Michal Natan was born in Herzliya and moved at a young age to Kfar Saba. Following her National Service as a guide in “Beit Hatfutsot” museum Michal, intrigued by the mysteries of nature, started her academic studies at the Faculty of Life Sciences in Biotechnolgy at Bar-Ilan University. Michal continued to a Master’s degree at the Faculty of Biochemistry at the Weizmann Institute of Science under the supervision of Prof. Adi Kimchi.

Following an eight-month trip to Central and South America, Michal started her Ph.D. in Nanotechnology under the joint supervision of Prof. Ehud Banin and Prof. Shlomo Margel at Bar-Ilan University.  Michal is focusing on developing novel solutions to a serious unresolved problem facing humanity; the increased resistance of bacteria to antimicrobials together with their ability to form essentially untreatable biofilms on surfaces. In her research, she is fabricating novel rechargeable N-halamine nanoparticles that have self-cleaning and self-sterilizing properties for antimicrobial and antifouling applications. This research has already yielded several publications for which Michal received prestigious prizes from the university, including the Rector’s Prize for Outstanding Studies.

Michal’s latest findings showing the high stability, specific activity and efficacy of the novel nanomaterials, as well as their inherent recharging capability, underscore the potential of using the self-sterilizing sustainable N-halamine nanoparticles for various industrial and medical applications.