Maya Bloch Haimson

“This year I completed my M.Sc. in Marine Geosciences at the Leon Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, and began working at the Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research (IOLR) as Head of Data Product. My thesis, “An Overview of The Ocean Data Ecosystem,” was conducted under the joint supervision of Prof. Yoav Lehahn from the Department of Marine Geosciences at the University of Haifa and Prof. Tomer Sagi from the Department of Computer Science at Aalborg University, Denmark.

My professional background is in product management in high-tech and medical simulation companies, leading products from concept to market launch, working with cross-functional teams, and establishing strategic partnerships with key opinion leaders in medical education and surgical simulation. My studies in Marine Geosciences opened up an entirely new world for me. The research I conducted on the ocean data ecosystem allowed me to deeply understand researchers’ needs, the complexity of marine data, and the challenges in making scientific information accessible. This knowledge forms the foundation of my current role, where I am responsible for establishing a new data platform for the National Monitoring Program.

My learning experience at the School of Marine Sciences was extremely enjoyable—the courses were diverse, I also participated in courses at the Inter-University Institute in Eilat, and I met excellent researchers both in Israel and abroad. The academic staff was always inspiring and supportive. The studies here led me to a position that combines all my professional experience, allowing me to synthesise multi-disciplinary skills with my newfound knowledge in marine sciences.

I recently enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Marine Geosciences. Despite the large and growing volume of oceanographic data, identifying early warning signals of tipping points in marine ecosystems remains a critical challenge. My research aims to develop tools that will enable the scientific community to identify these changes through the integration of diverse datasets and advanced artificial intelligence techniques.

I hold an M.Sc. in Marine Geosciences from Haifa University (Graduated with Distinction – Dean of Graduate Studies’ Honor), an MBA with honors from Ben-Gurion University and a B.Sc. in Computer Science and Computational Biology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.”