Prof. Aharon Blank is a Full Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Tel Aviv University. He joined Tel Aviv University in 2026 after twenty years at the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, where he also held an adjunct appointment in Biomedical Engineering.
He received his B.Sc. in Physics, Mathematics, and Chemistry from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, graduating cum laude. He subsequently completed an M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering at Tel Aviv University, specializing in physical electronics and applied physics, and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, graduating summa cum laude. His doctoral research focused on electron-spin polarization and its application to electromagnetic and electro-optic devices. He later conducted postdoctoral research with Prof. Jack H. Freed at Cornell University, where he worked on electron spin resonance microscopy.
Before and during the early stages of his academic career, Prof. Blank gained substantial experience in microwave engineering and medical-device development. He served as a scientific officer in the Israeli Air Force, working on electromagnetic-wave propagation, antennas, radar, and microwave devices. He also held senior research and development positions, including Chief Technology Officer, at TopSpin Medical, where he contributed to the development of a miniature intravascular magnetic-resonance imaging probe.
Prof. Blank’s research program is devoted to extending magnetic resonance beyond its traditional limits in sensitivity, spatial resolution, operating conditions, and accessibility. His group develops miniature and ultra-sensitive ESR resonators, cryogenic and room-temperature spin detectors, advanced ESR and NMR instrumentation, and methods for imaging, addressing, and controlling solid-state spins. These technologies are applied to quantum sensing, quantum information processing, high-resolution imaging, structural biology, materials characterization, and biomedical diagnostics.
A major current research direction is the development of practical quantum microwave devices based on solid-state spin systems. This work includes diamond-based masers and anti-masers, low-noise microwave amplification, low-phase-noise quantum microwave sources, cooling of microwave modes, operation of superconducting qubits and amplifiers at elevated temperatures, and quantum-enhanced benchtop NMR spectroscopy. His group also studies NV centers in diamond, endohedral fullerenes, silicon quantum dots, and other spin systems relevant to quantum sensing and scalable quantum technologies.
In addition to his research, Prof. Blank has contributed extensively to quantum-science education and infrastructure. At the Technion, he participated in the management, teaching, and infrastructure activities of the Helen Diller Quantum Science and Technology Center. He established advanced experimental and computational teaching laboratories, developed courses in molecular quantum technologies, and created specialized quantum-technology training programs for students and high-technology professionals.
At Tel Aviv University, his activities continue to combine fundamental quantum science, microwave and electronic engineering, practical device development, and hands-on education, with the goal of translating magnetic-resonance and spin-based concepts into useful scientific, industrial, and medical technologies.
