Two PhD candidates from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have received international recognition at NUTRITION 2026, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition (ASN), after being selected for two of the conference’s most prestigious student competitions.
Title image: Some of the US and Israeli participants of the BARD Workshop on Food Innovation, Health and the Environment, Washington DC, July 22-24, 2024. Credit: Prof Aron Troen
Or Avishai-Ofer, RD, and Alexandra Venger, RD, MPH, both doctoral candidates at the Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition at the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, conduct their research under the supervision of Prof Aron Troen and Prof Eyal Ert.
Or Avishai Ofer was selected as one of only six finalists worldwide in the ASN Student Interest Group (SIG) Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition, chosen from nearly 300 entrants. The competition recognizes exceptional early-career researchers for their ability to communicate complex scientific research clearly and compellingly in just three minutes.
Her research investigates how consumers perceive and respond to front-of-package nutrition labels in real-world food environments. Using eye-tracking technology, she examines how packaging design influences attention to nutrition labels and ultimately affects healthier food choices.
In addition to presenting at NUTRITION 2026, Or Avishai-Ofer participated in an Israel-US Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD)-supported workshop held in Washington, DC, in conjunction with the ASN annual meeting. Organized by Prof. Aron Troen in partnership with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of Vermont, with additional support from the Hebrew University’s Sheldon Lavin Center for Safe, Secure and Sustainable Food Systems, headed by Prof. Zvi Hayouka, the workshop convened scientific and institutional leaders from Israel and the United States to advance collaboration in food innovation, nutrition, and sustainable food systems. Avishai-Ofer presented her research as part of the workshop, which aims to develop new binational research partnerships, training opportunities, and BARD-supported seed grant proposals.
Alexandra Venger was selected as a finalist in ASN’s Emerging Leaders in Nutrition Science Poster Competition, which recognizes the highest-scoring research presented by students and early-career investigators at NUTRITION 2026. Nearly 750 abstracts were submitted by students and postdoctoral fellows, with finalists representing approximately the top 10% of submissions following peer review by more than 650 nutrition scientists.
Her research evaluates the impact of Israel’s front-of-package food labelling policy at the national retail level. By analyzing nearly 7,900 food products from two major supermarket chains, she examined how mandatory warning labels, voluntary healthy-choice labels, nutrient composition, and pricing have shaped the Israeli food environment following the implementation of the national labelling policy.
“Having two of our doctoral students recognized in highly competitive international ASN competitions is a remarkable achievement,” said Prof Aron Troen. “These recognitions reflect the quality of their research, their scientific creativity, and the growing international impact of nutrition research at the Hebrew University.”
Together, the two projects address complementary aspects of nutrition policy. While Avishai-Ofer’s research focuses on how consumers visually process nutrition labels and make purchasing decisions, Venger’s research evaluates how food manufacturers and the retail food environment have responded to Israel’s front-of-package labelling policy. Together, they contribute new evidence on the effectiveness of nutrition policy from both the consumer and food system perspectives.
The two distinctions highlight the Hebrew University’s leadership in nutrition research and its commitment to advancing evidence-based public health policy through innovative interdisciplinary research.
About NUTRITION 2026
NUTRITION 2026 is the flagship scientific meeting of the American Society for Nutrition and one of the world’s premier conferences in nutrition science. The meeting brings together researchers, clinicians, public health professionals, and policy experts from around the world to present cutting-edge research and address major challenges in nutrition and health.
