Appointment period: 1/6/2023 – 31/5/2026

Dr. Nathan Helfman, a mechanical engineer, enjoyed a career of some 20 years in R&D in the plastics industry and another 15 years in the Israeli high-tech industry. He applied is expertise in system analysis, design, and the management of projects and software development teams in American, French and German companies. Nathan is passionate about sailing, boat building, scuba diving and is active as a distance runner.

By the purest of chance, he was exposed to the magic world of maritime archaeology, which blended well with his continued interest in maritime and general history. He was warmly welcomed to the Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies and quickly found a common language with both Professor Yaakov Kahanov and Professor Debbie Cvikel. During his Master’s degree, he revealed to them a chance discovery he made during a scuba dive at his kibbutz. From that moment onwards, the excavation of Ma‘agan Mikhael II was born and turned into one of the most important maritime archaeological excavations in the Mediterranean Sea.

Upon receiving his doctoral degree, Nathan became a Research Fellow, continuing his love of research, writing and discovery.

E-mail: nathan.helfman@gmail.com