Hello :)
My name is Alixe Kirbihler and I am a 2023 Laidlaw scholar. I am currently a second-year Life sciences bachelor student at EPFL. I am really interested in neurosciences, the biomedical field and, more generally, anything related to engineering.
Confirmed enthusiast of any outdoors activities, I am willing to discuss with you about any subjects, should it be STEM or climbing-hiking-skiing-diving related ;)
My research last summer focused on characterising a novel D.Melanogaster mutant that perturbs synapse arborisation. It took place in Professor McCabe’s laboratory (for more information: https://www.epfl.ch/labs/mccabelab/research/).
I am really glad to be part of this community that gathers such inspiring and dedicated scholars and can’t wait to meet you !
Looking for opportunities that will help me grow as a professional, intellectual, and individual. I am invested in Public Global Health and issues around capacity and policy building in Low and Middle Income Countries.
Since Israel’s foundation in 1948, the Chief Rabbinate has solely overseen the matters of divorce, marriage, and inheritance for all Israeli Jews irrespective of their religiosity. According to Pew, a plurality of Israeli Jews, almost 40 percent, self-identifies as secular.
Nonetheless, state-appointed religious authorities regulate some of the most intimate matters of this nonreligious plurality. My research will revolve around this duality. As a Laidlaw Scholar, I will explore how the secular segment of Israeli society has submitted to disproportionate power of the Rabbinate for the past 71 years.
The conflict between secular and religious forces sparks my intellectual curiosity as I myself experienced it growing up in a secular family in Iran. Contrary to Israel, Iran is a repressive theocracy with rogue elections and a totalitarian government. These factors enable religion to suppress secularism. In every contest, religion defeats secularism.
However, Israel and Iran have two radically different systems of government. Unlike Iran, Israel is a parliamentary republic with free, contested elections. Theoretically, the largest portion of the populace, the 40-percent secular segment, should wield the most power. But that is not the case. For 72 years, the Rabbinate has exerted a profound influence on the daily lives of both 40-percent secular and the rest of Israeli Jewry. Yes, one can say, similar to Iran, religion defeats secularism in Israel as well.
But it makes sense that a theocracy, Iran, would prefer religion to win. What is incredibly perplexing, and intellectually provocative, is why and how a liberal democracy, Israel, with a secular plurality, would allow religion to prevail. The causes behind and the future of the Rabbinate’s disproportionate power in democratic Israel greatly entice my intellectual curiosity. As a Laidlaw Scholar, I am seeking to examine this religious-secular conundrum in Israel.
Anthropology and Sociology Undergraduate; from Bristol, UK.
I am completing a research project on narrative transmission and reproduction, looking at how oral accounts of geological events are passed down accurately over generations. By understanding how narratives are constructed I am keen to explore interdisciplinary approaches, particularly between Anthropology, Linguistics, Computer-Human Interaction, and Cognition.
Other interests include literature, art and photography, architecture, astronomy, and outdoor pursuits.