First degree in Mathematics at the Technion.
Brian studies at the Hebrew University (non-degree study).
Computer Science, University of Munich (LMU) and Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany (non-degree study).
Ph.D. in Computer Science (bioinformatics) at the Technion..
Post doctoral associate at Janelia Farm Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Virginia, USA.
Participated in the Technion Excellence Program: October 1996 – June 1999.
Firas took interdisciplinary courses while studying for his first degree.
Honors and Awards:
2005 Fellowship from the Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Council for Higher Education in Israel.
1999-2000 Excellence award, Hebrew University, Israel.
Dr. Swidan concentrates on the interplay between combinatorial/computational problems and their applications to the real world. His work is pioneering and on the cutting edge of technology. It includes inventing state-of-the-art models and algorithms for variety of problems, ranging from multi-target tracking to reconstructing evolution. Dr. Swidan brings exceptionally sharp mind and interdisciplinary experience to his role. Previously he led a students' team to provide a user friendly implementation of MAGIC – his inventive method for accurate comparisons of genomes. Recently he architected MADtracker, a tool for accurate multi-target tracking.
Dr. Swidan has more than a dozen of publications, and received multiple honors and awards during his career. He is fluent in 4 languages.
About the Program: "it contributed a lot to my general knowledge and enabled me to examine areas in other faculties".
Recommendation to Program participants: "It is worthwhile and highly recommended to utilize all the options offered and provided by the Program. Use the advantages to make the correct choices in your curriculum. This will help you to chart the right course for your future".
Today: Technical bioinformatics lead in Biomatters.
