Yinon M. Bar-On

I’m a postdoctoral researcher at the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences in the California Institute of Technology, working with Prof. Woodward W. Fischer & Prof. Christian Frankenberg.

In my research I combine several of my deep passions:

• Uncovering the inner-workings of the biosphere, and using these insights to help protect and preserve it
• Studying phenomena at the global scale
• Analyzing systems quantitatively (along the “feeling for numbers in biology” school of thought)
• Using a diverse set of methods for answering scientific questions, harnessing the power of synthesis and integration of knowledge

In my postdoctoral studies, I synthesize global datasets based on diverse methodologies such as remote sensing and field observations to answer fondumental questions related to global biogeochemical cycles - the carbon cycle in specific. I’m interested in studying the interaction between humans and the terrestrial carbon cycle in the age of the anthropocene. This includes quantifying the impact that human activities such as the global value chain or river-damming have on the carbon budget on land. On the flip side, I’m interestred in quantifying the response of the terrestrial biosphere to anthropogenic perturbations of the carbon cycle (e.g. increased atmospheric CO₂ concenctrations, or climate change).

During my PhD, I have worked in the Plant and Environmental Science Department at the Weizmann Institute of Science under the supervision of Prof. Ron Milo. My work was focused at quantifying the global biomass distribution on Earth (including in-depth analyses of biomass in the ocean, the biomass of terrestrial arthropods, and the biomass of mammals), and the total mass and average rate of the key carbon fixing enzyme rubisco. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I applied my quantitative skillset to provide basic quantitative information about the virus [characteristics] and [abundance] as well as to analyze real-world data on the effectiveness of the third and fourth BNT162b2 vaccine doses.