ד”ר אשרף אל אשהב
תחום המחקר:
מיקרוביולוגיה
ashraf@adssc.org
972-8-9448732
052-6764006
Google Scholar
Researchgate
Publons
MICROBIAL METAGENOMICS DIVISION
ד”ר למיקרוביולוגיה וטיפול במים – אונ’ בן-גוריון, 2014.
מחקר נוכחי:
הקבוצה של ד”ר אשרף אל אשהב מתעניינת בפיזיולוגיה ואינטראקציה בין מיקרואורגניזמים בתנאים סביבתיים קיצונים כמו ים המלח, מיקוד העבודה שלנו בקהילות החיידקים ייחודיים שנמצאים במים, אדמה ועל הצמחים של אזורים צחיחים לשם מיון של אלה שמבטאים גנים האחראים לפעילות מטבולית מעניינת.
בנוסף הקבוצה שלנו מפתחת מערכות “הנדסה מיקרוביולוגית” כגון: לטיפול בשפכים, בביופילם ובמערכות סביבתיות שונות כולל המערכת הדנטאלית.
ימית ותעשית הקוסמטיקה. המחקר שלנו הראה יישומים רחבי טווח ונתן אפשרות לשיתוף פעולה הדוק עם החקלאות.
Dr. Al Ashhab’s work included a wide range of microbial community analysis in different environmental systems. Al Ashhab has completed his PhD in tertiary treated wastewater effluents using wastewater MBR-RO system for treating municipal wastewater (see publication list). Recently funded project by Al Ashhab concerned on integrating unique microbial species in the environmental system such as agriculture and aquaculture and proved to enhance microbial community resistance to different pathogens and increased fish survival.
Research assistant
Msc.Hiam Abu-Glion (Lab Manager)
Hiam holds a master’s degree in agriculture from the Faculty
of Agriculture in Rehovot, Started working at the Desert and Dead Sea Center in
May 1st, 2023 and having a 10 + years as a research assistant in Volcani Center
Bsc. Ibrahim Sharabati
Ibrahim is a research assistant at the Dead Sea and Arava Science Center, working under the guidance of Dr. Ashraf Al Ashhab since July 1st, 2022. He holds a Bsc. degree in Biology and Biochemistry from Birzeit University. His work primarily focuses on studying bacterial communities and their host interactions at genomic and transcriptomic levels within diverse stress environments, with a particular emphasis on climate change, agricultural biocontrol, human skin microbiota, postbiotics, and microbial disease ecology.”
Bsc. Diaa Abu Omar(research assistant) Diaa is an Electrical and Electronics Engineering graduate from Azrieli College of Engineering. with a minor in Digital Signal Processor (DSP) Embedded Systems. As a part of his degree, he developed a drowning detection system using image processing and machine learning. He has been working at the Dead Sea and Arava Science Center since August 15th, 2023 at Dr. Al Ashhab Group as na automation engineer on iGROW-MERC funded project developing an online real time monitoring system for hydroponics, green roof and greywater treatment.
skills: Electronics , Python , MATLAB , DSP , Image Processing, Raspberry PI.
Bsc. Kareem Nayrouck (lab technician):
Kareem is a research assistant at the Dead Sea and Arava Science Center, working under the guidance of Dr. Ashraf Al Ashhab since Dec 1st, 2023. He holds a Bsc. degree in Biology and Biochemistry from Birzeit University. His work primarily focuses on “enhancing bacterial succession for oil biodegradation in Evrona soils”
Lab member
CURRENT TO 2021 MSc. Yosef Avrahami (bioinformatician)
STUDENTS
2021-2023 Dr. Reut S. Abramovich, postdoctoral research with Dr. Yehoshua Y. (Bar-Illan). Thesis in symbiotic autonomous life support system for distant space colonies
2018-2020 Dr. Sagar Nayak, postdoctoral research with Dr. Dina Zilberg (BGU). Thesis in fish diet and their immunity
2018 – 2020 MSc Danit Parker, master student with Dr. Osnat Gillor (BGU) and Dr. Yael Bar-Lavan (DSASC). Thesis in desert plant microbiomes.
Patents
- 2020, US Patent No. 62/885,386. Entitled: “BACTERIA AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF”
- 2020, US Patent No. 62/891,437. Entitled: “FISH SKIN MICROBIOME”
Funded projects
2016-2019 ICA Foundation. “The use of Acacia microbiome phyllosphere as a biological control in arid agriculture”. Partners: Al Ashhab A (DSASC), Bar-lavan Y (DSASC) and Winters G (DSASC). Budget: 160,00$.
2017-2019 ICA Foundation. “Microbiome of disease and sick fish aquaculture, tools toward fish immunity enhancement in aquaculture and using microbial probiotics”. Partners: Al Ashhab A (DSASC) and Sharon G (ILOR). Budget: 70,000$.
2019-2020 ICA Foundation. “The Skin Microbiome as a Diagnostic and Therapeutic Tool in Fish Farming”. Partners: Al Ashhab A (DSASC) and Sharon G (ILOR). Budget: 80,000$.
2019-2020 UTI. “Biocontrol of agricultural fungal pathogens using newly isolated microbial antifungal properties”. Partners: Al Ashhab A. (DSASC), Bar-lavan Y. (DSASC) and Carmeli S. (TAU). Budget is 33,000$.
2019-2020 ICA Foundation. “Engineering of camel microbiome and utilization for UV radiation protection”. Partners: Al Ashhab A. (DSASC) Szitenberg A. (DSASC). Budget: 50,000$.
2020-2023 MOST. “Symbiotic Autonomous Life Support System for distant Space Colonies”. Partners: Al Ashhab A. (DSASC), Yehoshua Y. (Bar-Illan). Budget: 303,000$.
2020-2023 IIA. “New desert bacteria with potential biotechnological / agricultural values“. Partners: Bar-Lavan Y. (DSASC), Al Ashhab A. (DSACS), Carmeli S. (TAU), ADAMA. Budget: 200,000$
2022-2023 ICA Foundation. “The roles of RNA, mRNA, miRNA in interactions between fish and microbiome in diseased and healthy conditions”. Partners: Sharon G (ILOR). Budget: 80,000$.
2022-2027 EU (M-Era.net). “TARDIS: Nano-enabled stimuli-responsive scaffolds for targeted antimicrobials delivery to treat Staphylococcus aureus infections and restore skin homeostasis”. Partners: Ramon E. (UPC), Mozuraityte R. (SINTEF), Sesal N. (MAR), Ruseva K. (SoU) Budget is 940,377 EUR (100,000).
2022-2026 קרן תובענות, Use of enhanced bacterial succession (EMS), of native species, to increase the rate of oil degradation in terrestrial oil spills in arid areas”. Partners: Gabi Banet (DSASC). Budget is 941,600 IL (50%).
2021-2023 ICA, “Biocontrol of red weevil in date palms”. Partners: Dnan Ment (VOLCANI). Budget is 44,000 USD (50%).
2021-2023 UTI, “Holobionts on the edge: Comparing hologenome drought adaptation in Brachypodium distachyon sensu stricto from Dead Sea and Mediterranean ecosystems”. Partners: Marcelo Sternberg (TAU). Budget is 33,300 USD (50%).
2022-2025 MERC. “Innovative urban green roof and hydroponic system (iGrow) for urban built environments in water scarce communities”. Partners: Balawneh A. (NARC), Halasah S. (iGREENs) Budget is 478,924 USD (173,674 + 118,000)
2022-2025 MERC. “The use of Prey-Predator interaction in soil to mitigate
contaminations introduced by treated wastewater irrigation”. Partners: Osnat Gillor (BGU), Luna Al-Hadidi (NARC), Samar Sabri (NARC), Nadav Shnerb (BIU), Budget is 490,600 USD (31,050 + 84,000).
2023-2024 CanNegev, “Field experiment B: application of bacterial trapping to prevent RKN (Meloidogyne incognita) infection in tomato field experiment”. NIS 76,000.
2022-2023 CanNegev, “Field experiment: application of bacterial trapping to prevent RKN (Meloidogyne incognita) infection in tomato field experiment”. NIS 70,000.
