Welcome to the Berman Lab at Tel Aviv University
How do organisms respond to their environments? This question drives our work. Our studies focus on Candida albicans and Candida glabrata, two major fungal pathogens that cause superficial as well as invasive infections, which cause more than 400,000 deaths per year. We work to understand drug response mechanisms caused by genetic mutations, genomic copy number changes as well as other processes, some of which affect genetically identical cells differently.
We take an interdisciplinary approach using genetics, genomics and cell biology, combined with chemistry, bioinformatics, and computational biology. We are working to elucidate processes such as morphogenesis, chromosome stability, chromatin-mediated silencing, gene essentiality, as well as drug resistance. Our most recent studies address the role of drug tolerance, the ability of some cells to grow slowly in the presence of a drug that inhibits other cells in the same population. We are interested in how drug responses differ between cells in a single population, and how adaptive responses differ due to natural genetic variation between yeast isolates.
Latest News:
April 28, 2026
When it rains, it pours! Today, it was announced that Judy was also elected to the National Academy of Sciences (USA), an organization founded in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln. The mission of the NAS is to recognize and elevate outstanding science; Foster a broad understanding of science; and to oversee the National Research Council in producing and promoting the adoption of independent, authoritative, trusted scientific advice to the government for the benefit of society. Judy will attend the Induction Ceremony in Washington, DC in April-May 2027.
April 21, 2026
Congratulations to Judy on her election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The mission statement of the AAA&S is to honor excellence and convene leaders from every field of human endeavor to examine new ideas, address issues of importance to the nation and the world, and work together “to cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance the interest, honor, dignity, and happiness of a free, independent, and virtuous people.” The organization was founded in 1780 by John Adams. Judy will attend the induction Ceremony in Boston in October 2026.
April 1, 2026
A warm welcome to Natali Matry who recently joined the lab as a first-year MSc student after working in the lab as a research assistant for over a year.
CC-BY Ingham CJ, et al., 2012
Funding:
