Bar-Ilan University Researchers Win European Grants for Family Mental Health, Algorithms
Bar-Ilan University researchers Gadassi-Polack and Filtser secure €3.47 million in European grants for family mental health and algorithm innovation.
Jerusalem, 3 September, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Bar-Ilan University researchers Prof. Reuma Gadassi-Polack and Dr. Arnold Filtser have received European Research Council Starting Grants totaling €3.47 million ($4 million).
Gadassi-Polack, of the Faculty of Education and Gonda Brain Research Center, was awarded €1.97 million ($2.3 million) for a project examining whether children’s mental health difficulties can affect their parents, reversing the traditional focus on parental influence. Her research will combine brain imaging, hormonal measures and daily-life data.
Filtser, of the Department of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, received €1.5 million ($1.75 million) to develop algorithms for “non-metric” settings, where distances or costs do not follow standard mathematical rules. The projects address fundamental questions in family mental health and complex networks.