A multidisciplinary team of faculty, postdoctoral scientists, doctoral candidates, and masters researchers — each contributing distinct expertise across chemistry, formulation, and pharmaceutical science.
Prof. Avi Domb is a Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Biopolymers at the School of Pharmacy within the Faculty of Medicine at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he holds the Lionel Jacobson Chair in Medicinal Chemistry. His academic background spans multiple disciplines, having earned a B.Sc. in Chemistry and Physics, a M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Bar-Ilan University, along with a B.Pharm. in Pharmacy and an LL.B. in Law from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He completed postdoctoral research fellowships at Syntex Research (Palo Alto), Harvard Medical School, and MIT under the mentorship of Prof. Judah Folkman and Prof. Robert Langer — a formative period that established his pioneering work on biodegradable polymers and controlled drug delivery systems. Prior to joining the Hebrew University faculty in 1991, Prof. Domb served as Director of Biomaterial R&D at Nova Pharmaceutical Corporation (Baltimore, USA). Over the course of his career, he has held key leadership positions in academia, public service, and government:
* Head of the Division of Identification and Forensic Sciences in the Israel Police, serving with the rank of Brigadier General (2007–2012).
* President of the Azrieli College of Engineering Jerusalem (2014–2016).
* Head of the School of Pharmacy at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2018–2021).
* Chief Scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology (2021–2025).
Prof. Domb has authored or co-authored over 570 scientific publications, holds dozens of issued patents, and has co-founded several biotechnology spinoff companies. His multidisciplinary laboratory focuses on biodegradable polymers, target-specific drug delivery systems, nanomedicine, gene therapy, biomaterials for tissue engineering, forensic science methodologies, and sustainable chemical technologies — actively translating fundamental chemistry from the benchtop into clinical trials and commercialized pharmaceutical products.
Postdoc
Dr. Awanish is expert in the end-to-end development of sophisticated drug delivery systems for small molecules and biomolecules. He did his PhD from University of Delhi, India and later moved to MIT, USA as a Postdoctoral Research Associate. Currently, he is a Senior Postdoctoral Fellow in Prof. Avi Domb research group. Overall, he has 45 publications in peer-reviewed Journals.
Ph.D. Candidate · Lab Manager
Muhammad research focuses in the formulation, optimization, and scale-up of diverse delivery systems — including polymer-based and particulate systems, diagnostic markers, SNEDDS, and water enrichment platforms. Working at the intersection of academic research and commercial application, he oversees multiple simultaneous projects and leads instrument operation, cross-functional team training, and laboratory resource management.
Ph.D. Student · Medicinal Chemistry
Matilda is a Ph.D. student in Medicinal Chemistry with a background in pharmaceutical sciences (B.Sc. Pharm.). Her research focuses on the synthesis of polyphenolate salts to improve the solubility and bioavailability of bioactive compounds.
M.Sc. student , B.Sc. Pharm
Marah research focuses on the preparation and characterization of biodegradable breast markers for mammography. She develops biopsy marker clips in different shapes by incorporating contrast agents into a biodegradable polymer matrix to improve visualization of the tumor site during clinical follow-up, and engineers hydrophilic coatings to further enhance imaging performance.
M.Sc. Student · Biomedical Sciences
Saleem holds a B.Sc. in Biomedical Sciences and is pursuing his M.Sc. in the Domb Research Group, contributing to the group's translational drug delivery and biomaterials research.
Lab Technician · Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Ezz-Aldeen holds a B.Sc. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and brings hands-on R&D laboratory experience to the group. He supports formulation development and analytical workflows across projects, with practical expertise in drug release studies, polymer characterization, and microbiology.