The Center for Research and Study of the Family is headed by Prof. Adital Ben Ari – a full professor at the Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences School of Social Work and a Fulbright fellowship recipient. Prof. Ben Ari researches changes that are occurring in modern families and family structures, including families led by same-sex partners; inter-cultural families and the emotional health of modern families. She is founder and director of "Haifa Meets Frankfurt", an international exchange program where students have the opportunity to meet and accept the "other". Prof Ben ari is currently working on her book dealing with knowledge production in qualitative research employing a dialectical perspective.

Prof. Ben Ari completed her doctoral and post-doctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley at the Mental Health Social Welfare Research Group.