Dr. David Amar

I am an Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Medicine at Tel Aviv University, where my research sits at the intersection of AI, computational biology, statistical genetics, and exercise biology.

My academic path began with a PhD focused on computer science and AI methods, but I chose to expand my research into statistical genetics, and exercise biology to address fundamental questions in healthspan and disease. This transition further expanded my interdisciplinary background to include causal inference, and multi-omic integration that I now apply to biomedical research. As lead analyst for the NIH-funded MoTrPAC consortium and the Wu-Tsai ELITE consortium, I co-led multi-omic data integration and analysis that culminated in the Nature 2024 MoTrPAC paper and its Cell Metabolism companion, which established the first comprehensive molecular atlas of exercise adaptation and linked these mechanisms to human disease through novel biological network motifs.

Recognizing that contemporary state-of-the-art AI research often emerges at the industry–academia interface, I spent four years in industry alongside my postdoctoral training. This experience gave me access to cutting-edge methods in AI, drug discovery, and translational development, skills I would not have acquired in academia alone.

My academic and industry experiences taught me the importance of communication across diverse teams, reproducibility, and realistic project planning. The current proposal directly builds on this trajectory by investigating exercise adaptation mechanisms that confer protective effects in cancer. This translational research approach aligns perfectly with my experience in linking molecular exercise responses to disease outcomes and my aspiration to advance precision medicine. I have the expertise, leadership, and motivation necessary to contribute to the success of this project.