Dr Shaked Ashkenazi

University of Oxford

Shaked was granted a MSCA Fellowship in 2019. Her research explores the mechanisms behind the immune system including how proteins interact with one another to execute immune responses, as well as cell death decisions. She aims to uncover the role of iRhom2 (a pseudo-protease) in the anti-viral response. Shaked has published papers in high-profile journals, presented work at conferences, and has collaborated with labs in Israel and Oxford.

She has also been involved in a number of science communication and outreach activities including involvement with the Israeli NGO Little-Big Science, the largest popular science platform in Israel. The group of volunteers she works with cover cutting edge research from different STEM disciplines.

On the Fellowship, Shaked said:

"Research projects in life sciences often require years to complete. The fellowship provides much needed time for thorough research, in addition to a generous budget for research and for research-related travel.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on research and on researchers alike. Unfortunately, I contracted COVID-19 in March 2020 and have not yet fully recovered. The MSCA fellowship allows exceptional flexibility, including part time work when needed. Being able to use my fellowship for a longer period on a half-time basis provides me with a great relief, when I am still unable to work full-time as I would have liked."