Iddo Gefen was born in 1992 in Tel Aviv and is currently based in NYC. He is an author and a Ph.D. student in cognitive psychology at Columbia University and the Zuckerman Institute for Neuroscience, researching the relationship between narrative understanding, human memory, and decision-making. His first book, JERUSALEM BEACH, was the recipient of the 2023 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature, as well as the Israeli Minister of Culture Award (2017). His debut novel, MRS. LILIENBLUM'S CLOUD FACTORY, will be published in English in 2025.