the manipulation and control
of these polymers remains a challenge, hampering our ability to realize their potential.
In Zohar’s research, the molecular diversity of supramolecular polymers was expanded,
through multi-component co-assembly, producing new polymers with distinct attributes.
In addition, utilizing a microfluidic platform, mechanistic studies of the assembly
process at the individual structure level were conducted to elucidate the molecular
basis of these processes. It is hoped that they will pave the way for the development
of nanotechnological devices for future applications in the fields of biomedicine
and materials science.
In his first postdoctoral position, Zohar will work
under the supervision of Dr. Lihi Adler-Abramovich, researching the antibacterial
properties of nanostructured surfaces using microfluidics. The goal is to achieve
the rational design and fabrication of stable, biocompatible antibacterial materials
for applications in a broad range of technological fields, from marine transportation
to surgical equipment and dental transplantation.