Shiri Freilich
 
Education/short cv:
Post-doctoral training    2007/9 – Present
The Blavatnik School of Computer Science & Sackler School of Medicine , Tel Aviv University
 
Post-doctoral training    2006/9 – 2007/9
Centere of research and technology, Thessaloniki, Greece
 
Ph.D.,        2002– 2006
European Bioinformatics Institute, Cambridge University
 
M.Sc.,             1997-1999
Department of Plant Biology, Tel Aviv University
 
B.Sc.,             1994-1997
Faculty of Life sciences, Tel Aviv University
 
 
Research interests
The evolution of cellular cooperation is my main scientific interest.  By “evolution of cellular cooperation” I refer to these processes allowing the division of functions (tasks) between cells, promoting the specialization of groups of cells towards specific destinies. Specialization of functions allowed the emergence of multicellular species, complex ecological systems and even modern human society. During my PhD I focused on the emergence of multicellular life forms, asking how the evolution of the gene repertoire in mammals relates to tissue specialization. Currently, my research concerns understanding how cooperation, as well as other types of interactions (competition for example), shapes bacterial communities. So far, ecological communities were mainly studied as individual case studies.  In a new project we are aiming to apply systems biology approaches towards constructing a comprehensive ecological model which will provide predictions for the dynamics in bacterial communities following shifts in the metabolic environment or the introduction of new species. This project is now supported by the James Mcdonell Foundation, where I have been a key contributor in the design and in the writing of the awarded grant proposal (together with Eytan Ruppin, Roded Sharan, Martin Kupiec & Uri Gophna).
 
Gneral info:
Postdoctoral Fellow
The Blavatnik School of Computer Sciences & Sackler School of Medicine
Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel.
Phone: 03-6407864