Group photo (in partial attendance). From left to right: Ranjan, Marina, Tamar, Liron, Aviv, Abhishek, Devang, and Inbar.
Aviv Solodoch, principal investigator
I am a Physical Oceanographer and principal investigator of the POMS lab at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Institute of Earth Sciences, which I joined in 2023. Previously, I have been a researcher at Tel Aviv University, and a postdoctoral researcher at UCLA. My PhD and Postdoc experience at UCLA involved the Global Overturning Circulation, as well as boundary currents separation, vortex dynamics, and wind-forced ocean currents. During my PhD I have also conducted sea going research on density currents and submesoscale fronts with the UCLA Marine Operations group, activities which we continue in POMS. Before that, I obtained a MSc in Physics from the Weizmann Institute of Science, conducting research on intraseasonal oscillations in the tropical atmosphere. My BSc was in Physics and Math, from Tel Aviv University. In between my MSc and PhD I worked in Electro-Optics R&D.
My current research areas include the Global Overturning Circulation (MOC); Mesoscale and submesoscale vortex dynamics, and their effects on air-sea interaction; Surface boundary layer physics; and continental margin frontal/small-scale circulation. My research tools of choice include both realistic and idealized numerical modeling and analysis, as well as conducting observations. In the latter, i.e., observations, I focus on submesoscale processes and on density currents.
Liron Michaeli, lab manager and MSc student
Liron (Marine Science BSc) has been in POMS since its establishment and is instrumental in design and execution of all observational activities we are engaged in. Liron is now also a graduate (MSc) student in POMS, working on understanding the modulation of air-sea fluxes by sub/mesoscale circulation.
Omri Baum, UAV operations manager
Omri, a computer and electronics engineering student, is a UAV pilot extraordinaire, and manages all aspects of UAV use in POMS.
Devang Falor, Postdoc https://df6106.github.io/
I have completed my PhD (Engg.) from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. My research interests lie in the broad field of Physical Oceanography and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, with focus on air-sea interaction and quantifying associated oceanic turbulence and mixing at various spatiotemporal scales using a combination of theory, numerical simulations and in-situ observations.
Devang's research subject is the coupling between the sea breeze and ocean circulation, as part of the MedWorld project. He is co-adivised with Hezi Gildor and Guy Dagan.
Ranjan Kumar Kushwaha, Postdoc
Ranjan Kumar Kushwaha completed his Direct Ph.D. (after a Bachelor of Engineering) in Mechanical Engineering at IIT Kanpur. After submitting his thesis, he was awarded the FARE Fellowship at IIT Kanpur, before joining the MedWorld project at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His research focuses on turbulent flows, boundary-layer transition, and flow over rough surfaces, along with the analysis of flow physics using multiple mathematical tools. He has expertise in Large Eddy Simulation (LES), Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS), and high-performance CFD code development. He is proficient in Fortran, MATLAB, and Python, with a strong interest in developing advanced numerical methods for Navier–Stokes solvers.
Ranjan's research subject is the Mediterranean Sea Overturning Circulation, as part of the MedWorld project. He is co-adivised with Hezi Gildor.
Marina Yarina, Postdoc
Marina's obtained her BSc in Technical Physics from Bauman Moscow State Technical University, and her MSc (cum laude) and PhD in marine geosciences from Haifa university. Marina's current research involves a priori error estimates in wave-Doppler optical velocity measurements from UAVs.
Abhishek Pasula, Postdoc
Abhishek completed his Ph.D. in Computational and Data Sciences from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. His research interests lie in the broad field of Physical Oceanography, with a focus on ocean modeling, data assimilation, and machine learning applications for understanding ocean dynamics and climate variability at multiple spatiotemporal scales.
Abhishek's research in the POMS lab focuses on high-resolution ROMS simulations of the Mediterranean Sea to investigate the dynamics driving its anomalous warming trends, as part of the MedWorld project. He is co-advised with Ori Adam.
Bivas Bhaumik, Postdoc
My research lies in the field of Physics-informed machine learning (PIML) and deep learning with an emphasis on theory, algorithms, and applications of optimization, machine learning, representation learning, statistical sampling and anomaly detection. Currently, I am working on machine learning methods to analyze multimodal time-series data in the climate system using Python, Scikit-learn, Keras, and PyTorch.
Bivas' research in the POMS lab focuses on understanding the spatio-temporal propagation pattern of the Sea-Breeze system. He is co-advised with Guy Dagan.
Xingyu Lee, PhD student
Xingyu is a PhD student, studying physical-biogeochemical interactions in marine sleeks and in the surface micro-layer. He is co-adivised with Yoav Lehahn (U. of Haifa) and Eyal Rahav (Israel Ocean and Limnological Research, aka IOLR).
Jean-Pierre Obeid, MSc student
Jean-Pierre's MSc research topic is the development of advanced optical methods for oil slick and ocean surface microlayer characterization. He is co-adivised with Yoav Lehahn (U. of Haifa), Atef Shalabney (Braude College of Engineering).
Etai Warszawer, MSc student. Etai's MSc research deals with the interaction of flow, turbulence, and bottom sediment suspension and transport. Etai is be co-advised by Nadav Lenski (Geological Survery of Israel), and our research project occurs in the Dead Sea coastal region and the streams leading to it.
Tamar Van-Gelder, MSc student
Tamar's MSc research deals with the sub-mesoscale circulation on continental shelves, and on modulation of cross-shelf material exchange by interactions of sub-mesoscale vortices. Tamar is co-advised with Hezi Gildor.
Moshe Huber, MSc student
Moshe is a MSc student, co-advised with Yoav Lehahn at the U. of Haifa. Moshe's uses optical imaging techniques to characterize the effects of ocean surfactants on small scale wave activity.
Lior Grinbein, BSc student
Lior conducts his Electrical Engineering BSc final project on the topic of acceleration of optical estimation of surface ocean velocity.
Inbar Maimon, research asistant
Inbar is developing a lab-based optical sensing techniqe for capillary waves.
Nir Daniel, BSc student
Nir is conducting research on the relation between optical opacity and turbulent sediment load variability.
RESEARCH STUDENTS(MSc/PhD)/POSTDOCS WANTED for a variety of research projects. Modeling projects include open questions on the Global Overturning Circulation, the Mediterranean Sea large-scale circulation, vortex dynamics, and internal waves. Observational projects include various aspects of density currents and submesoscale fronts and eddies, including their processes of dissipation, cross-scale fluxes, and modulation of air-sea interaction by submesoscale fronts. Please contact me at Aviv.Solodoch@mail.huji.ac.il if interested.