(June 9th, 2010) Two views on doing life science research in Israel. One from an Israeli who has just left for doing a PhD in Germany, the other from a Dutchman who is currently working as a senior lecturer at an Israeli university.
The Israeli Dana Galili studied biology and received her MSc from the Feinberg Graduate School at the Weizmann Institute in 2008. Since 2009 she has been a PhD student in Tanimoto’s group at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in Martinsried, Germany. She is working on learning and memory in the fruit fly Drosophila.
Why did you leave Israel for your PhD studies?
Galili: I decided to do my PhD in neurobiology and looked for an interesting lab at the same time my partner finished his PhD and was looking for a postdoc position. So we decided to move together to Munich. I found Munich to be a great city and with many scientific options, especially in neurobiology. I chose the MPI of Neurobiology because I was interested in the work done of Hiromu Tanimoto, and I liked the international atmosphere at the institute. I am also a part of the International Max Planck Research School programme, which expands my horizon and gives me further opportunities to meet great people. I am currently on a fellowship by the Minerva foundation, a German-Israeli foundation, which funds Israeli scientists in Germany and vice versa.
What are the major differences between doing a PhD at the Weizmann and at the MPI?
Galili: Both the Weizmann Institute and the MPI are world class, international institutes. Both expect the PhD students to work independently, consult with their advisor when needed, present their results in seminars and write papers. At later stages in the academic career, there is a major difference. In the Weizmann institute, a new researcher is independent, while in the MPI new scientists usually join an existing department, or in some cases form a temporary junior group. So the German system is more hierarchical. In general, PhD studies in Germany are shorter in comparison to Israel. The PhD students in Germany tend to be younger, since they do not have to serve several years in the military as in Israel. Research groups in the Weizmann institute tend to be smaller and there is more diversity in research topics since most of them are independent.
Do you feel fully integrated in Germany?
Galili: The MPI environment is very international and the spoken language is English. Outside the lab it is harder to integrate since my German is not so good yet. But this is not a large obstacle and I am taking German lessons. I do have non-science related activities and friends. I am even participating in a German-speaking improvisation theatre group, and it is fun to get to know a new culture. I think that people here are generally open-minded and helpful. I feel good here.
How is the current spirit among younger Israeli scientists with respect to their career prospects in Israel?
Galili: Indeed many Israeli scientists have chosen to stay abroad. It is easier to get tenured positions and the conditions are better, both in terms of research grants and in salaries. Nevertheless, many Israeli scientists want to return to Israel but the competition in the universities is strong as there are not many research positions available. Just recently, the Israeli government initiated a programme aimed at bringing back these scientists, they will allocate the necessary money and open more research positions. I hope this helps to bring back scientists who wish to return.
Do you plan to return to Israel after your stay in Germany?
Galili: In the long run I do plan to return to Israel. Currently, I am interested in pursuing a scientific career, so going back will depend on job opportunities, but I hope to live in Israel.
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Interview II
Michael M. Meijler studied organic chemistry at the University of Amsterdam. For his PhD studies he joined the Weizmann Institute from 1997 until 2002. After spending more than four years at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, USA, in Kim Janda’s lab, he returned to Israel in 2006. He is currently Senior Lecturer at the Department of Chemistry of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU). He received prestigious international grants, including the HFSP Young Investigator grant and the ERC Starting grant. His research focuses on bacterial quorum sensing and bacterial-eukaryotic communication.
Why did you choose the Weizmann Institute and Israel for your PhD studies?
Meijler: I had a great time growing up in Amsterdam and, although life is definitely comfortable in Holland, I felt I was ready for a change in pace and some adventure. Israel is an exciting country – with great weather. Sure, there are many problems here but I think they can be solved. And I feel that I can play a part in the process. Plus, science in Israel generally is at a high level, especially at the Weizmann Institute.
What have been your experiences during your PhD studies?
Meijler:Being a PhD student with Avi Shanzer as supervisor was a great experience. Avi gave me a lot of freedom to explore different solutions to the main questions in my thesis, without too much pressure to get to one specific goal. Something that gave me a very good multidisciplinary foundation and this helped me a lot during my postdoctoral studies. Financing was fine, I don’t think anyone ever got rich from a PhD fellowship, but it pays the rent.
Why did you decide to return to Israel after your stay in the USA?
Meijler:Family. My wife’s family and my sister live in Israel, my parents and brother in Amsterdam. We didn’t really consider Holland as an option, not only because of the weather – although it does play a role. But a short (summer) sabbatical is something we do think about. We were lucky to be offered positions at the same university – my wife is a PI as well, in the Department of Biotechnology Engineering. BGU is a young university and the atmosphere here is very exciting, with lots of new faculty members in the departments of chemistry and life sciences.
Is it possible to compare the way science is done in the US and Israel?
Meijler:Oh, definitely, Israel has fully adopted the American model – in terms of career track at least. PIs are fully independent from the start. Funding generally is more modest and we don’t have that many postdocs coming from all over the world. But I would say the attitude and competitiveness of scientists in Israel much more resembles the US style than the European.
What is your current position?
Meijler: I am a senior lecturer, which is similar to the position of assistant professor in the US. It’s tenure track (there is no other track in Israel) and like in the US, the tenure decision will be based mainly on publications and grants. My funding is fine, I’ve been very lucky, and the majority of my support comes from the Human Frontier Science Program and the European Research Council.
Do you feel fully integrated into the social and professional life?
Meijler: I did my best during my PhD to integrate fast and fully into Israeli society and, although it helped being Jewish, I think my integration was helped most by marrying a very nice Israeli girl, but also by being part of the Israeli athletics team as a 3,000 m steeplechase runner. There are actually many scientists from abroad that are group leaders, although most of them came here already as students, like myself. A lot of them are from the former Soviet Union but, for instance, in Chemistry there are also PIs from the USA, Argentina, Denmark, France, Australia, Belgium and at least five from Holland!
What is your opinion on the current research funding system in Israel?
Meijler: Israeli research funding is reasonable but not great. Pretty much everyone agrees that the Israel Science Foundation should receive much more money from the government. The average ISF grant is about $200K, which is not a lot, and it is definitely competitive. Having said that, there are a lot of opportunities beyond the ISF, such as bi-national foundations between Israel and the US, Germany, France, Japan, Taiwan and the European grants. Also, for starting researchers there are quite a few funding opportunities that are not available to established scientists.
How is the spirit among younger Israeli scientists with respect to their career prospects?
Meijler: There are far more very talented Israelis that would like to start their own research group, than open positions. Most postdocs unfortunately won’t find a position as group leader in Israel. On the other hand, the world is large and you can find a lot of Israelis in other countries, especially in the US. I know of one biologist, for instance, that did not get an offer from an Israeli university and he is now a PI at Harvard. Furthermore, most Israelis do not suffer from a lack of confidence and think they will make it anywhere. I like this spirit.
Any additional comments you would like to make?
Meijler: Oh, sure. Although Israeli science is in a pretty good shape, it could still become much, much better. The potential here is tremendous. What’s really missing is peace - besides the fact that the Middle East will blossom as a whole, economically, once full peace between Israelis, Palestinians and all the Arab countries around us will be achieved. Moreover, the scientific community can benefit tremendously through collaborations between scientists that currently cannot do this. A number of Arab countries have recently established very ambitious and very well funded research institutes (e.g. KAUST in Saudi Arabia) but they all suffer in a certain way from isolation. And they are all just around the corner from us. And this, in return, would for sure increase mutual understanding. In other words: make science, not war…
Interviews: Ralf SchreckSee also our "Career Special Israel" in the current Lab Times issue 3-2010.