He regularly publishes in leading journals, including Duke Law Journal, The Journal of Law & Economics, The Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, Law & Social Inquiry, and all leading Israeli legal journals. His papers are frequently cited in Israeli Supreme Court decisions .
Prior to being elected as the Vice President and Dean of Research & Development, he served as the Dean of the Faculty of Law and Director of the Center for the Study of Crime, Law and Society. He held visiting positions at the Max Planck Institute in Freiburg, Oxford University's All Souls College and Worcester College as a Massada Fellow (2019), Aix-Marseille University, Michigan Law School, Connecticut Law School, and NYU Law School.
He has been awarded several prizes for his research, including the Minister of Public Security Prize (twice: 2002, 2008), the Dusty and Ettie Miller Prize for Outstanding Young Scholar (2008), the Cegla Prize (2008), the Fatal Prize for excellence in research (2016), The Israeli Institute of Practical Criminal Law Prize for Outstanding Researcher in the Field of Criminal Law (2022) and the Israel Criminal Law Association Annual Prize for the Best Article (2022). Lately, he has won three additional prestigious prizes: the Zeltner Prize for Senior Researcher (2023) awarded by Tel Aviv University, the Cheshin Prize for Academic Excellence in Legal Research (2023) awarded by the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and the Gorni Prize for extraordinary achievement in the field of public law (2024). He has also received several prestigious and competitive research grants from, among others, the Israel Science Foundation (ISF, four times), the Ministry of Science Grant, and the German-Israeli Foundation (GIF).
Prof. Gazal-Ayal has chaired, vice-chaired, and served on numerous public committees reforming Israel's criminal justice system—including those on IDF offenses, sentencing, incarceration alternatives, and false convictions. A frequent advisor to the Knesset, Attorney General, and Military Advocate General, he also initiated a major criminal proceedings reform legislated by the Knesset in 2012. As Vice President and Dean of Research and Development, a role he assumed in October 2024, he is committed to the promotion and cultivation of academic research at the university while maintaining research integrity and compliance. His role includes cultivating and deepening ties with funding sources in Israel and worldwide.