Postdoc haven
Enriching and expanding Weizmann research, postdoctoral fellows help make our labs go
People behind the science
Dame Vivien Duffield presents a Clore Postdoctoral Fellowship to Dr. Adi Abada Manelis, at the November 2018 International Board.
The Weizmann Institute is home to about 370 postdoctoral fellows, including a growing number from abroad. Postdoc fellows enrich the Weizmann Institute with their experience and have the opportunity to advance their research agendas by working side by side with principal investigators. Hundreds of international postdocs—from 35 countries—find their home at the Weizmann Institute every year, and return to their home labs with new knowledge and expertise.
Already trained in high-level science, postdoctoral fellows bring with them new scientific or technological knowledge they acquired during their doctoral studies in a different laboratory.
The Institute promotes the enrichment and expansion of the postdoc community in a myriad of ways. The Clore Postdoctoral Fellowships, funded by the Clore Israel Foundation, funds multiple fellowships every year, and dozens of other supporters around the world fund endowed or annual postdoctoral fellowships.
The value of foreign postdocs
A growing number of our postdocs hail from abroad, and their role at Weizmann is highly valued. Because of their various nationalities, foreign postdocs offer new perspectives and cultural differences that enrich the research, enable problem solving, and open the minds of other lab members to fresh ideas.
Moreover, when they eventually move back to their home countries and establish their own labs as independent scientists, these individuals become “seeds” for future international collaborations; those who have done their fellowships at the Weizmann Institute invariably continue their connections with Institute scientists, advancing research to new levels. Such relationships are critical for the advancement of Israeli science, and for the Weizmann Institute in particular.
The origin of a large proportion of existing international collaborations at the Weizmann Institute can be traced back to scientists who were once postdoctoral fellows at the Institute. These individuals are also the best possible ambassadors for Israel, as they often hold key positions at world-leading institutions and are influential in their fields.
The new Gershon Kekst International Office, opened in 2018, offers a home-away-from-home for all our international visitors, and postdoctoral fellows from abroad greatly benefit from its services.
