Dr. Matan Bochner holds a Ph.D. in Behavioral Sciences and is also a Ph.D. Candidate in Neuroscience, focusing his research on the psychological and neurophysiological mechanisms of stress, executive function, and mental resilience. In addition to his academic degrees, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in the field of martial arts by a university in Washington, USA. Dr. Bochner serves at the rank of Major in the Israel Defense Forces and at the rank of Chief Superintendent (res.) in the Israel Border Police, and has extensive operational and instructional experience working with security forces. Alongside his academic and operational work, he is an International Grandmaster in martial arts and Krav Maga, a certified senior instructor in martial arts and Krav Maga, and has been engaged in martial arts since 1986. He holds 8 black belts across a range of martial arts, the most senior of which is a 7th Dan in Krav Maga. He was the first Israeli inducted into the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame, recognized in 2025 as the “Israeli Legend of Krav Maga,” and the first Israeli to receive the title of GOAT (Greatest of All Time in Krav Maga) from the American Hall of Fame for Masters. Dr. Bochner is Chairman and Head Instructor of the international organization “Elite Krav Maga,” as well as President of the International Institute for Martial Arts, Law Enforcement, and Counter-Terrorism (IIMALECT). In his professional capacity, he serves as a senior consultant to numerous military and police units across Europe and the United States in the fields of law enforcement, counter-terrorism, and unarmed combat in confined environments. Dr. Bochner combines scientific knowledge, operational experience, and advanced training methodologies to develop performance-under-pressure capabilities among security forces. Dr. Bochner is also himself a combat veteran recognized by the Israeli Ministry of Defense as suffering from severe combat-related trauma, and this personal experience serves as a central driving force behind his research and public activities. Dr. Bochner is also an expert in the field of women’s self-defense and has developed dedicated training methods used, among others, by the World WIZO organization, the YMCA in the United States, as well as government ministries and local authorities in Israel as part of programs to enhance personal safety and women’s empowerment. In addition, Dr. Bochner lectures and publishes articles in the fields of martial arts, behavioral science, and neurophysiology, focusing on the psychological and neurophysiological mechanisms of stress, executive function, and mental resilience, and their implications for the training and rehabilitation of combatants and security personnel coping with PTSD, as well as for women recovering from sexual assault. Alongside his professional activities, he is a poet and author who has written several books and poems, and is a social activist on behalf of combat veterans suffering from psychological trauma and IDF disabled veterans, working to promote awareness, rehabilitation, and support for individuals who have suffered psychological injury as a result of operational service and combat.