Course Identification

Introduction to Disruptive Science
20263542

Lecturers and Teaching Assistants

Mr. Moti Shatner
Din Baruch

Course Schedule and Location

2026
Second Semester
Wednesday, 09:15 - 11:00, Science Teaching Lab 3
15/04/2026
01/07/2026

Field of Study, Course Type and Credit Points

Life Sciences: Lecture; Elective; 2.00 points

Comments

The course involves active discussions, and participation is required in all lectures. Half of the lectures are in-class, and half online.
On Wednesday 29/4 the course will be held at room 290c Benoziyo Biochemistry small hall, hours remain the same.
On Wednesday 1/7 the course will be held at Science Teaching Lab 2, hours remain the same.

Prerequisites

No

Restrictions

20
For PhD students only

Language of Instruction

English

Attendance and participation

Required in at least 80% of the lectures

Grade Type

Numerical (out of 100)

Grade Breakdown (in %)

40%
20%
40%

Evaluation Type

Final assignment

Scheduled date 1

N/A
N/A
-
N/A

Estimated Weekly Independent Workload (in hours)

2

Syllabus

In science, the ultimate achievement is a breakthrough that reshapes knowledge and redefines the field. Of course, a breakthrough can also significantly boost your career.

But what are the skills and methodologies required to achieve that goal? We believe the key lies in learning from the startup world, where breakthroughs and disruption are the primary objectives.

This course aims to help you acquire disruption skills, methodologies and mindsets that originate from the startup ecosystem, but have been tailored to the research environment. The course is based on long-term research and was refined with the experience gained in many acceleration courses and workshops.
Our goal is to introduce you to a new mindset of “thinking in terms of disruption” and guide you in testing disruption techniques on your own research.

The course includes 7 main topics:

  1. Introduction to Disruptive Science – How and when scientific breakthroughs appear, how to move out of the research’s comfort zone.
  2. Disruptive Checklist – How to test the disruptiveness of a research project, and how to steer it in that direction.
  3. Breakthrough Brainstorming – How to adjust hi-tech-related brainstorming and opportunity-search methodologies to research.
  4. Agile Research – How to realign research projects towards disruption.
  5. Disruptive Mindset – How to seek and leverage research opportunities, how to lead research on less-certain grounds.
  6. Forefront Collaboration – New ways to create and maintain collaboration at the forefront of a research discipline.
  7. Promoting Disruptive Research – How to promote research ideas and findings that are non- standard.

 

In terms of assignments, you will be asked to write approximately one page following each of the topics – testing the topic at hand against your research. The lectures will include reflection sessions, in which we will comment on and discuss these applications. The final assignment will compile these tests and insights into an analysis of your research in disruptive terms.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

  • Have a clear view on Disruptive Science – How it differs from incremental progression and where to look for breakthrough leverage.
  • Acquire and practice disruptive-thinking skills that empower disruptive scientists, among them: Disruption Checklist, Disruptive Mindset, collaboration and promotion of breakthrough research.
  • Test disruption methodologies on their own research.

Reading List

This course is based on the book How to Become a Disruptive Scientist: Methods, Skills, Breakthroughs, Moti Shatner and Uri Schattner, The Institute of Science Disruption, 2025. A Hebrew version is also available.

During the course we will provide handouts and cheat-sheets.

Website

N/A