My name is Yara Daas, I am 23 years old, born and raised in Jerusalem.  I have finished my Bachelor's in communications and English literature at The Hebrew University. During my Bachelor's, I have been a part of research courses for honor students, and worked as a research assistant to Dr. Boxman-Shabtai, whose research project focuses on "TikTok memes of war." There, I saw the behind the scenes of the research world, and saw how social media can be a powerful tool for representation and discourse. These experiences have sparked my passion for research in the field of communications. Thus, today, I am pursuing a Master's degree in New media and internet, and I am a scholar in The Smart Scholarship Program for Advanced Studies in Communication. In my Master's thesis, I will be focusing on the [self] representation of Muslims, and minorities on TikTok. Being a part of those two communities, and seeing how powerful and sometimes subversive their representation on TikTok is, this topic is very close to my heart. Aside from being a research assistant, I also work as a social media coordinator for the Arab community in the Ministry of Health. My academic mentor in the program is Dr. Boxman-Shabtai.

My name is Omer Rothenstein. I grew up near Tel Aviv and have been living in Jerusalem for the past 5 years. I chose a slightly unusual path in my bachelor studies:  because of my natural fascination with technology, I decided to study computer science as my first (and at the time only) major. I learned a lot about the building blocks of most modern-day technologies, from the inner logic of a computer processor to designing and solving problems using algorithms, from the protocols structuring the World Wide Web to coding in different languages and designing graphic interfaces. After taking a formative course about the philosophy and history of AI taught by Dr. Sam Freed, I decided to add a much-needed aspect to my education: a second major in communication and journalism. These studies have allowed me to learn more about how incredible innovations in hardware and software have impacted our society and our ways of life, and vice versa. My main interests are digital culture, and internet platforms, which are the center of my work as a research assistant to Dr. Hallinan, as well as in the “Digital Values” project, an ERC (European Research Council) funded project, led by professor Limor Shifman. My work for Prof. Shifman also led me to take an interest in the intersection between humor, computerization, and online platforms, be it in the usage of software as an analytic tool in quantitative research about a variety of humorous texts, to the classification and generation of humor by AI, and more. My academic mentors in the program are Prof. Shifman and Dr. Hallinan.

My name is Noa Niv, and I am a graduate student at the Hebrew University's Department of Communication and Journalism. I am 24 years old, born, raised, and currently living in Jerusalem. I am also an alumni of the Department of Asian Studies at the Hebrew University, having majored in both Korean studies and communication studies for my bachelor's degree. In the past few years, I have participated in several academic projects concerning Korea, such as an academic seminar in Seoul, workshops dedicated to Korean studies at Bar Ilan University, and a research funded by the Korean Embassy in Israel. I have decided to continue my academic journey with the Department of Communication and Journalism due to a long-lasting interest in media representations of gender, particularly in Korea and East Asia. I am mostly curious about expressions and negotiations of gender identity on social media, as well as representations of gender in Korean popular culture and across a variety of communication platforms. For my thesis, I am hoping to look into expressions and perceptions of femininity among male public figures in South Korea. My academic mentors in the program are Prof. Limor Shifman and Dr. Blake Hallinan. 

My name is Gal Grinstein. I hold a B.A. in communication and journalism, and a BSc. earned through the prestigious MATAR excellence program at the Hebrew University's School of Computer Science and Engineering. The MATAR program (interfaces of technology, society and networks) is a multidisciplinary program that prepares the leaders who will influence the future configuration of digital media and social action while focusing on various technological, analytical, social, economic, legal and ethical issues. This unique combination of perspectives informs my deep interest in political media and its impact on consumers. As a television news consumer myself, I'm particularly fascinated by how political communication is evolving through this medium, with respect to technological innovations and the increasing influence of social media. My undergraduate seminar, for example, delved into how viewers perceive bias in newscasts based on the participants involved. Beyond my academic pursuits, I work at Channel 12 News. My academic mentor is Dr. Eran Amsalem.

My name is Noa Bloch. For my bachelor degree I studied both communication and journalism, and anthropology and sociology. During this time, I worked in a few jobs- all of which connected to the fields I studied and to my desire to influence life outside of the academy for the better through academic tools and research. I worked at the Jerusalem African community center, at the spokesperson office of the president of Israel and as a research assistant in the social research department of the National Parks Authority. I'm currently working as a research assistant in some of Liron Shani's studies, which focuses on the anthropology of nature, and am one of the administrators of the Facebook page he established with the aim of making anthropological studies accessible to the general public. This year, I will also take part in the "Friends and Foes" research group led by Prof. Zohar Kampf and Prof. Gadi Heimman, examining the translation of interpersonal connections into international relations. I am interested in many and varied areas of research, but due to the timing in which I begin my master's degree, I hope to focus on issues related to the social effects of war. I also wish to continue using theories and tools from the field of anthropology as well as communication. My mentor in the program is Prof. Zohar Kampf.

I am Omer Ben Simhon, a scholar in the excellence program of the Smart Institute for Advanced Studies in Communication at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. I am currently pursuing a master's degree focusing on political communication.

With my background in communications consulting, I developed a keen interest in political persuasion, which has become the focus of my research. My thesis examines the causal effect of motivated reasoning on interpersonal persuasion. I had the privilege of presenting my thesis at the ECPR (European Consortium for Political Research) 2023 Political Communication Summer School at the University of Amsterdam.

My thesis supervisor and mentor in the Smart Program is Dr. Eran Amsalem. In future studies, I plan to explore psycho-physiological measures and emotional responses to interpersonal persuasion.

In addition to working on my thesis, I am actively involved in the Experimental Political Communication Lab, funded by the ISF (Israel Science Foundation). In this research group, led by Dr. Eran Amsalem, we study the effects of extreme political rhetoric on individuals' emotions, attitudes, and behavior.

My B.A. degree was completed summa cum laude at Sapir College, where I wrote a seminar on the attitudes and usage patterns of Israelis regarding social media use during weddings. This research was presented at the Communicating conference at the University of Haifa.

Beyond my academic work, I have led the social media accounts of the Israel Sociological Association and founded the social media outlets and visual language of the journal Media Frames. I also serve as a teaching assistant in the Department of Communication and Journalism at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and in the Department of Communication at Sapir College.

My name is Noor Gommed, I was born and raised in Yafia-Nazareth. Upon acceptance to the Hebrew University, I obtained a dual Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Communication and English. I am pursuing my Master's degree in the Internet and New media track in the communication department due to my interest in human-machine interfaces. My thesis will include an analysis of the topic of haptics (touch related technologies) and delve into a deeper understanding of how haptics translates in terms of gamers and their devices, as well as their surrounding environment. My academic mentor in the program is Dr. Ido Ramati.

My name is Michal Salamon. I am 26 years old, originally from central Israel and currently living in Jerusalem. Before I started my academic journey, I was interested in marketing which is what brought me to major in Business Administration and Communication and Journalism in my bachelor’s degree. During my studies I became fascinated by the field of communication research and began to aspire towards an academic career. I am now working towards my Master’s degree in Communication and Journalism in the Internet and New Media track. I am very interested in audience research and became inspired by the “Digital Values” project, which is an ERC (European Research Council) funded project investigating the ways audiences perceive and express values on social media. My thesis will explore the relation between values and frames on social media, through a case study of visual manipulation exposure videos on YouTube. My academic mentors in the program are Dr. Lilly Boxman-Shabtai, and Prof. Limor Shifman.

My name is Aviv Mor. I am 26 years old, born and raised in central Israel. I’ve been interested in the field of communications since my teen years, and at the age of 22 I moved to Jerusalem to start my academic path at the Hebrew University’s Department of Communications and Journalism. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Communications and International relations, and for the past year I have been working as a research assistant in PROFECI - an ERC (European Research Council) funded project examining the social dynamics of public projections. I am passionate about political communication and gender and my major work so far has focused on abortion-related legislation in the United States in the years previous to the overturning of Roe V. Wade. As the recent year’s developments in abortions’ legality in the US have been dramatic, my thesis will deal with the reception of the overturning of Roe among experts, journalists, and the public, and will pay particular attention to future-oriented speech and projections about the post-Roe era. My academic mentors in the program are Prof. Keren Tenenboim-Weinblatt, and Dr. Lilly Boxman.

My name is Amit Turgeman, I am 25 years old and am originally from the Aminadav village near Jerusalem. My undergraduate studies were in both International Relations and Communication and Journalism at the Hebrew University. In addition, I worked at the Health Ministry of Israel as a lecturer and at the Hebrew University as a teaching and research assistant in both the international relations and communication departments.

I live in Shoham and am in my first year of my Master’s degree in the Political Communication track. I am a teaching assistant in various courses and a research assistant in a research project on the subject of “TikTok memes of war” led by Dr. Lilly Boxman-Shabtai and take part in the "Friends and Foes" research group led by Prof. Zohar Kampf and Prof. Gadi Heimman, examining the translation of interpersonal connections into international relations.

My subjects of interest are diplomacy and diplomats' behaviors, norms and codes of behavior in the world system, and behaviors' effects and relations to world public opinion. I am currently focusing on extending my seminar paper into a thesis project. In this work in progress, I examine expressions of gratitude in diplomacy through cases of success and failure and mixed analysis methods. I presented this research last July at the Cadaad conference in Bergamo. I am also working on another paper in parallel. My academic mentor in the program is Prof. Zohar Kampf.

My name is Alma Kalisky, I'm 25 years old, and I'm from Raanana, Israel. My undergraduate studies were at the Hebrew University, where I double-majored in General and Comparative Literature and Communication and Journalism. I chose those majors as I was intrigued by how narratives work – and both fields study narratives, in one way or the other. In the third year of my B.A., I went on a semester abroad in Berlin, where I was exposed to a whole new world of academic approaches and fields of study. While abroad, I became interested in disinformation and specifically in conspiracy theories, and as I was reading more about it, I wanted to investigate it and figure out how and why people are being drawn to it. When I returned to Israel, I decided that I want to be more involved in the Department of Communication and Journalism to write a thesis about conspiracy theories. Because of that, I started working as a teacher’s assistant, and later became a research assistant at  PROFECI, an ERC (European Research Council)  funded project. This year, I started my master’s degree in Communication and Journalism (Internet and Media Track) while working on my thesis on conspiracy theories. My academic mentor in the program is Prof. Neta Kligler-Vilenchik.