IsraelCast Episode 155

The Faculty Fellowship Program in Israel is a crucial education initiative that invites full-time university and college faculty members to participate in an academic trip to Israel. Supported and funded by Jewish National Fund-USA, the program enables participants to meet with professionals and experts to understand the many facets of Israel’s evolving national and international policies, in addition to connecting educators and researchers with their Israeli counterparts for a freer exchange of ideas. Host Steven Shalowitz sits down with Dr. Ruben Ceballos, a biology professor and researcher from University of Arkansas and faculty fellowship attendee, to discuss his academic research, key takeaways from his faculty fellowship experience, and how he’s using science to build cultural bridges.

Dr. Ruben Michael Ceballos is a faculty member in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Science Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Arkansas, where he studies viruses and virus ecology across domains of life and biotechnology derived from extremophile microbe systems. Before transitioning into the sciences, Dr. Ceballos worked in the Flight Modules Design group on NASA’s International Space Station project through the Boeing Company. He is also a Jewish National Fund-USA Faculty Fellowship awardee who participated in the Winter 2018 Faculty Fellowship trip to Israel. In 2022, he was invited back to serve as a speaker for the most recent cohorts of fellowship awardees.