Ariel Kushmaro graduated with distinction (PhD) from Tel Aviv University. He trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the Kevin Center for The Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, at the Hebrew University, as well as at Harvard University, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. He arrived at the Ben-Gurion University in 2001 and established a Laboratory for Microbial Ecology and Microbial Biotechnology. The lab is currently engaged in a range of investigations including wastewater microbiology, marine microbial ecology, and the antimicrobial activity of various microorganisms.