After earning three degrees from the Technion, Renana Gershoni Poranne is now in the midst of her postdoc at ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich). She visited Israel this week to receive her Ph.D. and sing at the graduation ceremony, hosted by her father.
Last week Renana Gershoni Poranne received her PhD from the Technion, and performed two songs at the graduation ceremony: Derekh Aruka (A Long Road) by Thelma Alyagon-Rose and Kobi Oshrat, and O Mio Babbino Caro (Oh My Beloved Father) by Puccini. Having earned three degrees from the Technion, she knows a lot about long roads, and the Master of Ceremony was no other than her beloved father, Professor David Gershoni from the Faculty of Physics.
Gershoni Poranne earned her B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. at the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, from 2004 to 2015. She has been well acquainted with the Technion for many years, since her father, Prof. Gershoni, became a faculty member in 1991. Her mother Raya received her M.Ed. in Science Education here as well. Renana’s husband Roi also earned three degrees at the Technion (Computer Science), and her sister earned two degrees here.
“For me, the Technion is home. Over the years, I received tremendous encouragement and generous financial support, and enjoyed wonderful interactions both from the Technion in general as well as the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry in particular.”
Gershoni Poranne, 31, grew up in Kiryat Tivon and hopes to return there upon completion of her postdoc. At ORT Greenberg High School in Tivon, where she met her future husband, Roi, she received her matriculation certificate with extra credits in physics, chemistry, mathematics and English, as well as in singing. Music led her to the orchestra of the Israel Defence Forces and is still a part of her life. “Even though it’s a bit harder nowadays, with two children and a postdoc,” she smiles.
Gershoni Poranne welcomed the opportunity to perform last week at the ceremony with her longtime partner, pianist Gil Naor. She began her academic career at the Open University during her IDF service. Her B.Sc. at the Technion included a research project with Professor Ehud Keinan, who later advised her on her M.Sc. project as well. She says, “Following the completion of my M.Sc., I decided to expand my research to include computational studies, which I find immensely interesting and challenging.” Thus, she began working with Prof. Amnon Stanger, also from the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, and embarked on her Ph.D. thesis.
Her doctoral research dealt with aromatic substances, or substances that contain aromatic groups. “They’re everywhere,” she says. “In nature we find them in DNA, in proteins and in enzymes. In the hemoglobin in our blood, for example, there is an aromatic group, which is responsible for binding the iron to which oxygen binds, and without which we could not live. These compounds are also important for applicative use, and in industry, are used in solar panels, LED lights, transistors and as pigments.”
As a member of Prof. Peter Chen’s group in Zurich, she is studying chemical reactions catalyzed by organo-metallic materials. “Our research group focuses on understanding and designing catalytic reactions. To this end, we need to understand the structures and properties of the compounds and the connection between their structures and reactivities. I approach these problems from a computational angle – using quantum-mechanical calculations to probe the properties of various molecules and to investigate reactions.”
Although they had both originally planned to apply for postdocs in the United States, Renana and Roi eventually decided to apply to the ETH in Switzerland, and they are happy with their choice. “The work in our group is conducted on a very high level and gives me an opportunity to learn about new and interesting fields. The students and faculty are professional and hardworking, and at the same time, personal time is highly valued, and on the weekend you are free to explore nature and enjoy sports, activities that the Swiss hold in very high esteem. People here don’t just talk about quality of life, they’re living it.”
Roi and Renana’s two sons, Yoni (6) and Ron (2), attend a bilingual preschool (English and Swiss-German) and have quickly picked up both languages. “We miss being close to our families and friends, and sometimes miss our parents’ assistance, which was available to us here in Israel. But Roi and I, like all couples in our situation, divide the tasks between us – and when all’s said and done, we are really enjoying this wonderful opportunity. Zurich is a charming and welcoming city, and Switzerland in general is a very beautiful country. Every place we visit looks like a postcard.”
