Ph.D. Honorees

  • Prof. Jean-Pierre G. Changeux

    France

    Professor Jean-Pierre Changeux is a renowned neuroscientist and an influential cultural figure at the interface between science and the humanities and between the scientific community and the general public. His research established the basis for understanding the mechanism of nicotine dependency, the effect of nicotine on learning, and the role of nervous system receptors in relation to pain, Alzheimer’s disease, and the aging process.

    Professor Jean-Pierre Changeux is a renowned neuroscientist and an influential cultural figure at the interface between science and the humanities and between the scientific community and the general public. His research established the basis for understanding the mechanism of nicotine dependency, the effect of nicotine on learning, and the role of nervous system receptors in relation to pain, Alzheimer’s disease, and the aging process.

    He was born in Domont, France. As a graduate student at Institut Pasteur under the guidance of Jacques Monod and François Jacob, he made his mark by defining and providing experimental evidence for allostery, a fundamental concept in biochemistry, biology, and applied pharmacology. Together with Monod and Jeffries Wyman, he proposed a plausible model to describe the phenomenon in a paper that has been cited more than 6,500 times.

    He received his PhD in 1964 and continued to postdoctoral fellowships at the University of California-Berkeley and at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. Changeux returned to the Institut Pasteur in 1967, where he remains since. He also served as professor at the College de France from 1975 through 2006.

    His research findings have proved essential to the understanding of synapse formation, plasticity over time and during aging, and of mental disorders; and have shed new light on crucial factors associated with child development and education. His research formed the basis for clinical tests now underway with nicotine-based drugs for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, depression, schizophrenia, ADHD, pain, and tobacco addiction. In addition, he has used computational modeling to understand the neurobiological basis of cognitive functions, work which has inspired new research on the effects of general anesthetics and drug addiction.

    A prominent collector of 17th Century French art, Changeux curated an exhibition at Le Grand Palais in Paris. He has authored several books that synthesize his scientific and philosophical perspectives, including The Neuronal Man, which has been translated into many languages. His multi-faceted oeuvre consists of more than 600 scientific articles and several books, both scientific and for the general audience.

    His numerous awards include the Wolf Prize in Medicine in 1982; the Carl-Gustav-Bernhard medal of the Swedish Academy of Science in 1991; the CNRS Gold medal in 1992; the Balzan Prize for Cognitive Neurosciences in 2001; the Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing about Science in 2005; the National Academy of Sciences' NAS Award in the Neurosciences in 2007; the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) award for eminent scientists in 2012; and many others. He is also a member of many international scientific academies and holds honorary degrees from leading institutions worldwide.

    For more than 40 years, Changeux has been a steadfast friend to Israel and to the Weizmann Institute, and a valued colleague and mentor to Institute scientists.

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    Prof. Jean-Pierre G. Changeux

    France

    Professor Jean-Pierre Changeux is a renowned neuroscientist and an influential cultural figure at the interface between science and the humanities and between the scientific community and the general public. His research established the basis for understanding the mechanism of nicotine dependency, the effect of nicotine on learning, and the role of nervous system receptors in relation to pain, Alzheimer’s disease, and the aging process.

    He was born in Domont, France. As a graduate student at Institut Pasteur under the guidance of Jacques Monod and François Jacob, he made his mark by defining and providing experimental evidence for allostery, a fundamental concept in biochemistry, biology, and applied pharmacology. Together with Monod and Jeffries Wyman, he proposed a plausible model to describe the phenomenon in a paper that has been cited more than 6,500 times.

    He received his PhD in 1964 and continued to postdoctoral fellowships at the University of California-Berkeley and at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. Changeux returned to the Institut Pasteur in 1967, where he remains since. He also served as professor at the College de France from 1975 through 2006.

    His research findings have proved essential to the understanding of synapse formation, plasticity over time and during aging, and of mental disorders; and have shed new light on crucial factors associated with child development and education. His research formed the basis for clinical tests now underway with nicotine-based drugs for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, depression, schizophrenia, ADHD, pain, and tobacco addiction. In addition, he has used computational modeling to understand the neurobiological basis of cognitive functions, work which has inspired new research on the effects of general anesthetics and drug addiction.

    A prominent collector of 17th Century French art, Changeux curated an exhibition at Le Grand Palais in Paris. He has authored several books that synthesize his scientific and philosophical perspectives, including The Neuronal Man, which has been translated into many languages. His multi-faceted oeuvre consists of more than 600 scientific articles and several books, both scientific and for the general audience.

    His numerous awards include the Wolf Prize in Medicine in 1982; the Carl-Gustav-Bernhard medal of the Swedish Academy of Science in 1991; the CNRS Gold medal in 1992; the Balzan Prize for Cognitive Neurosciences in 2001; the Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing about Science in 2005; the National Academy of Sciences' NAS Award in the Neurosciences in 2007; the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) award for eminent scientists in 2012; and many others. He is also a member of many international scientific academies and holds honorary degrees from leading institutions worldwide.

    For more than 40 years, Changeux has been a steadfast friend to Israel and to the Weizmann Institute, and a valued colleague and mentor to Institute scientists.

  • Stephen Grand

    United States

    Stephen M. Grand grew up in Detroit, Michigan. He received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the University of Michigan's School of Engineering and, after his studies, spent a year in Israel. Back in Michigan, he began his business career, as president and owner of Deco-Grand, a large manufacturer of precision components and assemblies for diesel engines and automotive industries, which he owned and operated for 20 years, after succeeding his father, the late Sam Grand, a great supporter of Israel.

    Stephen M. Grand grew up in Detroit, Michigan. He received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the University of Michigan's School of Engineering and, after his studies, spent a year in Israel. Back in Michigan, he began his business career, as president and owner of Deco-Grand, a large manufacturer of precision components and assemblies for diesel engines and automotive industries, which he owned and operated for 20 years, after succeeding his father, the late Sam Grand, a great supporter of Israel. In 1990, Stephen embarked on a successful real estate development career, serving as president and partner of Grand-Sakwa Properties, one of southeastern Michigan’s major developers of residential and retail properties.

    Stephen and his wife, Nancy, now live in California's Bay Area, where they are deeply involved in numerous philanthropic activities, supporting the global Jewish community, the world of science and medicine throughout the United States and in Israel. These include the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. The couple established Family House in San Francisco, which provides temporary lodging to low-income families of pediatric cancer patients, enabling them to remain near their children while they are undergoing treatment and the Jewish Cultural Center in Odessa, Ukraine. They also support research on cancer, alternative and renewable energy sources, as well as the arts and culture, job training for the homeless, global Jewish needs, and science.

    Grand believes that understanding the human genome and finding cures for many diseases can be accomplished today with three components: brilliant scientists, infrastructure, and financial resources. He overcame multiple myeloma with help from what he describes as a “breakthrough drug based on Israeli research.” That experience inspired the couple to make a transformational gift in support of cutting-edge biomedical research, through the Nancy and Stephen Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine at the Weizmann Institute of Science, giving hope and optimism to numerous people around the world. Through its advanced research facility, the Center provides Israeli academic, medical, and biomedical industry researchers with access and guidance to state-of-the-art genomics, protein profiling, drug discovery and bioinformatics research platforms. By doing so, the Center strives to catalyze new scientific discovery by traversing the interdisciplinary boundaries and advance healthcare in the future.

    Previously, the couple established the Nancy and Stephen Grand Center for Sensors and Security on campus, which develops new types of sensors and ways to improve the sensitivity and accuracy of sensing methods, including biosensors, biomedical sensors, and experimental technologies needed to make sensors smaller, more accurate, and capable of detecting minute quantities of substances noninvasively.

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    Stephen Grand

    United States

    Stephen M. Grand grew up in Detroit, Michigan. He received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the University of Michigan's School of Engineering and, after his studies, spent a year in Israel. Back in Michigan, he began his business career, as president and owner of Deco-Grand, a large manufacturer of precision components and assemblies for diesel engines and automotive industries, which he owned and operated for 20 years, after succeeding his father, the late Sam Grand, a great supporter of Israel. In 1990, Stephen embarked on a successful real estate development career, serving as president and partner of Grand-Sakwa Properties, one of southeastern Michigan’s major developers of residential and retail properties.

    Stephen and his wife, Nancy, now live in California's Bay Area, where they are deeply involved in numerous philanthropic activities, supporting the global Jewish community, the world of science and medicine throughout the United States and in Israel. These include the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. The couple established Family House in San Francisco, which provides temporary lodging to low-income families of pediatric cancer patients, enabling them to remain near their children while they are undergoing treatment and the Jewish Cultural Center in Odessa, Ukraine. They also support research on cancer, alternative and renewable energy sources, as well as the arts and culture, job training for the homeless, global Jewish needs, and science.

    Grand believes that understanding the human genome and finding cures for many diseases can be accomplished today with three components: brilliant scientists, infrastructure, and financial resources. He overcame multiple myeloma with help from what he describes as a “breakthrough drug based on Israeli research.” That experience inspired the couple to make a transformational gift in support of cutting-edge biomedical research, through the Nancy and Stephen Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine at the Weizmann Institute of Science, giving hope and optimism to numerous people around the world. Through its advanced research facility, the Center provides Israeli academic, medical, and biomedical industry researchers with access and guidance to state-of-the-art genomics, protein profiling, drug discovery and bioinformatics research platforms. By doing so, the Center strives to catalyze new scientific discovery by traversing the interdisciplinary boundaries and advance healthcare in the future.

    Previously, the couple established the Nancy and Stephen Grand Center for Sensors and Security on campus, which develops new types of sensors and ways to improve the sensitivity and accuracy of sensing methods, including biosensors, biomedical sensors, and experimental technologies needed to make sensors smaller, more accurate, and capable of detecting minute quantities of substances noninvasively.

  • Agi Mishol

    Israel

    Agi Mishol is one of Israel's greatest and most beloved poets of our generation. Her writing forges a rare balance between literal and poetic precision and accessibility to the readers, combining everyday language and slang with inventive linguistics. Infused with irony and humor, hers are very personal poems, which, at the same time, provide extensive human insight.

    Agi Mishol is one of Israel's greatest and most beloved poets of our generation. Her writing forges a rare balance between literal and poetic precision and accessibility to the readers, combining everyday language and slang with inventive linguistics. Infused with irony and humor, hers are very personal poems, which, at the same time, provide extensive human insight. For her, "Poetry is swimming against the current of all the noise and commotion, the political events and the wars. It is being in an underground stream. It is seeing what everyone sees, but differently."

    She was born in Transylvania and came to Israel with her family at the age of four. The family settled in the town of Gedera, where Mishol grew up and was educated. She pursued literature studies at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and The Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where she completed a master's degree in Hebrew literature.

    In 1968, Mishol published her first book, and, over the next decade, three poetry collections. Yoman Mata ("Plantation Notes"), a collection published in 1986, positioned her at the epicenter of the Hebrew cultural arena, and her popularity and critical acclaim has only grown since. She has so far published 16 poetry collections, including two retrospectives of her work, in 2003 and in 2015.

    Several of her poems were composed and she has collaborated with artists from other creative areas (plastic arts and theater). Her poems have been widely translated and published in various anthologies around the world, and in 2006, a selection was translated into English and published as a volume titled Look There (Graywolf Press). Additional books were published in France, England, China, Romania, and Argentina.

    Mishol's writing comprises, on the one hand, intimate exposure, and, on the other hand, a somewhat painful reflection on contemporary Israeli society. As the daughter of Holocaust survivors and immigrants to Israel, her work resonates the phobias, anxieties, and pains the Jewish past brings upon the chosen land and offers a distinct link to Jewish and Israeli history. At the same time, her poetry celebrates the wonders of nature, with poems that are centered on the bonds between man and environment, the changing seasons, circles of nature and of life, abundance and need. She is also a poet of love, whose bold and free-forming expression of sentiment is intertwined with human understanding and life experience.

    Beyond her poetry, Mishol has greatly contributed to Israeli society through her teaching, in schools and academia. For many years (until 2001), she taught literature at a regional school in Be'er Tuvia and has since lectured on creative writing at Ben-Gurion University, Tel Aviv University and The Hebrew University, where she also served as Poet-in-Residence after winning the Dolitsky Prize (2007). She was a teacher and a mentor at the Alma Home for Hebrew Culture in Tel Aviv for a decade, and, in recent years, served as director of the Helicon School of Poetry. For many years, she has also been involved in the Shirat Hamada (the Poetry of Science) program at the Weizmann Institute, in memory of the late Prof. Ofer Lider.

    Mishol is the recipient of the Israeli Prime Minister's Prize (1995); the Kugel Award for Hebrew literature (2001); and the Yehuda Amichai Prize (2002). In 2014, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University, as well as the Italian prestigious LericiPea Award, previously awarded to Seamus Heaney, Adunis, Yevgeny Yevtushenko and others.

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    Agi Mishol

    Israel

    Agi Mishol is one of Israel's greatest and most beloved poets of our generation. Her writing forges a rare balance between literal and poetic precision and accessibility to the readers, combining everyday language and slang with inventive linguistics. Infused with irony and humor, hers are very personal poems, which, at the same time, provide extensive human insight. For her, "Poetry is swimming against the current of all the noise and commotion, the political events and the wars. It is being in an underground stream. It is seeing what everyone sees, but differently."

    She was born in Transylvania and came to Israel with her family at the age of four. The family settled in the town of Gedera, where Mishol grew up and was educated. She pursued literature studies at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and The Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where she completed a master's degree in Hebrew literature.

    In 1968, Mishol published her first book, and, over the next decade, three poetry collections. Yoman Mata ("Plantation Notes"), a collection published in 1986, positioned her at the epicenter of the Hebrew cultural arena, and her popularity and critical acclaim has only grown since. She has so far published 16 poetry collections, including two retrospectives of her work, in 2003 and in 2015.

    Several of her poems were composed and she has collaborated with artists from other creative areas (plastic arts and theater). Her poems have been widely translated and published in various anthologies around the world, and in 2006, a selection was translated into English and published as a volume titled Look There (Graywolf Press). Additional books were published in France, England, China, Romania, and Argentina.

    Mishol's writing comprises, on the one hand, intimate exposure, and, on the other hand, a somewhat painful reflection on contemporary Israeli society. As the daughter of Holocaust survivors and immigrants to Israel, her work resonates the phobias, anxieties, and pains the Jewish past brings upon the chosen land and offers a distinct link to Jewish and Israeli history. At the same time, her poetry celebrates the wonders of nature, with poems that are centered on the bonds between man and environment, the changing seasons, circles of nature and of life, abundance and need. She is also a poet of love, whose bold and free-forming expression of sentiment is intertwined with human understanding and life experience.

    Beyond her poetry, Mishol has greatly contributed to Israeli society through her teaching, in schools and academia. For many years (until 2001), she taught literature at a regional school in Be'er Tuvia and has since lectured on creative writing at Ben-Gurion University, Tel Aviv University and The Hebrew University, where she also served as Poet-in-Residence after winning the Dolitsky Prize (2007). She was a teacher and a mentor at the Alma Home for Hebrew Culture in Tel Aviv for a decade, and, in recent years, served as director of the Helicon School of Poetry. For many years, she has also been involved in the Shirat Hamada (the Poetry of Science) program at the Weizmann Institute, in memory of the late Prof. Ofer Lider.

    Mishol is the recipient of the Israeli Prime Minister's Prize (1995); the Kugel Award for Hebrew literature (2001); and the Yehuda Amichai Prize (2002). In 2014, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University, as well as the Italian prestigious LericiPea Award, previously awarded to Seamus Heaney, Adunis, Yevgeny Yevtushenko and others.

  • Prof. Michael O. Rabin

    Israel / United States

    Prof. Michael O. Rabin is a founder of computer science and one of its most prominent researchers worldwide. A Turing Award winner and first recipient of the Israel Prize for computer sciences, he is credited with some of the most profound and innovative contributions ever made to the field. Beyond his research achievements and their sweeping applications, he played an indispensable role in laying the academic foundations of the disciplines at the root of Israel's high-tech industry.

    Prof. Michael O. Rabin is a founder of computer science and one of its most prominent researchers worldwide. A Turing Award winner and first recipient of the Israel Prize for computer sciences, he is credited with some of the most profound and innovative contributions ever made to the field. Beyond his research achievements and their sweeping applications, he played an indispensable role in laying the academic foundations of the disciplines at the root of Israel's high-tech industry.

    In 1935, as a young boy, Rabin left Germany with his family and settled in Mandatory Palestine. He was admitted into the master’s degree program in mathematics at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, graduating in 1953. In 1957, while working on his PhD, also in mathematics, at Princeton University, he was invited by IBM Research to be part of the summer student program. His work there led to two publications that were to become cornerstones in automata theory, nondeterministic computation, and complexity of computations.

    For the six decades since, Rabin's pioneering research has provided profound insight in a number of areas, as well as the basis for numerous advances. His work on algorithm theory yielded randomized algorithms and other innovations in the field, including logical tools that are central to computer program verification theory. His original work on using randomization (probabilistic choice) in computation had wide-ranging applications in modern cryptography and distributed computing. His studies of cryptography and computational complexity led him to invent an encryption method that is provably unbreakable. Recently he has applied Zero Knowledge Proofs to create secure auctions immune against collusion of bidders.

    He spent the greater part of his research career at The Hebrew University, where he also served as Rector (academic head). In addition, he has been a professor of computer science at Harvard University. Beyond his own work, Rabin has made a profound impact on the establishment of computer science departments and teaching programs in Israel and at the Weizmann Institute, and has been an influential mentor and advisor to many of the Institute's faculty members.

    Rabin has received many of the most important prizes in the computer and information sciences, including the ACM Turing Award (1976), the world’s most prestigious prize for computer science; the Harvey Prize (1980); the IEEE Charles Babbage Award (2000); the Dan David Prize (2010); the Kanellakis Theory and Practice Award (2004); and the Dijkstra Prize in Distributed Computing (2015). He was the first computer scientist to receive the Israel Prize (1995) and is a member of the world's most prestigious academies.

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    Prof. Michael O. Rabin

    Israel / United States

    Prof. Michael O. Rabin is a founder of computer science and one of its most prominent researchers worldwide. A Turing Award winner and first recipient of the Israel Prize for computer sciences, he is credited with some of the most profound and innovative contributions ever made to the field. Beyond his research achievements and their sweeping applications, he played an indispensable role in laying the academic foundations of the disciplines at the root of Israel's high-tech industry.

    In 1935, as a young boy, Rabin left Germany with his family and settled in Mandatory Palestine. He was admitted into the master’s degree program in mathematics at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, graduating in 1953. In 1957, while working on his PhD, also in mathematics, at Princeton University, he was invited by IBM Research to be part of the summer student program. His work there led to two publications that were to become cornerstones in automata theory, nondeterministic computation, and complexity of computations.

    For the six decades since, Rabin's pioneering research has provided profound insight in a number of areas, as well as the basis for numerous advances. His work on algorithm theory yielded randomized algorithms and other innovations in the field, including logical tools that are central to computer program verification theory. His original work on using randomization (probabilistic choice) in computation had wide-ranging applications in modern cryptography and distributed computing. His studies of cryptography and computational complexity led him to invent an encryption method that is provably unbreakable. Recently he has applied Zero Knowledge Proofs to create secure auctions immune against collusion of bidders.

    He spent the greater part of his research career at The Hebrew University, where he also served as Rector (academic head). In addition, he has been a professor of computer science at Harvard University. Beyond his own work, Rabin has made a profound impact on the establishment of computer science departments and teaching programs in Israel and at the Weizmann Institute, and has been an influential mentor and advisor to many of the Institute's faculty members.

    Rabin has received many of the most important prizes in the computer and information sciences, including the ACM Turing Award (1976), the world’s most prestigious prize for computer science; the Harvey Prize (1980); the IEEE Charles Babbage Award (2000); the Dan David Prize (2010); the Kanellakis Theory and Practice Award (2004); and the Dijkstra Prize in Distributed Computing (2015). He was the first computer scientist to receive the Israel Prize (1995) and is a member of the world's most prestigious academies.

  • Sami Sagol

    Israel

    Sami Sagol combines a successful business career with a lifetime of exemplary social involvement and a commitment to Israel's future.

    He was born in Turkey and, at 15, immigrated to Israel with his family. He studied the Technion and at Tel Aviv University and, in the 1980s, together with his brother Yitzhak, he received managing responsibility for Keter Plastics, founded by his father, Joseph, in 1948.

    Sami Sagol combines a successful business career with a lifetime of exemplary social involvement and a commitment to Israel's future.

    He was born in Turkey and, at 15, immigrated to Israel with his family. He studied the Technion and at Tel Aviv University and, in the 1980s, together with his brother Yitzhak, he received managing responsibility for Keter Plastics, founded by his father, Joseph, in 1948. Under his direction, the company was transformed from a small local business into a leading manufacturer of consumer products, employing 4,500 workers globally.

    His leadership has consistently emphasized social contribution. Understanding the role of employment in narrowing social and economic gaps, he transferred Keter Group's center of activity to the north of Israel, where today it is a major employer, through seven factories. In 2005, he established an international development and innovation center – an internship program that provides young designers with practical experience and professional training in research, development, design, and technology, and more, benefiting both the individual participants – and Israel's industry.

    Over the years, Sami and his wife, Tova, have translated their philanthropic concern into a way of life, initiating a range of unique activities for the benefit of disadvantaged groups in Israel's society and its periphery. Among their notable undertakings are the scholarship enterprise for high-school and higher education students, including thousands of scholarships for periphery populations; transforming the Nitzan association into a national organization that addresses learning disabilities; leading Nitzan Horim, which offers an innovative approach to parenting challenges; and Mifalot Education and Society Enterprises. The latter runs football-based educational programs in 400 locations throughout Israel's social and geographic periphery for some 100,000 children, providing each with better skills for leading a full life. The couple's contribution to this program has been widely recognized in Israel and abroad through various awards. The couple also supports a long line of cultural activities and institutions, including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Israeli Opera.

    Ultimately, Sagol's vision has found its expression in ground-breaking international activity aimed at advancing brain research, which has become his life's mission. In recent years, he has devoted considerable time and energies to establishing the international Sagol Neuroscience Network, recruiting dozens of leading scientists worldwide, and, together with Tova, helping to establish research centers in Israel's leading academic and medical institutions, including Tel Aviv University, the University of Haifa, IDC Herzliya, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, and others. The network's recent project is the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research at Assaf Harofeh Medical Center.

    Sami and Tova Sagol are true friends of the Weizmann Institute, who have supported, for many years, the establishment of Davidson Online innovative educational website. They are currently developing plans for a new research institute on campus that will be dedicated to the study of longevity.

    Sagol's diverse contributions have been recognized by numerous honors and awards, including the French Legion of Honor Medal; a title of nobility from the government of Italy; the Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year award; the Manufacturers Association of Israel's Industry Prize, several honorary degrees, the Hugo Ramniceanu Prize for Economics, and many others.

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    Sami Sagol

    Israel

    Sami Sagol combines a successful business career with a lifetime of exemplary social involvement and a commitment to Israel's future.

    He was born in Turkey and, at 15, immigrated to Israel with his family. He studied the Technion and at Tel Aviv University and, in the 1980s, together with his brother Yitzhak, he received managing responsibility for Keter Plastics, founded by his father, Joseph, in 1948. Under his direction, the company was transformed from a small local business into a leading manufacturer of consumer products, employing 4,500 workers globally.

    His leadership has consistently emphasized social contribution. Understanding the role of employment in narrowing social and economic gaps, he transferred Keter Group's center of activity to the north of Israel, where today it is a major employer, through seven factories. In 2005, he established an international development and innovation center – an internship program that provides young designers with practical experience and professional training in research, development, design, and technology, and more, benefiting both the individual participants – and Israel's industry.

    Over the years, Sami and his wife, Tova, have translated their philanthropic concern into a way of life, initiating a range of unique activities for the benefit of disadvantaged groups in Israel's society and its periphery. Among their notable undertakings are the scholarship enterprise for high-school and higher education students, including thousands of scholarships for periphery populations; transforming the Nitzan association into a national organization that addresses learning disabilities; leading Nitzan Horim, which offers an innovative approach to parenting challenges; and Mifalot Education and Society Enterprises. The latter runs football-based educational programs in 400 locations throughout Israel's social and geographic periphery for some 100,000 children, providing each with better skills for leading a full life. The couple's contribution to this program has been widely recognized in Israel and abroad through various awards. The couple also supports a long line of cultural activities and institutions, including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Israeli Opera.

    Ultimately, Sagol's vision has found its expression in ground-breaking international activity aimed at advancing brain research, which has become his life's mission. In recent years, he has devoted considerable time and energies to establishing the international Sagol Neuroscience Network, recruiting dozens of leading scientists worldwide, and, together with Tova, helping to establish research centers in Israel's leading academic and medical institutions, including Tel Aviv University, the University of Haifa, IDC Herzliya, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, and others. The network's recent project is the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research at Assaf Harofeh Medical Center.

    Sami and Tova Sagol are true friends of the Weizmann Institute, who have supported, for many years, the establishment of Davidson Online innovative educational website. They are currently developing plans for a new research institute on campus that will be dedicated to the study of longevity.

    Sagol's diverse contributions have been recognized by numerous honors and awards, including the French Legion of Honor Medal; a title of nobility from the government of Italy; the Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year award; the Manufacturers Association of Israel's Industry Prize, several honorary degrees, the Hugo Ramniceanu Prize for Economics, and many others.

  • The Hon. Laura Wolfson-Townsley

    United Kingdom

    The Hon. Mrs. Laura Wolfson Townsley is Chair of the Wolfson Family Charitable Trust and a Trustee of the Wolfson Foundation. She was born in Britain, and is the granddaughter of Sir Isaac Wolfson and the daughter of Lord Wolfson of Marylebone, the Wolfson Foundation's founders and first trustees. She sustains their legacy in furthering scientific research, education, and culture, and has been an inseparable part of the Weizmann Institute’s success and growth over the years.

    The Hon. Mrs. Laura Wolfson Townsley is Chair of the Wolfson Family Charitable Trust and a Trustee of the Wolfson Foundation. She was born in Britain, and is the granddaughter of Sir Isaac Wolfson and the daughter of Lord Wolfson of Marylebone, the Wolfson Foundation's founders and first trustees. She sustains their legacy in furthering scientific research, education, and culture, and has been an inseparable part of the Weizmann Institute’s success and growth over the years.

    Established in 1955, the Wolfson Foundation awards grants to support and promote excellence in the fields of science, health, education, as well as the arts and humanities. It has supported more than 10,000 projects across the UK. In Israel, its main focus is on universities and hospitals. Its sister trust, the Wolfson Family Charitable Trust, was established in 1958. Its aim is also the backing of excellence through capital infrastructure projects, particularly in under-funded areas. Recipients are encouraged to use funds as a catalyst, so that the Trust's funding can leverage additional support. In recent years, the Trust has funded projects in nanotechnology, desalination, quantum information, and solar energy in Israel’s most esteemed universities.

    A personal gift by Sir Isaac Wolfson in 1947 to establish the Isaac Wolfson Building on the Weizmann Institute's campus launched an enduring friendship between the Wolfson family and the Institute, manifested since in numerous buildings, centers, and research initiatives. Over the past seven decades, through both charities, the family has supported numerous projects in countless fields of inquiry. In recent years, this magnanimous support enabled the renovation of the Solar Tower to house the Nancy and Stephen Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine, funded an environmental research project on Eastern Mediterranean susceptibility to anthropogenic stress and forcing, as well as high-field physics and attoscience research, a relatively new field of physics which has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of everyday physical principles.

    Because of a rigorous evaluation process, on the basis of expert peer review, and the great lengths to which the Foundation and Trust go in order to ascertain their grants serve worthy causes and are wisely spent, their vote of confidence constitutes a veritable stamp of excellence. In 2010, the Wolfson family were awarded the Prince of Wales Medal for Arts Philanthropy and, in 2013, the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.

    Mrs Wolfson Townsley is an honorary fellow of the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology; King’s College London; and Birkbeck, University of London; is the recipient of Rambam Medical Center's Rambam Award for 2011; and an honorary doctoral degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

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    The Hon. Laura Wolfson-Townsley

    United Kingdom

    The Hon. Mrs. Laura Wolfson Townsley is Chair of the Wolfson Family Charitable Trust and a Trustee of the Wolfson Foundation. She was born in Britain, and is the granddaughter of Sir Isaac Wolfson and the daughter of Lord Wolfson of Marylebone, the Wolfson Foundation's founders and first trustees. She sustains their legacy in furthering scientific research, education, and culture, and has been an inseparable part of the Weizmann Institute’s success and growth over the years.

    Established in 1955, the Wolfson Foundation awards grants to support and promote excellence in the fields of science, health, education, as well as the arts and humanities. It has supported more than 10,000 projects across the UK. In Israel, its main focus is on universities and hospitals. Its sister trust, the Wolfson Family Charitable Trust, was established in 1958. Its aim is also the backing of excellence through capital infrastructure projects, particularly in under-funded areas. Recipients are encouraged to use funds as a catalyst, so that the Trust's funding can leverage additional support. In recent years, the Trust has funded projects in nanotechnology, desalination, quantum information, and solar energy in Israel’s most esteemed universities.

    A personal gift by Sir Isaac Wolfson in 1947 to establish the Isaac Wolfson Building on the Weizmann Institute's campus launched an enduring friendship between the Wolfson family and the Institute, manifested since in numerous buildings, centers, and research initiatives. Over the past seven decades, through both charities, the family has supported numerous projects in countless fields of inquiry. In recent years, this magnanimous support enabled the renovation of the Solar Tower to house the Nancy and Stephen Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine, funded an environmental research project on Eastern Mediterranean susceptibility to anthropogenic stress and forcing, as well as high-field physics and attoscience research, a relatively new field of physics which has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of everyday physical principles.

    Because of a rigorous evaluation process, on the basis of expert peer review, and the great lengths to which the Foundation and Trust go in order to ascertain their grants serve worthy causes and are wisely spent, their vote of confidence constitutes a veritable stamp of excellence. In 2010, the Wolfson family were awarded the Prince of Wales Medal for Arts Philanthropy and, in 2013, the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.

    Mrs Wolfson Townsley is an honorary fellow of the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology; King’s College London; and Birkbeck, University of London; is the recipient of Rambam Medical Center's Rambam Award for 2011; and an honorary doctoral degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.