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Ph.D. Honorees

Ido Dissentshik

Israel

Ido Dissentshik has combined a successful career in journalism and business with a lifetime of public service and commitment to Israeli society. For nine years, he served as Chair of the Weizmann Institute’s Executive Board, injecting into this role his reporter’s inquisitiveness, business acumen, and deep dedication to advancing Israeli science.

Ido Dissentshik has combined a successful career in journalism and business with a lifetime of public service and commitment to Israeli society. For nine years, he served as Chair of the Weizmann Institute’s Executive Board, injecting into this role his reporter’s inquisitiveness, business acumen, and deep dedication to advancing Israeli science.

Born in Tel Aviv in 1940, Mr. Dissentshik received a BA in economics and statistics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1964) and an MSc degree in journalism cum laude from Columbia University (1966). In 1965, he joined the Israeli newspaper Ma’ariv, launching a prolific journalistic career that spanned 26 years—as a reporter, foreign correspondent, editor, and editor-in-chief (1985-1991), and in various management positions. He led an entire generation of journalists, some of who are among today’s leading contributors to the print and electronic media.

In 1986, Mr. Dissentshik was invited to join the International Press Institute, an international organization of editors-in-chief, publishers, and executives representing every type of media from 121 countries, and he also served as a member of the organization’s Board of Directors. He was, and remains, the only Israeli member of this organization, which is affiliated with UNESCO.

Mr. Dissentshik left Ma'ariv in 1991, completed MBA studies at Tel Aviv University (1993), and went into business. He founded the private investment company Dison and partnered with Efi Arazi – one of the pioneers of the Israeli hi-tech industry – to found Immedia and Mercado. He also co-founded Analyst Online, the first business and economics portal in Israel (today, a segment of the business newspaper The Marker), and was its first content editor. He served on the boards of major Israeli corporations, including Bank Hapoalim, and was particularly involved in the field of telecommunications and media. He led the largest company in Israel, Bezeq, from 2000 until 2002, was one of the founders of Yes Satellite Television, and served on the board of Pelephone, Israel’s first mobile network operator. He also served as a special advisor to the Director General of the Israel Airports Authority on the Ben Gurion Airport 2000 project and to the CEO of Israel Railways in outlining the company’s new vision.

Mr. Dissentshik’s extensive public service roles include membership in both the directorate of the Edmond de Rothschild Caesarea Foundation and the Jabotinsky Institute and the Board of Trustees of Tel Hai Academic College. He was also a founding member of the Israel Forum, a voluntary association aimed at strengthening the ties between Israel and the Diaspora and encouraging immigrant integration. He served in the IDF reserves until the age of 69, both as an infantry officer and in the IDF’s Spokespersons Unit, and was discharged at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

In the early 1980s, Ido was invited to join the Weizmann Institute’s International Board, where his father, Arye Dissentshik, was a leading member until his death in 1978. Since 1986, Ido has served on the Institute’s Executive Board and, from 2008-2017, as its Chair. He was one of the founders of the Davidson Institute of Science Education, and continues to serve both on its Board and on the Weizmann Institute’s International Board and Executive Board.

He and his wife Batia (Barbara) have two adult sons—Itai and Alon—and two granddaughters.

Read More » about Ido Dissentshik
Ido Dissentshik

Israel

Ido Dissentshik has combined a successful career in journalism and business with a lifetime of public service and commitment to Israeli society. For nine years, he served as Chair of the Weizmann Institute’s Executive Board, injecting into this role his reporter’s inquisitiveness, business acumen, and deep dedication to advancing Israeli science.

Born in Tel Aviv in 1940, Mr. Dissentshik received a BA in economics and statistics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1964) and an MSc degree in journalism cum laude from Columbia University (1966). In 1965, he joined the Israeli newspaper Ma’ariv, launching a prolific journalistic career that spanned 26 years—as a reporter, foreign correspondent, editor, and editor-in-chief (1985-1991), and in various management positions. He led an entire generation of journalists, some of who are among today’s leading contributors to the print and electronic media.

In 1986, Mr. Dissentshik was invited to join the International Press Institute, an international organization of editors-in-chief, publishers, and executives representing every type of media from 121 countries, and he also served as a member of the organization’s Board of Directors. He was, and remains, the only Israeli member of this organization, which is affiliated with UNESCO.

Mr. Dissentshik left Ma'ariv in 1991, completed MBA studies at Tel Aviv University (1993), and went into business. He founded the private investment company Dison and partnered with Efi Arazi – one of the pioneers of the Israeli hi-tech industry – to found Immedia and Mercado. He also co-founded Analyst Online, the first business and economics portal in Israel (today, a segment of the business newspaper The Marker), and was its first content editor. He served on the boards of major Israeli corporations, including Bank Hapoalim, and was particularly involved in the field of telecommunications and media. He led the largest company in Israel, Bezeq, from 2000 until 2002, was one of the founders of Yes Satellite Television, and served on the board of Pelephone, Israel’s first mobile network operator. He also served as a special advisor to the Director General of the Israel Airports Authority on the Ben Gurion Airport 2000 project and to the CEO of Israel Railways in outlining the company’s new vision.

Mr. Dissentshik’s extensive public service roles include membership in both the directorate of the Edmond de Rothschild Caesarea Foundation and the Jabotinsky Institute and the Board of Trustees of Tel Hai Academic College. He was also a founding member of the Israel Forum, a voluntary association aimed at strengthening the ties between Israel and the Diaspora and encouraging immigrant integration. He served in the IDF reserves until the age of 69, both as an infantry officer and in the IDF’s Spokespersons Unit, and was discharged at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

In the early 1980s, Ido was invited to join the Weizmann Institute’s International Board, where his father, Arye Dissentshik, was a leading member until his death in 1978. Since 1986, Ido has served on the Institute’s Executive Board and, from 2008-2017, as its Chair. He was one of the founders of the Davidson Institute of Science Education, and continues to serve both on its Board and on the Weizmann Institute’s International Board and Executive Board.

He and his wife Batia (Barbara) have two adult sons—Itai and Alon—and two granddaughters.
Dr. Fabiola Gianotti

Italy

Dr. Fabiola Gianotti is a renowned particle physicist, who currently serves as CERN’s Director-General. Championing the role of science as a universal and unifying force in connecting people and creating a shared future in a fractured world, she is a remarkable role model for men and women across the world, scientists and non-scientists alike.

Dr. Fabiola Gianotti is a renowned particle physicist, who currently serves as CERN’s Director-General. Championing the role of science as a universal and unifying force in connecting people and creating a shared future in a fractured world, she is a remarkable role model for men and women across the world, scientists and non-scientists alike.

Dr. Gianotti earned a PhD in experimental particle physics from the University of Milan (1989). Since 1994, she has been a research physicist in CERN’s Physics Department, working on experiments including ALEPH on the Large Electron Positron Collider, which was the precursor to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), and ATLAS at the LHC. In the course of her career she had the opportunity to collaborate intensely with many scientists from the Weizmann Institute and other Institutions and Universities in Israel.

She has made considerable contributions to the design, construction, and operation of the ATLAS experiment, a collaboration of almost 3,000 physicists from some 180 institutions, 38 countries, and five continents (including the Weizmann Institute, whose scientists are among the leaders of the international consortium responsible for the Muon Spectrometer—one of the five subsystems that make up ATLAS). In 2009, Dr. Gianotti was elected as the project leader (“spokesperson”) of the ATLAS collaboration. On July 4, 2012, she represented the ATLAS collaboration in the announcement of the discovery of the Higgs boson, which had been proposed as a part of the standard model of particle physics to explain how some fundamental particles acquire mass. Her deep understanding of many aspects of ATLAS, in addition to her inspiring leadership, are recognized as major factors in cementing the discovery so quickly. In 2016, Dr. Gianotti became the first woman to serve as CERN’s Director-General.

Beyond CERN, Dr. Gianotti has, over the years, participated in major international committees, including the Scientific Council of the CNRS (France), the Physics Advisory Committee of the Fermilab Laboratory (US), the Scientific Council of the DESY Laboratory (Germany), the Scientific Advisory Committee of NIKHEF (Netherlands), and the Scientific Advisory Board of the UN secretary-general.

She holds multiple honorary degrees from leading institutions around the world and is a corresponding member of the Italian Academy of Science (Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei) and a foreign associate member of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States and of the French Academy of Sciences. Her honors and awards include Italy’s Cavaliere di Gran Croce dell’ordine al merito della Repubblica, the Special Breakthrough Physics Prize (2012), the Enrico Fermi Prize of the Italian Physical Society (2013), and the Medal of Honour of the Niels Bohr Institute of Copenhagen (2013).

Dr. Gianotti was one of The Guardian’s top 100 most inspirational women in 2011, ranked fifth in Time magazine’s Person of the Year index in 2012, and included among the world’s 100 most powerful women by Forbes magazine in both 2013 and 2017 (on both occasions she was the highest-ranking physicist).

Read More » about Dr. Fabiola Gianotti
Dr. Fabiola Gianotti

Italy

Dr. Fabiola Gianotti is a renowned particle physicist, who currently serves as CERN’s Director-General. Championing the role of science as a universal and unifying force in connecting people and creating a shared future in a fractured world, she is a remarkable role model for men and women across the world, scientists and non-scientists alike.

Dr. Gianotti earned a PhD in experimental particle physics from the University of Milan (1989). Since 1994, she has been a research physicist in CERN’s Physics Department, working on experiments including ALEPH on the Large Electron Positron Collider, which was the precursor to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), and ATLAS at the LHC. In the course of her career she had the opportunity to collaborate intensely with many scientists from the Weizmann Institute and other Institutions and Universities in Israel.

She has made considerable contributions to the design, construction, and operation of the ATLAS experiment, a collaboration of almost 3,000 physicists from some 180 institutions, 38 countries, and five continents (including the Weizmann Institute, whose scientists are among the leaders of the international consortium responsible for the Muon Spectrometer—one of the five subsystems that make up ATLAS). In 2009, Dr. Gianotti was elected as the project leader (“spokesperson”) of the ATLAS collaboration. On July 4, 2012, she represented the ATLAS collaboration in the announcement of the discovery of the Higgs boson, which had been proposed as a part of the standard model of particle physics to explain how some fundamental particles acquire mass. Her deep understanding of many aspects of ATLAS, in addition to her inspiring leadership, are recognized as major factors in cementing the discovery so quickly. In 2016, Dr. Gianotti became the first woman to serve as CERN’s Director-General.

Beyond CERN, Dr. Gianotti has, over the years, participated in major international committees, including the Scientific Council of the CNRS (France), the Physics Advisory Committee of the Fermilab Laboratory (US), the Scientific Council of the DESY Laboratory (Germany), the Scientific Advisory Committee of NIKHEF (Netherlands), and the Scientific Advisory Board of the UN secretary-general.

She holds multiple honorary degrees from leading institutions around the world and is a corresponding member of the Italian Academy of Science (Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei) and a foreign associate member of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States and of the French Academy of Sciences. Her honors and awards include Italy’s Cavaliere di Gran Croce dell’ordine al merito della Repubblica, the Special Breakthrough Physics Prize (2012), the Enrico Fermi Prize of the Italian Physical Society (2013), and the Medal of Honour of the Niels Bohr Institute of Copenhagen (2013).

Dr. Gianotti was one of The Guardian’s top 100 most inspirational women in 2011, ranked fifth in Time magazine’s Person of the Year index in 2012, and included among the world’s 100 most powerful women by Forbes magazine in both 2013 and 2017 (on both occasions she was the highest-ranking physicist).
Ellen Merlo

United States

Ellen Merlo is one of the Weizmann Institute’s pillars of support, an energetic and talented leader and an advocate for the State of Israel and Jewish-related causes, advancing Israeli science and academia, and notably, women in science.

Ellen Merlo is one of the Weizmann Institute’s pillars of support, an energetic and talented leader and an advocate for the State of Israel and Jewish-related causes, advancing Israeli science and academia, and notably, women in science.

In over 40 years in corporate America, Ms. Merlo held a variety of positions with Philip Morris USA and other corporations. Her primary career focus at Philip Morris was in senior marketing and communications positions. Prior to her retirement, she held the position of Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, and was responsible for directing internal and external communications, public affairs activities, corporate responsibility planning and programs, consumer affairs, and community relations, including charitable grants on behalf of the company. She also served as the senior spokesperson.

Prior to joining Philip Morris, Ms. Merlo was the managing editor of Motor Trend magazine in Los Angeles, and held several other positions with publishing companies and advertising agencies.

Since her retirement, Ms. Merlo has undertaken a more active role in the philanthropic community. She heads the Pearl Welinsky Merlo Foundation, which she established in honor of her mother. She also served as the Vice President of the Baron de Hirsch Fund, is the Treasurer of the Brand Israel Group—an organization working to keep Americans connected to Israel—and is on the Board of Governors of the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation.

Ms. Merlo’s relationship with the Weizmann Institute began in 2004, soon after her retirement from the business world. Wishing to find a way to advance science and medicine, she focused on supporting stem cell research at the Institute. Her involvement has grown over the years, taking shape as remarkably active leadership, interest, and commitment. She served as Chair of the New York Region of the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science (ACWIS) and as a member of its executive committee, and currently serves as National Chair of ACWIS. Ms. Merlo is a member of the President’s Circle and serves on the Institute’s International and Executive Boards.

An avid supporter of promoting women in science, Ms. Merlo says, “Women can succeed on their own brainpower and creativity, but given societal constraints and expectations, we just need to do what it takes to give them an opportunity to shine.” She has spearheaded fundraising efforts for the Institute’s Women and Science Award and, in 2014, established the Women for Science (W4S) initiative to create a cohesive community of women across America united in a common mission to support science for the benefit of humanity. This highly successful initiative has generated significant funds for the Weizmann Institute, identified future leadership for the American Committee, and introduced many new supporters to the Institute.

Read More » about Ellen Merlo
Ellen Merlo

United States

Ellen Merlo is one of the Weizmann Institute’s pillars of support, an energetic and talented leader and an advocate for the State of Israel and Jewish-related causes, advancing Israeli science and academia, and notably, women in science.

In over 40 years in corporate America, Ms. Merlo held a variety of positions with Philip Morris USA and other corporations. Her primary career focus at Philip Morris was in senior marketing and communications positions. Prior to her retirement, she held the position of Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, and was responsible for directing internal and external communications, public affairs activities, corporate responsibility planning and programs, consumer affairs, and community relations, including charitable grants on behalf of the company. She also served as the senior spokesperson.

Prior to joining Philip Morris, Ms. Merlo was the managing editor of Motor Trend magazine in Los Angeles, and held several other positions with publishing companies and advertising agencies.

Since her retirement, Ms. Merlo has undertaken a more active role in the philanthropic community. She heads the Pearl Welinsky Merlo Foundation, which she established in honor of her mother. She also served as the Vice President of the Baron de Hirsch Fund, is the Treasurer of the Brand Israel Group—an organization working to keep Americans connected to Israel—and is on the Board of Governors of the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation.

Ms. Merlo’s relationship with the Weizmann Institute began in 2004, soon after her retirement from the business world. Wishing to find a way to advance science and medicine, she focused on supporting stem cell research at the Institute. Her involvement has grown over the years, taking shape as remarkably active leadership, interest, and commitment. She served as Chair of the New York Region of the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science (ACWIS) and as a member of its executive committee, and currently serves as National Chair of ACWIS. Ms. Merlo is a member of the President’s Circle and serves on the Institute’s International and Executive Boards.

An avid supporter of promoting women in science, Ms. Merlo says, “Women can succeed on their own brainpower and creativity, but given societal constraints and expectations, we just need to do what it takes to give them an opportunity to shine.” She has spearheaded fundraising efforts for the Institute’s Women and Science Award and, in 2014, established the Women for Science (W4S) initiative to create a cohesive community of women across America united in a common mission to support science for the benefit of humanity. This highly successful initiative has generated significant funds for the Weizmann Institute, identified future leadership for the American Committee, and introduced many new supporters to the Institute.
Sir Paul Nurse

United Kingdom

Nobel Laureate Sir Paul Nurse is a geneticist and cell biologist whose discoveries have helped explain how the cell controls its cycle of growth and division. His research findings have broad implications, since errors in cell growth and division may lead to cancer and other serious diseases.

Nobel Laureate Sir Paul Nurse is a geneticist and cell biologist whose discoveries have helped explain how the cell controls its cycle of growth and division. His research findings have broad implications, since errors in cell growth and division may lead to cancer and other serious diseases.

Born in Norfolk and raised in London, Sir Paul received his PhD in cell biology/biochemistry from the University of East Anglia (1973). During postdoctoral studies at the University of Edinburgh, he used a classical genetics approach to study the cell cycle by identifying and examining a set of cell-cycle defective mutants. This work led him to identify the gene cdc2 in fission yeast and show that it controls the progression of the cell cycle from the G1 phase to the S phase and the transition from the G2 phase to mitosis.

In his own laboratory at the University of Sussex, he developed the techniques that enabled him to clone the cdc2 gene from fission yeast and show that it encoded a protein kinase, which ensures the cell is ready to copy its DNA and divide. Later, conducting research at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund (ICRF), he identified the human homologous gene, Cdk1, which codes for a cyclin-dependent kinase.

Sir Paul went on to serve as ICRF’s Director of Research, Director General, and Chief Executive, and, in 2003, he became President of Rockefeller University in New York City, continuing his work on the cell cycle, cell form, and genomics of fission yeast. In 2010, he was appointed the first Director and Chief Executive of the Francis Crick Institute in London and President of the Royal Society.

Sir Paul’s pioneering research and pivotal discoveries were recognized, along with those of Dr. Leland Hartwell and Dr. Tim Hunt, by the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. In 1989, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) and in 1995, he received the Royal Society Royal Medal and became a foreign associate of the US National Academy of Sciences. He earned the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 1998 and was knighted in 1999. Sir Paul was awarded the French Legion d'Honneur in 2002 and the Royal Society Copley Medal in 2005. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2006 and was a member of the UK Council for Science and Technology, advising the Prime Minister from 2000 - 2015. In 2013, he received the Albert Einstein World Award of Science conferred by the World Cultural Council. He is also a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and of the British Academy. He is the recipient of numerous honorary degrees.

Sir Paul is an ardent supporter of relations between the UK and Israel. During his term as president of the Royal Society, he was instrumental in establishing a collaboration agreement with the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

Read More » about Sir Paul Nurse
Sir Paul Nurse

United Kingdom

Nobel Laureate Sir Paul Nurse is a geneticist and cell biologist whose discoveries have helped explain how the cell controls its cycle of growth and division. His research findings have broad implications, since errors in cell growth and division may lead to cancer and other serious diseases.

Born in Norfolk and raised in London, Sir Paul received his PhD in cell biology/biochemistry from the University of East Anglia (1973). During postdoctoral studies at the University of Edinburgh, he used a classical genetics approach to study the cell cycle by identifying and examining a set of cell-cycle defective mutants. This work led him to identify the gene cdc2 in fission yeast and show that it controls the progression of the cell cycle from the G1 phase to the S phase and the transition from the G2 phase to mitosis.

In his own laboratory at the University of Sussex, he developed the techniques that enabled him to clone the cdc2 gene from fission yeast and show that it encoded a protein kinase, which ensures the cell is ready to copy its DNA and divide. Later, conducting research at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund (ICRF), he identified the human homologous gene, Cdk1, which codes for a cyclin-dependent kinase.

Sir Paul went on to serve as ICRF’s Director of Research, Director General, and Chief Executive, and, in 2003, he became President of Rockefeller University in New York City, continuing his work on the cell cycle, cell form, and genomics of fission yeast. In 2010, he was appointed the first Director and Chief Executive of the Francis Crick Institute in London and President of the Royal Society.

Sir Paul’s pioneering research and pivotal discoveries were recognized, along with those of Dr. Leland Hartwell and Dr. Tim Hunt, by the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. In 1989, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) and in 1995, he received the Royal Society Royal Medal and became a foreign associate of the US National Academy of Sciences. He earned the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 1998 and was knighted in 1999. Sir Paul was awarded the French Legion d'Honneur in 2002 and the Royal Society Copley Medal in 2005. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2006 and was a member of the UK Council for Science and Technology, advising the Prime Minister from 2000 - 2015. In 2013, he received the Albert Einstein World Award of Science conferred by the World Cultural Council. He is also a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and of the British Academy. He is the recipient of numerous honorary degrees.

Sir Paul is an ardent supporter of relations between the UK and Israel. During his term as president of the Royal Society, he was instrumental in establishing a collaboration agreement with the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities.
Eric Stupp

Switzerland

A leading financial lawyer of extraordinarily keen business perception, breadth of knowledge, and astute analytical skills, Eric Stupp is also a steadfast friend of the Weizmann Institute and its scientists and a key leader within the Institute’s global family.

A leading financial lawyer of extraordinarily keen business perception, breadth of knowledge, and astute analytical skills, Eric Stupp is also a steadfast friend of the Weizmann Institute and its scientists and a key leader within the Institute’s global family.

Mr. Stupp received a law degree from the University of St. Gallen (HSG), Switzerland, in 1989 and an LL.M. degree from the University of Chicago in 1996.

In recent years, he has regularly advised financial institutions in connection with internal investigations initiated by the US Department of Justice, the New York Department of Financial Services and other US or European authorities. He co-heads the practice group Financial Services and the internal investigations team of the law firm Bär & Karrer in Zurich, Switzerland. He also acts as trusted advisor for a select number of private clients.

Mr. Stupp is listed as a leading lawyer in the publication Legal 500 in the category Hall of Fame. He is the vice-chairman of the board of directors of Goldman Sachs Bank AG, Zurich and a member of the boards of other financial institutions and industrial companies.

Mr. Stupp currently serves on the Weizmann Institute’s Executive Board and as Chair of the Swiss Society of Friends of the Institute. Founded in 1974 by a small group of scientists, the Swiss Society aims to make the Institute better known in circles of research and industry in Switzerland and enhance public awareness of its scientific research conducted for the benefit of humanity. Over the years, the membership base of the Swiss Society has gradually increased, and today, Mr. Stupp leads more than 650 Swiss friends, many of whom are Institute supporters.

To realize its objectives, the Swiss Society supports PhD and postdoctoral fellowships in a reciprocal program through which Israeli PhD students and postdoctoral fellows are also exposed to Swiss institutions. The Society also provides funding for talented Swiss students to participate in the Dr. Bessie Lawrence International Summer Science Institute (ISSI). The visiting PhD students, postdocs, and high school graduates from Switzerland return to their country as true ambassadors of the Weizmann Institute and of Israel.

In his exemplary stewardship of the Swiss Society of Friends of the Weizmann Institute, Mr. Stupp has also played a prominent role in raising support for the Swiss Society Institute for Cancer Prevention Research at the Moross Integrated Cancer Center. This unique Center works to unravel the complexity of cancer by harnessing the power of basic research to facilitate translation into the clinical arena in the quest for cancer prevention, early diagnosis, and, ultimately, a cure.

Mr. Stupp and his wife Danielle have a son and a daughter.

Read More » about Eric Stupp
Eric Stupp

Switzerland

A leading financial lawyer of extraordinarily keen business perception, breadth of knowledge, and astute analytical skills, Eric Stupp is also a steadfast friend of the Weizmann Institute and its scientists and a key leader within the Institute’s global family.

Mr. Stupp received a law degree from the University of St. Gallen (HSG), Switzerland, in 1989 and an LL.M. degree from the University of Chicago in 1996.

In recent years, he has regularly advised financial institutions in connection with internal investigations initiated by the US Department of Justice, the New York Department of Financial Services and other US or European authorities. He co-heads the practice group Financial Services and the internal investigations team of the law firm Bär & Karrer in Zurich, Switzerland. He also acts as trusted advisor for a select number of private clients.

Mr. Stupp is listed as a leading lawyer in the publication Legal 500 in the category Hall of Fame. He is the vice-chairman of the board of directors of Goldman Sachs Bank AG, Zurich and a member of the boards of other financial institutions and industrial companies.

Mr. Stupp currently serves on the Weizmann Institute’s Executive Board and as Chair of the Swiss Society of Friends of the Institute. Founded in 1974 by a small group of scientists, the Swiss Society aims to make the Institute better known in circles of research and industry in Switzerland and enhance public awareness of its scientific research conducted for the benefit of humanity. Over the years, the membership base of the Swiss Society has gradually increased, and today, Mr. Stupp leads more than 650 Swiss friends, many of whom are Institute supporters.

To realize its objectives, the Swiss Society supports PhD and postdoctoral fellowships in a reciprocal program through which Israeli PhD students and postdoctoral fellows are also exposed to Swiss institutions. The Society also provides funding for talented Swiss students to participate in the Dr. Bessie Lawrence International Summer Science Institute (ISSI). The visiting PhD students, postdocs, and high school graduates from Switzerland return to their country as true ambassadors of the Weizmann Institute and of Israel.

In his exemplary stewardship of the Swiss Society of Friends of the Weizmann Institute, Mr. Stupp has also played a prominent role in raising support for the Swiss Society Institute for Cancer Prevention Research at the Moross Integrated Cancer Center. This unique Center works to unravel the complexity of cancer by harnessing the power of basic research to facilitate translation into the clinical arena in the quest for cancer prevention, early diagnosis, and, ultimately, a cure.

Mr. Stupp and his wife Danielle have a son and a daughter.
Prof. Marc Van Montagu

Belgium

As a pioneer of plant molecular biology, Prof. Marc Van Montagu has made critical discoveries over the years that continue to help scientists tackle global food security challenges. Prof. Van Montagu is perhaps most renowned for identifying the tumor-inducing (Ti) plasmid and the invention of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation technology, used worldwide to produce genetically engineered plants.

As a pioneer of plant molecular biology, Prof. Marc Van Montagu has made critical discoveries over the years that continue to help scientists tackle global food security challenges. Prof. Van Montagu is perhaps most renowned for identifying the tumor-inducing (Ti) plasmid and the invention of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation technology, used worldwide to produce genetically engineered plants. These achievements in founding, developing, and applying modern agricultural biotechnology have contributed significantly to growing crops with improved yields, resistance to insects and disease, and the ability to tolerate extreme climate variations.

Born in Ghent, Belgium, in 1933, Prof. Van Montagu grew up during the Second World War – a period of severe hardships for the general population, including food rationings. As a student at Ghent University, he became intrigued with the emerging field of molecular biology, and pursued a PhD in organic chemistry/biochemistry (1965). His research in the Cell Biology Department at Ghent University Medical School focused on RNA bacteriophages with his colleague, Prof. Walter Fiers.

In the late 1960s, Marc Van Montagu and fellow researcher, Prof. Jozef “Jeff” Schell (1935-2003), started working with the plant disease known as crown gall. In 1974, they were the first to discover that Agrobacterium tumefaciens, the plant tumor-inducing soil microbe, carries a large circular molecule of DNA, which they named “Ti plasmid,” and demonstrated that this plasmid is responsible for formation of the plant tumor. Later, they and independently Dr. Mary-Dell Chilton at the University of Washington, demonstrated that a segment of this plasmid, the T-DNA, is copied and transferred into the genome of the infected plant cell.

The scientific duo’s elucidation of the structure and function of Ti plasmid led them to develop the first technology capable of stably transferring foreign genes into plants. Their landmark discovery provided scientists with an appropriate tool, or vector, to pursue complex biological questions in terms of specific genes, their structure, and the control of their expression in all aspects of plant biology, with important implications for enhancing global crop production worldwide. Today, direct evidence of their discovery’s intellectual impact can be found in the more than 52,000 publications on Agrobacterium-mediated plant transformation.

Prof. Van Montagu went on to establish two biotechnology companies and has served on the scientific advisory boards of many others. In 2000, he founded the Institute of Plant Biotechnology Outreach, with the mission of assisting developing countries in gaining access to the latest plant biotechnology developments and to stimulate their research institutions to become independent and competitive. He is also the President of the Public Research and Regulation Initiative (PRRI).

Currently a professor emeritus of Ghent University, Marc Van Montagu remains a tireless, influential advocate for the transfer of plant biotechnology for the economic, environmental, and health benefits of the emerging and developing nations. A member of science academies and recipient of honorary degrees from universities throughout the world, his numerous honors and awards include the Charles Leopold Mayer Prize by the French Academy of Sciences (1990), the Japan Prize (1998), the Theodor Bücher Medal (FEBS; 1999 ), the World Food Prize (2013), and the Iran Agriculture Gold Medal (2015).

Read More » about Prof. Marc Van Montagu
Prof. Marc Van Montagu

Belgium

As a pioneer of plant molecular biology, Prof. Marc Van Montagu has made critical discoveries over the years that continue to help scientists tackle global food security challenges. Prof. Van Montagu is perhaps most renowned for identifying the tumor-inducing (Ti) plasmid and the invention of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation technology, used worldwide to produce genetically engineered plants. These achievements in founding, developing, and applying modern agricultural biotechnology have contributed significantly to growing crops with improved yields, resistance to insects and disease, and the ability to tolerate extreme climate variations.

Born in Ghent, Belgium, in 1933, Prof. Van Montagu grew up during the Second World War – a period of severe hardships for the general population, including food rationings. As a student at Ghent University, he became intrigued with the emerging field of molecular biology, and pursued a PhD in organic chemistry/biochemistry (1965). His research in the Cell Biology Department at Ghent University Medical School focused on RNA bacteriophages with his colleague, Prof. Walter Fiers.

In the late 1960s, Marc Van Montagu and fellow researcher, Prof. Jozef “Jeff” Schell (1935-2003), started working with the plant disease known as crown gall. In 1974, they were the first to discover that Agrobacterium tumefaciens, the plant tumor-inducing soil microbe, carries a large circular molecule of DNA, which they named “Ti plasmid,” and demonstrated that this plasmid is responsible for formation of the plant tumor. Later, they and independently Dr. Mary-Dell Chilton at the University of Washington, demonstrated that a segment of this plasmid, the T-DNA, is copied and transferred into the genome of the infected plant cell.

The scientific duo’s elucidation of the structure and function of Ti plasmid led them to develop the first technology capable of stably transferring foreign genes into plants. Their landmark discovery provided scientists with an appropriate tool, or vector, to pursue complex biological questions in terms of specific genes, their structure, and the control of their expression in all aspects of plant biology, with important implications for enhancing global crop production worldwide. Today, direct evidence of their discovery’s intellectual impact can be found in the more than 52,000 publications on Agrobacterium-mediated plant transformation.

Prof. Van Montagu went on to establish two biotechnology companies and has served on the scientific advisory boards of many others. In 2000, he founded the Institute of Plant Biotechnology Outreach, with the mission of assisting developing countries in gaining access to the latest plant biotechnology developments and to stimulate their research institutions to become independent and competitive. He is also the President of the Public Research and Regulation Initiative (PRRI).

Currently a professor emeritus of Ghent University, Marc Van Montagu remains a tireless, influential advocate for the transfer of plant biotechnology for the economic, environmental, and health benefits of the emerging and developing nations. A member of science academies and recipient of honorary degrees from universities throughout the world, his numerous honors and awards include the Charles Leopold Mayer Prize by the French Academy of Sciences (1990), the Japan Prize (1998), the Theodor Bücher Medal (FEBS; 1999 ), the World Food Prize (2013), and the Iran Agriculture Gold Medal (2015).