Welcome to Ecole Polytechnique, Professor Mendelson

Atrium view from the CS department at Technion Israel Institute of Technology.

Atrium view from the CS department at Technion Israel Institute of Technology.

This afternoon, I am thrilled to be having professor Avi Mendelson from Technion Israel Institute of Technology visiting Ecole Polytechnique. I visited Technion in the spring of this year (2016) with a small delegation from Ecole Polytechnique. This was  my first ever trip to Israel, and I was blown away by both how welcoming the Israeli were, and by the very rich program that Technion had put together for us (and I also appreciated the fantastic weather). And, of course, by the exciting work that Avi was presenting.

Professor Avi Mendelson

Professor Avi Mendelson

One of the many strengths of Technion is cybersecurity – and Avi is one of the leading figures in that field. With his double background in both academia and industry he has a very unique perspective on research in general, and on his domain in particular. His focus on the cross-layer between hardware and software especially pique my interest, given my own background in electronics, and I greatly enjoyed our exchanges during my short stay in Technion. His visiting Ecole Polytechnique today is a fantastic opportunity to continue our discussions, and identify areas of future collaboration, exchanges, etc., and to familiarizing him with our institution.

Given how much I enjoyed my first trip to Israel, I am eager to find good reasons to go back frequently. And while excellent scientific peers already are a great point of attraction in Israel, an environment like the below doesn’t hurt either:

Tel Aviv, Israel

Tel Aviv, Israel