Lior Michaeli recently joined Tel Aviv University as an Assistant Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. A former Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow at Caltech-California Institute of Technology, Professor Michaeli’s research explores how optical forces interact with structured materials, with implications ranging from space exploration and light-driven microrobots to nonlinear dynamics and optical computing. His recent publication in Nature Photonics demonstrated a novel approach for measuring laser-driven motion of ultrathin lightsails, a step toward realizing laser-propelled spacecraft. At Tel Aviv University, he is now establishing a cutting-edge laboratory to further explore these directions and beyond.