Supermassive Black Holes at Tel Aviv University

A Research Group Led by Benny Trakhtenbrot



Group Members




 Grisha Zeltyn

PhD Student (2021--):
  • A survey of changing look AGN, using SDSS-V spectroscopy
  • Fast-changing AGN, with follow-up observations

MSc Student (2019-2021):
  • Contribution of AGN disks to reionization

email: grishazeltyn "at" mail.tau.ac.il

Publications on ADS


Shir Aviram

PhD Student (2025--):
  • High-redshift quasars in SDSS-V

MSc Student (2022-2025):
  • New and peculiar AGN across the sky, using SDSS-V spectroscopy


email: shiraviram "at" mail.tau.ac.il

Publications on ADS

Amir Kalechman

MSc Student (2025--):
  • Southern changing look AGN, using SDSS-V spectroscopy

email: kalechman "at" mail.tau.ac.il
Ma'ayan Lifshitz

MSc Student (2025--):
  • The AGN content of the ULTRASAT high-cadence fields

email: maayanlisshitz105 "at" gmail-dot-com



Former Group Members



Postdocs:



 Dr. Marzena Śniegowska

Postdoc (2022-2025):
  • Changing look AGN
  • Bowen emission and extreme accretion in AGN
  • Narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies

Currently: Postdoc fellow at the Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague

PhD: 2022, University of Warsaw

Publications on ADS


Dr. Lydia Makrygianni

Postdoc (2020-2023):
  • Bowen fluorescence flares -
    responsive multi-wavelength observations

Currently: Senior Research Associate at Lancaster University (UK)

PhD: 2020, University of Sheffield

Publications on ADS

MSc Students:




 Aviya Tsoref

MSc Student (2022-2025):
  • Fast changing look AGN -
    observations and spectral analysis

Currently: APE Master's Student at Paris School of Economics (France)

LinkedIn profile


Tamir Cohen

MSc Student (2020-2025):
  • Star formation in the hosts of the most powerful quasars at cosmic noon, using ALMA data

Currently: System Engineer
(private sector)

LinkedIn profile


Tomer Reiss

MSc Student (2018-2023):
  • High ionization lines in local AGN
    -- using BASS data
  • The MSc Thesis led to two papers

Currently: R&D System Engineer
(private sector)

LinkedIn profile



BSc Students:




 Daniel Khodus

BSc Student (2021-2024):
  • Host galaxy morphology and obscuration of BASS AGN

Currently: Embedded Software Engineer (private sector)

LinkedIn profile