For Chandamita Saikia, a self-confirmed science lover, who grew up in a village near Guwahati, the journey to be a researcher in Israel was long. Graduating in Zoology from Nowgong College (under Gauhati University, Assam), and going on to finish Masters in Biotechnology from IIT Bombay, in biosciences and bioengineering, Chandamita only dreamt of researching in a state-of-the-art laboratory.
The dream came true as she came to Israel a few years back. Researching in Reuveny lab, Chandamita is today involved in understanding the interactions of two proteins SARAF and STIM. She intends to understand the underlying mechanism of interaction and structural studies, under professor Eitan Reuveny at the Weizmann Institute, Rehovot.
“It is all about the quality of research and advanced labs offering cutting edge technology that brings in all the difference in my research work,” says Chandamita, who enjoys Israel as it offers a perfect mix of academic excellence, a warm culture and breathtakingly beautiful countryside where she plans a quick getaway in her breaks from the labs.
Similar was the journey of Swagata Dey, from Kolkata researching on developmental neuroscience under Avraham Yaron, who picked Israel realising the exposure and opportunities the country had to offer.
In the last one decade, Israel has emerged as one of the prominent destinations for erudite Indians as they put Israel's top-ranking institutes and universities in their wish list while zeroing in on foreign destinations for their PhD and postdoctorate studies.
Sandipan Dasgupta from Kolkata after finishing his integrated master's from IISER interned at Weizmann Institute. Working under professor Benny Shilo and Dr Eyal Schejter on RNA Protein at the Department of Molecular Genetics, Sandipan found the new side of his personality while blogging on India-Israel relationship and actively participating in the innovation ecosystems of the two countries.
“Besides the strong infrastructure and specialised research ecosystem, it is also our culture that makes Israel a favourite of Indian researchers. Family bonding is given a lot of importance in Israel. Weizmann believes in promoting the family culture on the campus, which helps in focussing the scientists here,” says Ziv Reich, newly inducted vice president of Weizmann.
An alumnus of Stanford University, Reich says that the institute aims to increase the number of international researchers, more so those from India.
Founded in 1934 by Chaim Weizmann, the public research university in Rehovot is one of the few institutes in the world to offer degrees in natural and exact sciences. The institute has so far produced six Nobel laureates and three Turing Award winners.
The institute has an International Cell that is dedicated to supporting the researchers and enabling postdoctoral fellows understand and adjust with the life in Israel.
“The all-inclusive approach allows the scientists to focus on science and research after their arrival at the institute, while we help their families get tuned to the life in Israel,” says Aileen Halbershtat, head of International Office Domain, who supports the families to adjust to the new communities, offers housing assistance, medical assistance and more.
