ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
2012 – Present Lecturer, Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University
2010 – 2012 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University (Advisor: Daniel E. Lieberman)
2010 – 2012 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (Advisor: Jean-Jacques Hublin)
EDUCATION
2004 – 2009 PhD in Biomechanics, Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science. Dissertation: Mechanical Behavior of Whole Rat Bone: Relative Contributions of Trabecular and Cortical Bone (Advisors: Steve Weiner, Ron Shahar)
2004 – 2009 Teaching certificate in Biology, Department of Science Teaching, Weizmann Institute of Science
1998 – 2002 Doctor Veterinary Medicine (DVM), Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
1995 – 1998 BSc in Animal Science (Cum Laude), Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2013 Lecturer, The Biology of Bone (Scheduled), spring semester, Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University
2012 Teaching fellow, Life Science 2 (Scheduled), fall semester, Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University
2005 – 2007 Surgical instructor, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
2005 – 2006 Mentoring Senior Science Projects of prodigious senior high school students, Department of Science Teaching, Weizmann Institute of Science
2004 – 2005 Anatomy lab instructor, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Trabecular bone structure-function relation
- Trabecular contribution to whole bone biomechanical behavior
- Understanding locomotion behaviour through trabecular bone architecture
- Bone mechanotransduction
- Imaging techniques
- Bone material biomechanical properties
- Osteoporosis
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
- Reviewer for Spine, Journal of Anatomy, Journal of Human Evolution, Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials), Royal Society of Chemistry Journal.
- Reviewing grant proposal for the Leakey Foundation.
- Refereeing undergraduate veterinary students’ dissertations (Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem).
LIST OF PUBLICATIONS
Non peer-review publications
- M.M. Barak. Bone Biomechanics (in Hebrew). Galileo- Israeli magazine of Science and Thought 129:36-44 (2009)
- M.M. Barak. How bones respond to load (in Hebrew). Galileo- Israeli magazine of Science and Thought 108:22-27 (2007)
- M.M. Barak. Bones, fractures and healing (in Hebrew). Galileo- Israeli magazine of Science and Thought 83:20-28 (2005)
2012 – Present Lecturer, Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University
2010 – 2012 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University (Advisor: Daniel E. Lieberman)
2010 – 2012 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (Advisor: Jean-Jacques Hublin)
EDUCATION
2004 – 2009 PhD in Biomechanics, Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science. Dissertation: Mechanical Behavior of Whole Rat Bone: Relative Contributions of Trabecular and Cortical Bone (Advisors: Steve Weiner, Ron Shahar)
2004 – 2009 Teaching certificate in Biology, Department of Science Teaching, Weizmann Institute of Science
1998 – 2002 Doctor Veterinary Medicine (DVM), Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
1995 – 1998 BSc in Animal Science (Cum Laude), Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2013 Lecturer, The Biology of Bone (Scheduled), spring semester, Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University
2012 Teaching fellow, Life Science 2 (Scheduled), fall semester, Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University
2005 – 2007 Surgical instructor, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
2005 – 2006 Mentoring Senior Science Projects of prodigious senior high school students, Department of Science Teaching, Weizmann Institute of Science
2004 – 2005 Anatomy lab instructor, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Trabecular bone structure-function relation
- Trabecular contribution to whole bone biomechanical behavior
- Understanding locomotion behaviour through trabecular bone architecture
- Bone mechanotransduction
- Imaging techniques
- Bone material biomechanical properties
- Osteoporosis
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
- Reviewer for Spine, Journal of Anatomy, Journal of Human Evolution, Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials), Royal Society of Chemistry Journal.
- Reviewing grant proposal for the Leakey Foundation.
- Refereeing undergraduate veterinary students’ dissertations (Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem).
LIST OF PUBLICATIONS
- M.M Barak, D.E Lieberman, J.J Hublin. A Wolff in sheep’s clothing: Trabecular bone adaptation in response to changes in joint loading orientation. Bone. 49:1141-51 (2011).
- M.M Barak, S. Weiner and R. Shahar. The contribution of trabecular bone to the stiffness and strength of rat lumbar vertebrae. Spine. 35:E1153-9 (2010).
- M.M. Barak, S. Geiger, N. Lev-Tov Chattah, R. Shahar and S. Weiner. Enamel dictates whole tooth deformation: A finite element model study validated by an optical method. Journal of Structural Biology 168:511-20 (2009).
- M.M. Barak, A. Sharir and R. Shahar. Optical metrology methods for mechanical testing of whole bones. The Veterinary Journal 180:7-14 (2009).
- M.M. Barak, J.D. Currey, S. Weiner, R. Shahar. Are tensile and compressive Young’s moduli of compact bone different? Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials 2:51-60 (2009).
- M.M. Barak, S. Weiner, R. Shahar. Importance of the integrity of trabecular bone to the relationship between load and deformation of rat femora: An optical metrology study. Journal of Materials Chemistry 18:3855-64 (2008).
- A. Sharir, M.M. Barak and R. Shahar. Whole bone mechanics and mechanical testing. The Veterinary Journal 177:8-17(2008).
- M.M. Barak, S. Weiner, R. Shahar. The contribution of trabecular bone tissue to the mechanical behavior of whole rat femora. . Journal of Biomechanics 41:S47 (2008).
- R. Shahar, P. Zaslansky, M. Barak, A.A. Friesem, J.D. Currey and S. Weiner. Anisotropic Poisson's ratio and compression modulus of cortical bone determined by speckle interferometry. Journal of Biomechanics 40:252-64 (2007).
- L. Nadav, V. Kalchenko, M.M. Barak, E. Naparstek, B. Geiger, B.Z. Katz. Tumorigenic potential and disease manifestations of malignant B-cell variants differing in their fibronectin adhesiveness. Experimental Hematology 36:1524-34 (2008).
- P. Zaslansky, R. Shahar, M.M. Barak, A.A. Friesem, and S. Weiner. Tooth and bone deformation: structure and material properties by ESPI. Proc. SPIE 6341:634109 (2006).
Non peer-review publications
- M.M. Barak. Bone Biomechanics (in Hebrew). Galileo- Israeli magazine of Science and Thought 129:36-44 (2009)
- M.M. Barak. How bones respond to load (in Hebrew). Galileo- Israeli magazine of Science and Thought 108:22-27 (2007)
- M.M. Barak. Bones, fractures and healing (in Hebrew). Galileo- Israeli magazine of Science and Thought 83:20-28 (2005)
(Last updated: August 4, 2012)