IUI Eilat

Location: Eilat, Israel
Associated University: Multiple (Consortium)
Program Dates: January 2020

About the Inter University Institute for Marine Science:

The Inter University Institute for Marine Sciences (IUI) is situated near Eilat along the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. The institute has been in operation since 1968, and is a national facility shared by all universities in Israel. Its mission is to provide Israeli and foreign universities with research and teaching capabilities in oceanography and coral reef ecology. The IUI has eight resident scientists and over 50 non-resident scientists that actively conduct research at the institute. Logistic support is provided by 25 technical and administrative staff. A flourishing coral reef is found in front of the institute, meters away from the water line. The offshore open waters are deep (750 m) and oligotrophic, reachable in only 15 minutes of cruising aboard the institute’s research vessel. Research at the IUI is diverse, spanning various fields in open-water oceanography, coral reef ecology, marine biogeochemistry, marine geology, physical oceanography. Resident IUI faculty and their research include:

• Gilad Antler studies the chemistry and micro-biogeochemistry of the sediment-water interface, focusing on processes related to sulfur and carbon.
• Maoz Fine works on coral reef biology in a changing environment including the ecological and physiological responses of subtropical and tropical marine communities to environmental stress.
• Miguel Frada studies phytoplankton ecology, cell biology and genetics, regulation of life cycle strategies, biotic interactions, and populations dynamics.
• Amatzia Genin works on physics-biology interactions in the coral reef and open waters, focusing on predator-prey relationships and behavior of fish, corals, and zooplankton.
• Roi Holtzman focuses on functional morphology and the evolution of complex functional systems, and biomechanics and hydrodynamics of suction feeding in fishes.
• Moshe Kiflawi works on community ecology and early life history and behavioral ecology of coral reef fish.
• Yeala Shaked’s research focuses on biogeochemical cycling, redox dynamics, and chemical speciation of trace metals in aquatic ecosystems.
• Adi Torftein’s main interests are isotope geochemistry of marine and lacustrine sediments, seawater biogeochemistry, paleoclimate, paleoceanography, geochronology, sediment provenance, and U-decay series.

A list of non-resident scientists and their research interests can be found at: http://www.iui-eilat.ac.il/People/Affiliates.aspx

For more information visit the IUI website: http://www.iui-eilat.ac.il/

This program is supported by NSF grant #1831075, 2019-2021.