Harel Itamar

Prof. Harel Itamar is a Professor of Genetics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Silberman Institute of Life Sciences. He leads the Harel Lab, focusing on experimental biology of vertebrate aging and age-related diseases using the African turquoise killifish as a genetic model. His work explores lifespan diversity, molecular mechanisms of aging, and disease modeling. Itamar holds a BSc from Ben-Gurion University, a PhD from the Weizmann Institute, and completed postdoctoral research at Stanford University.

Research focuses include genetic engineering, live imaging of aging processes, and CRISPR/Cas9-based approaches. Key achievements include developing a comprehensive genetic platform for the killifish and discovering the germline's role in longevity. Awards include the 2024 Krill Prize and ERC Starting Grant. Teaching roles include courses on aging biology and developmental genetics. The lab is located at Givat Ram campus, with contact via itamarh@mail.huji.ac.il.

• Education: BSc (Ben-Gurion), PhD (Weizmann), Postdoc (Stanford)
• Lab Affiliations: Department of Genetics, Hebrew University
• Key Collaborations: Valenzano Lab, Stanford University