Reflections on My Time at Hebrew University
By Tomer Noyhouzer, Ottawa
As someone born and raised in Israel, I always knew Hebrew University was the country’s top university. That’s why it was my obvious choice for my graduate degree. Immediately, I fell in love with the university, my colleagues, my supervisor, and Jerusalem and all it has to offer.
I spent more than six years at Hebrew University and made friends who will forever be part of my life. A day doesn’t go by that I don’t message or email one of them. I actually think one of the reasons I decided to plant my roots in Ottawa is that, in many ways, it resembles Jerusalem. Especially how in both cities, nature is very present and both are filled with extremely intelligent people.
When I decided to pursue a PhD, I had many options but really only one obvious one. Doing it at HU was a decision that shaped my life. I was lucky to take part in a European Union project that involved an academic/industrial collaboration. It helped me develop entrepreneurial tools, business understanding and taught me how to conduct myself in a professional manner. These capabilities proved vital later on when I co-founded my tech-based company during my post-doctorate fellowship at McGill University.
During my time there, I also founded the Montreal branch of ScienceAbroad and continued my collaborations with universities and scholars in Israel but always with a particularly warm spot for HU collaborations. Hebrew U gave me tools to succeed in life no matter where I am. But most importantly, had I not gone to Hebrew University, I wouldn’t have met my wife and wouldn’t have had our beautiful, talented kids. Two of my HU colleagues were the ones who conducted my wedding ceremony. I’m tremendously grateful for everything I learned at HU – the skills I developed and the connections I made there.
- Tomer is a specialist in new technology analysis at the Canadian Air Transportation Security Authority (CATSA) in Ottawa. He also manages his scientific consulting company, Noyhouzer Consulting.
