Speakers

  • Prof. Israel Bar-Joseph

    Vice President for Resource Development
    Dean, Educational Activities
    Weizmann Institute of Science

    Prof. Israel Bar-Joseph was born in Israel in 1953. He graduated with a BSc in Physics from Tel Aviv University (1979), and an MSc (1982) and PhD (1986) in Physics from the Weizmann Institute of Science, with honors. He then spent several years as a postdoctoral fellow and visiting scientist at the AT&T Bell Laboratories in Holmdel, New Jersey. In 1989, he joined the Weizmann Institute of Science.

    Prof. Israel Bar-Joseph was born in Israel in 1953. He graduated with a BSc in Physics from Tel Aviv University (1979), and an MSc (1982) and PhD (1986) in Physics from the Weizmann Institute of Science, with honors. He then spent several years as a postdoctoral fellow and visiting scientist at the AT&T Bell Laboratories in Holmdel, New Jersey. In 1989, he joined the Weizmann Institute of Science. He is the incumbent of the Jane and Otto Morningstar Professorial Chair in Physics.

    Prof. Bar-Joseph served in a variety of scientific management positions at the Institute: Director of the Braun Center for Submicron Research, Head of Physics Services (1997-2002), Head of the Condensed Matter Physics Department (2002-2006); and is a member of the board of Yeda, the Weizmann Institute’s technology transfer arm (2001-2006). In 2004, he was appointed director of the Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger Center for Nanophysics. Since 2006, he has served as the Weizmann Institute’s Vice President for Resource Development, and since 2007 he has served as Dean of Educational Activities.

    Prof. Bar-Joseph’s main research fields are nanophysics and electro-optics of semiconductors. He focuses on the manufacture and study of ultra-small semiconductor structures, less than one thousandth of a millimeter in size. He uses gallium arsenide, the semiconductor that is gradually replacing silicon in high-speed electronic devices, and the tools of optical spectroscopy to clarify the behavior of electrons in modern transistors. He also studies molecular electronics, pursuing the manipulation of small organic molecules to build molecular electronic circuits. Using an innovative, “bottom-up” approach, he is employing a variety of methods to attach and position electrical contacts on a tiny molecular circuit. These studies provide the fundamental basis for the development of brand new technologies that will shape our life in the future.

    He is the recipient of the 1985 Kennedy Prize, the 1989 Alon Fellowship and the 1994 Levinson Prize in physics. He has served as a member of the editorial boards of leading journals such as Physical Review Letters and Semiconductor Science and Technology. He was a member and chairman of the board of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel and a member of several government committees on science education.

    He is married to Revital and is the father of three boys: Asaf, Omer, and Amos.

    Read More » about Prof. Israel Bar-Joseph

    Prof. Israel Bar-Joseph

    Vice President for Resource Development
    Dean, Educational Activities
    Weizmann Institute of Science

    Prof. Israel Bar-Joseph was born in Israel in 1953. He graduated with a BSc in Physics from Tel Aviv University (1979), and an MSc (1982) and PhD (1986) in Physics from the Weizmann Institute of Science, with honors. He then spent several years as a postdoctoral fellow and visiting scientist at the AT&T Bell Laboratories in Holmdel, New Jersey. In 1989, he joined the Weizmann Institute of Science. He is the incumbent of the Jane and Otto Morningstar Professorial Chair in Physics.

    Prof. Bar-Joseph served in a variety of scientific management positions at the Institute: Director of the Braun Center for Submicron Research, Head of Physics Services (1997-2002), Head of the Condensed Matter Physics Department (2002-2006); and is a member of the board of Yeda, the Weizmann Institute’s technology transfer arm (2001-2006). In 2004, he was appointed director of the Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger Center for Nanophysics. Since 2006, he has served as the Weizmann Institute’s Vice President for Resource Development, and since 2007 he has served as Dean of Educational Activities.

    Prof. Bar-Joseph’s main research fields are nanophysics and electro-optics of semiconductors. He focuses on the manufacture and study of ultra-small semiconductor structures, less than one thousandth of a millimeter in size. He uses gallium arsenide, the semiconductor that is gradually replacing silicon in high-speed electronic devices, and the tools of optical spectroscopy to clarify the behavior of electrons in modern transistors. He also studies molecular electronics, pursuing the manipulation of small organic molecules to build molecular electronic circuits. Using an innovative, “bottom-up” approach, he is employing a variety of methods to attach and position electrical contacts on a tiny molecular circuit. These studies provide the fundamental basis for the development of brand new technologies that will shape our life in the future.

    He is the recipient of the 1985 Kennedy Prize, the 1989 Alon Fellowship and the 1994 Levinson Prize in physics. He has served as a member of the editorial boards of leading journals such as Physical Review Letters and Semiconductor Science and Technology. He was a member and chairman of the board of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel and a member of several government committees on science education.

    He is married to Revital and is the father of three boys: Asaf, Omer, and Amos.

  • Prof. Marvin Cohen

    Member, Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee
    Weizmann Institute of Science

    Prof. Marvin L. Cohen was born in Montreal and moved to San Francisco when he was 12 years old. He was an undergraduate at the University of California at Berkeley and completed graduate studies at the University of Chicago in 1963 (Ph.D. 1964). After a one year postdoctoral position with the Theory Group at Bell Laboratories (1963-64), he joined the Berkeley Physics Faculty. He became University Professor in 1995. He has also been a Senior Faculty Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory since 1965.

    Prof. Marvin L. Cohen was born in Montreal and moved to San Francisco when he was 12 years old. He was an undergraduate at the University of California at Berkeley and completed graduate studies at the University of Chicago in 1963 (Ph.D. 1964). After a one year postdoctoral position with the Theory Group at Bell Laboratories (1963-64), he joined the Berkeley Physics Faculty. He became University Professor in 1995. He has also been a Senior Faculty Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory since 1965.

    Prof. Cohen's current and past research covers a broad spectrum of subjects in theoretical condensed matter physics. He is best known for his work with pseudopotentials with applications to electronic, optical, and structural properties of materials, superconductivity, semiconductor physics, and nanoscience.

    Prof. Cohen is a recipient of the National Medal of Science, the APS Oliver E. Buckley Prize for Solid State Physics, the APS Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize, the Foresight Institute Richard P. Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology, and the Technology Pioneer Award from the World Economic Forum. He received the Department of Energy Award for Outstanding Accomplishment in Solids State Physics, the DOE Award for Sustained Outstanding Research, the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Certificate of Merit and Outstanding Performance Award, was Faculty Research Lecturer, University of California, Berkeley and Loeb Lecturer, Harvard University, and was awarded Doctorat Honoris Causa from the University of Montreal. Prof. Cohen has contributed more than 700 technical publications.

    Prof. Cohen is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2005, Prof. Cohen was President of the American Physical Society (APS), an organization representing more than 44,000 physicists in universities, industry and national laboratories. He has served as a member and then chair of the Executive Council of the Division of Condensed Matter Physics of the APS; as the U.S. representative on the IUPAP Semiconductor Commission; as a member of the National Academy of Sciences Government-University Industry Research Roundtable; as a member of the U.S. Delegation to Bilateral Dialog for Research and Development in the US and Japan; as a member of Science Policy Board of the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory and the Science Policy Committee of SLAC. He was a member of the Governing Board of the American Institute of Physics. Prof. Cohen served on a variety of national and international boards and committees as an advisor and advocate for science education. He was Vice Chair of the NAS-GUIR Working Group on Science and Engineering Talent emphasizing the recruitment of women and minorities. He was a featured speaker for the Electron Birthday Project (televised to US high schools) and is currently active in lecturing to lay audiences, K-12 students, and industrial groups.

    Read More » about Prof. Marvin Cohen

    Prof. Marvin Cohen

    Member, Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee
    Weizmann Institute of Science

    Prof. Marvin L. Cohen was born in Montreal and moved to San Francisco when he was 12 years old. He was an undergraduate at the University of California at Berkeley and completed graduate studies at the University of Chicago in 1963 (Ph.D. 1964). After a one year postdoctoral position with the Theory Group at Bell Laboratories (1963-64), he joined the Berkeley Physics Faculty. He became University Professor in 1995. He has also been a Senior Faculty Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory since 1965.

    Prof. Cohen's current and past research covers a broad spectrum of subjects in theoretical condensed matter physics. He is best known for his work with pseudopotentials with applications to electronic, optical, and structural properties of materials, superconductivity, semiconductor physics, and nanoscience.

    Prof. Cohen is a recipient of the National Medal of Science, the APS Oliver E. Buckley Prize for Solid State Physics, the APS Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize, the Foresight Institute Richard P. Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology, and the Technology Pioneer Award from the World Economic Forum. He received the Department of Energy Award for Outstanding Accomplishment in Solids State Physics, the DOE Award for Sustained Outstanding Research, the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Certificate of Merit and Outstanding Performance Award, was Faculty Research Lecturer, University of California, Berkeley and Loeb Lecturer, Harvard University, and was awarded Doctorat Honoris Causa from the University of Montreal. Prof. Cohen has contributed more than 700 technical publications.

    Prof. Cohen is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2005, Prof. Cohen was President of the American Physical Society (APS), an organization representing more than 44,000 physicists in universities, industry and national laboratories. He has served as a member and then chair of the Executive Council of the Division of Condensed Matter Physics of the APS; as the U.S. representative on the IUPAP Semiconductor Commission; as a member of the National Academy of Sciences Government-University Industry Research Roundtable; as a member of the U.S. Delegation to Bilateral Dialog for Research and Development in the US and Japan; as a member of Science Policy Board of the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory and the Science Policy Committee of SLAC. He was a member of the Governing Board of the American Institute of Physics. Prof. Cohen served on a variety of national and international boards and committees as an advisor and advocate for science education. He was Vice Chair of the NAS-GUIR Working Group on Science and Engineering Talent emphasizing the recruitment of women and minorities. He was a featured speaker for the Electron Birthday Project (televised to US high schools) and is currently active in lecturing to lay audiences, K-12 students, and industrial groups.

  • Jeffrey I. Cohen

    Jeffrey I. Cohen

    Chair, Weizmann Canada

    Jeffrey I. Cohen obtained his BA in Political Science from McGill University in 1981, and his JD from the Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto in 1984. He was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1986. Currently, he is the Managing Partner at Torkin Manes LLP, a full-service law firm from Toronto, which is ranked among the top 10 firms in the Ontario region, and a member of the firm’s Business Law and Corporate Finance Groups.

    Jeffrey I. Cohen obtained his BA in Political Science from McGill University in 1981, and his JD from the Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto in 1984. He was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1986. Currently, he is the Managing Partner at Torkin Manes LLP, a full-service law firm from Toronto, which is ranked among the top 10 firms in the Ontario region, and a member of the firm’s Business Law and Corporate Finance Groups.

    Mr. Cohen specializes in mergers, acquisitions, and dispositions of businesses, and public and private financings, thereby bringing to bear significant experience on a wide variety of business transactions and financings. While maintaining an active role in the practice of law, Mr. Cohen has led the ongoing development, growth, and success of Torkin Manes as its Managing Partner and sits on the Board of Directors or Advisory Board of several companies to which Torkin Manes provides legal services. He is a member of the Canadian and American Bar Associations.

    In addition to his professional achievements, Mr. Cohen is deeply involved in the Jewish community of Toronto. He serves as a member of the Board of Governors of UJA Federation of Toronto and is the former Treasurer and member of its Board of Directors.

    Since 2015, Mr. Cohen serves as the Chairman of Weizmann Canada, and since 2017 he is a member of the Institute’s International Board.

    Read More » about Jeffrey I. Cohen

    Jeffrey I. Cohen

    Chair, Weizmann Canada

    Jeffrey I. Cohen obtained his BA in Political Science from McGill University in 1981, and his JD from the Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto in 1984. He was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1986. Currently, he is the Managing Partner at Torkin Manes LLP, a full-service law firm from Toronto, which is ranked among the top 10 firms in the Ontario region, and a member of the firm’s Business Law and Corporate Finance Groups.

    Mr. Cohen specializes in mergers, acquisitions, and dispositions of businesses, and public and private financings, thereby bringing to bear significant experience on a wide variety of business transactions and financings. While maintaining an active role in the practice of law, Mr. Cohen has led the ongoing development, growth, and success of Torkin Manes as its Managing Partner and sits on the Board of Directors or Advisory Board of several companies to which Torkin Manes provides legal services. He is a member of the Canadian and American Bar Associations.

    In addition to his professional achievements, Mr. Cohen is deeply involved in the Jewish community of Toronto. He serves as a member of the Board of Governors of UJA Federation of Toronto and is the former Treasurer and member of its Board of Directors.

    Since 2015, Mr. Cohen serves as the Chairman of Weizmann Canada, and since 2017 he is a member of the Institute’s International Board.

  • Photo Credit: Ennio Stranier

    Gil Dor

    Musical performer

    Gil Dor was born 1952 in Israel. He studied classical guitar with the late Menashe Bakish, one of Israel’s foremost masters of guitar, and served in the Israeli Army as a musician in an entertainment unit 1971-1974. Following his military service, Gil continued his studies in the USA, concentrating on jazz at Berklee College in Boston and on classical theory and composition at Queens College in NY.

    Gil Dor was born 1952 in Israel. He studied classical guitar with the late Menashe Bakish, one of Israel’s foremost masters of guitar, and served in the Israeli Army as a musician in an entertainment unit 1971-1974. Following his military service, Gil continued his studies in the USA, concentrating on jazz at Berklee College in Boston and on classical theory and composition at Queens College in NY.

    Upon returning to Israel in 1981, Gil established himself as a guitarist as well as an arranger/composer, performing live jazz and rock and recording with leading artists in Israel. During 1983 and 1984, he taught jazz improvisation and guitar at the Jerusalem Academy of Music. In 1985, Gil co-founded the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in Ramat Hasharon, Israel. In his capacity as Rimon's academic director for 5 years, Gil developed and wrote many core curricula as well as advanced courses. He founded the school’s computer aided music program and developed a unique "music notation" application, using one of the earliest softwares. During the next five-year period, he performed in jazz festivals, promoting different original projects in Israel and in Europe. In 1990, Gil started an artistic collaboration with Achinoam Nini, a talented Rimon student internationally known today as Noa. Together they have performed on the world’s most prestigious stages. Gil is Noa’ musical and artistic director as well as co-writer, arranger, producer, and guitarist.

    Read More » about Gil Dor

    Gil Dor

    Musical performer

    Gil Dor was born 1952 in Israel. He studied classical guitar with the late Menashe Bakish, one of Israel’s foremost masters of guitar, and served in the Israeli Army as a musician in an entertainment unit 1971-1974. Following his military service, Gil continued his studies in the USA, concentrating on jazz at Berklee College in Boston and on classical theory and composition at Queens College in NY.

    Upon returning to Israel in 1981, Gil established himself as a guitarist as well as an arranger/composer, performing live jazz and rock and recording with leading artists in Israel. During 1983 and 1984, he taught jazz improvisation and guitar at the Jerusalem Academy of Music. In 1985, Gil co-founded the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in Ramat Hasharon, Israel. In his capacity as Rimon's academic director for 5 years, Gil developed and wrote many core curricula as well as advanced courses. He founded the school’s computer aided music program and developed a unique "music notation" application, using one of the earliest softwares. During the next five-year period, he performed in jazz festivals, promoting different original projects in Israel and in Europe. In 1990, Gil started an artistic collaboration with Achinoam Nini, a talented Rimon student internationally known today as Noa. Together they have performed on the world’s most prestigious stages. Gil is Noa’ musical and artistic director as well as co-writer, arranger, producer, and guitarist.

  • Prof. Jonathan Dorfan

    Co-Chair, Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee
    Weizmann Institute of Science

    Prof. Jonathan Dorfan is the President Emeritus and former CEO of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. He was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in physics and applied mathematics at the University of Cape Town in 1969 and his doctorate in experimental particle physics from the University of California-Irvine. Upon graduation in 1976, he joined the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) where he was promoted to associate professor in 1984, full professor in 1989 and Associate Director in 1994.

    Prof. Jonathan Dorfan is the President Emeritus and former CEO of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. He was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in physics and applied mathematics at the University of Cape Town in 1969 and his doctorate in experimental particle physics from the University of California-Irvine. Upon graduation in 1976, he joined the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) where he was promoted to associate professor in 1984, full professor in 1989 and Associate Director in 1994. In September 1999, Prof. Dorfan became SLAC's third Director, during which time he was Dean of the SLAC School and served as a member of the Stanford University Executive Cabinet. Prof. Dorfan stepped down from the directorship in September 2007 and remains at SLAC as Professor and Emeritus Director. From 1980 to 1989, Prof. Dorfan was the spokesman for the MARK-II detector collaboration at the SLAC's PEP colliding beam facility and later at SLAC's Z0 factory, the SLC. Prof. Dorfan led the team that designed and built the SLAC B-Factory, which commenced operations in 1998.

    Prof. Dorfan received a Doctor of Science, honoris causa, from the University of Cape Town in 2008 and from Technische Universitat Dresden in 2009. He is a Fellow of the American Association of Arts and Sciences and the American Physical Society. He currently serves on many advisory bodies, including the Board of the Weizmann Institute of Science, the Board of Directors of the Large Synoptic Space Telescope Corporation (Vice-Chair), the Advisory Board of the John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science at Oxford University, the Scientific Advisory Board of the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Munich and the Panel on Public Affairs of the American Physical Society (Vice-Chair). His past community service includes the International Committee for Future Accelerators (Chair from 2003-2005).

    Read More » about Prof. Jonathan Dorfan

    Prof. Jonathan Dorfan

    Co-Chair, Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee
    Weizmann Institute of Science

    Prof. Jonathan Dorfan is the President Emeritus and former CEO of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. He was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in physics and applied mathematics at the University of Cape Town in 1969 and his doctorate in experimental particle physics from the University of California-Irvine. Upon graduation in 1976, he joined the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) where he was promoted to associate professor in 1984, full professor in 1989 and Associate Director in 1994. In September 1999, Prof. Dorfan became SLAC's third Director, during which time he was Dean of the SLAC School and served as a member of the Stanford University Executive Cabinet. Prof. Dorfan stepped down from the directorship in September 2007 and remains at SLAC as Professor and Emeritus Director. From 1980 to 1989, Prof. Dorfan was the spokesman for the MARK-II detector collaboration at the SLAC's PEP colliding beam facility and later at SLAC's Z0 factory, the SLC. Prof. Dorfan led the team that designed and built the SLAC B-Factory, which commenced operations in 1998.

    Prof. Dorfan received a Doctor of Science, honoris causa, from the University of Cape Town in 2008 and from Technische Universitat Dresden in 2009. He is a Fellow of the American Association of Arts and Sciences and the American Physical Society. He currently serves on many advisory bodies, including the Board of the Weizmann Institute of Science, the Board of Directors of the Large Synoptic Space Telescope Corporation (Vice-Chair), the Advisory Board of the John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science at Oxford University, the Scientific Advisory Board of the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Munich and the Panel on Public Affairs of the American Physical Society (Vice-Chair). His past community service includes the International Committee for Future Accelerators (Chair from 2003-2005).

  • Dame Vivien Duffield, DBE

    Chair, Clore Foundation
    United Kingdom

    Dame Vivien Duffield is the daughter of Sir Charles Clore, one of Britain’s most successful post-war businessmen and one of the most generous philanthropists of his day. Continuing this tradition, Dame Vivien grew up with a firm belief in supporting charitable endeavours. After Sir Charles’ death in 1979, she assumed the Chairmanship of the Clore Foundations in Israel and in the UK.
    In Israel, Dame Vivien served as Deputy Chair of the Board of the Weizmann Institute of Science in 1995-2008, and currently serves as a Life Member of the Institute’s International board.

    Dame Vivien Duffield is the daughter of Sir Charles Clore, one of Britain’s most successful post-war businessmen and one of the most generous philanthropists of his day. Continuing this tradition, Dame Vivien grew up with a firm belief in supporting charitable endeavours. After Sir Charles’ death in 1979, she assumed the Chairmanship of the Clore Foundations in Israel and in the UK.

    In Israel, Dame Vivien served as Deputy Chair of the Board of the Weizmann Institute of Science in 1995-2008, and currently serves as a Life Member of the Institute’s International Board. She is an Honorary Fellow of the City of Jerusalem and winner of the Jerusalem Foundation’s Teddy Prize. Dame Vivien has also been awarded PhD honoris causa degrees from the Weizmann Institute of Science and from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

    In the UK, Dame Vivien is closely associated with a number of charities and, since the early 1980s, has sat on various Appeal Committees and Development Boards for the NSPCC, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, and the Royal Marsden, and was a Trustee of Dulwich Picture Gallery from 1993 to 2002. She was a member of the Board of the Royal Opera House from 1990 to 2001 and is currently Chairman of the Royal Opera House Endowment Fund. Dame Vivien became a Director of the South Bank Centre board in 2002, is on the Board of the World Monuments Fund in Britain and is a Governor of the Royal Ballet and the Royal Ballet School. In addition to the Chairmanship of her Foundations, Dame Vivien is also Founder and Life Patron of Eureka!, the Museum for Children in Halifax. In 2007 she was appointed Chair of the Executive Committee for the Oxford University Development Campaign. Her charitable work in the UK was acknowledged with the award of a CBE in 1989 and DBE in 2000. In November 2008 HRH the Prince of Wales presented Dame Vivien one of the first five Medals for Arts Philanthropy. The medal celebrates individuals who support the arts and recognises the contribution of the most inspiring philanthropists in the UK.

    Dame Vivien initiated the Jewish Community Centre in London - JW3 - and has been a major contributor to the building, which opened in September 2013.

     

    Read More » about Dame Vivien Duffield, DBE

    Dame Vivien Duffield, DBE

    Chair, Clore Foundation
    United Kingdom

    Dame Vivien Duffield is the daughter of Sir Charles Clore, one of Britain’s most successful post-war businessmen and one of the most generous philanthropists of his day. Continuing this tradition, Dame Vivien grew up with a firm belief in supporting charitable endeavours. After Sir Charles’ death in 1979, she assumed the Chairmanship of the Clore Foundations in Israel and in the UK.

    In Israel, Dame Vivien served as Deputy Chair of the Board of the Weizmann Institute of Science in 1995-2008, and currently serves as a Life Member of the Institute’s International Board. She is an Honorary Fellow of the City of Jerusalem and winner of the Jerusalem Foundation’s Teddy Prize. Dame Vivien has also been awarded PhD honoris causa degrees from the Weizmann Institute of Science and from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

    In the UK, Dame Vivien is closely associated with a number of charities and, since the early 1980s, has sat on various Appeal Committees and Development Boards for the NSPCC, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, and the Royal Marsden, and was a Trustee of Dulwich Picture Gallery from 1993 to 2002. She was a member of the Board of the Royal Opera House from 1990 to 2001 and is currently Chairman of the Royal Opera House Endowment Fund. Dame Vivien became a Director of the South Bank Centre board in 2002, is on the Board of the World Monuments Fund in Britain and is a Governor of the Royal Ballet and the Royal Ballet School. In addition to the Chairmanship of her Foundations, Dame Vivien is also Founder and Life Patron of Eureka!, the Museum for Children in Halifax. In 2007 she was appointed Chair of the Executive Committee for the Oxford University Development Campaign. Her charitable work in the UK was acknowledged with the award of a CBE in 1989 and DBE in 2000. In November 2008 HRH the Prince of Wales presented Dame Vivien one of the first five Medals for Arts Philanthropy. The medal celebrates individuals who support the arts and recognises the contribution of the most inspiring philanthropists in the UK.

    Dame Vivien initiated the Jewish Community Centre in London - JW3 - and has been a major contributor to the building, which opened in September 2013.

     

  • Prof. Robert Fluhr

    Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
    Head, Life Sciences Core Facilities

    Prof. Robert Fluhr was born in Brooklyn, New York. He received his BSc from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and a PhD from the Weizmann Institute of Science in 1984. He spent several years as a Research Fellow at Rockefeller University’s Department of Plant Molecular Biology, before joining the Weizmann Institute’s Department of Plant Genetics (now the Department of Plant and Environemntal Sciences) in 1986, and headed the Department from 1997-2003. Since 2009, he has been head of the Life Science Core Facilities (formerly Biological Services). He is the incumbent of the Sir Siegmund Warburg Professorial Chair of Agricultural Molecular Biology. 

    Prof. Robert Fluhr was born in Brooklyn, New York. He received his BSc from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and a PhD from the Weizmann Institute of Science in 1984. He spent several years as a Research Fellow at Rockefeller University’s Department of Plant Molecular Biology, before joining the Weizmann Institute’s Department of Plant Genetics (now the Department of Plant and Environemntal Sciences) in 1986, and headed the Department from 1997-2003. Since 2009, he has been head of the Life Science Core Facilities (formerly Biological Services). He is the incumbent of the Sir Siegmund Warburg Professorial Chair of Agricultural Molecular Biology. 

    How plants and their fruit survive in a hostile world are the focus of Prof. Fluhr’s research. One of his lab’s projects involves the life strategy of a tomato fruit pathogen and how  it interacts with an array of natural fruit defences. He found that a fungus survives by invading fruit at early unripe stages and bides its time,waiting for the fruit’s natural defensive chemicals to disappear. In another project, he recently unraveled a molecular control switch for programmed cell death in plants. Local cell death can help stymie the spread of disease, and the cell accomplishes this by  activating enzymes called proteases, which chop up essential proteins and thus program the cell to die. His team found a molecule that traps these enzymes, functioning like a molecular mouse trap, latching onto a specific protease and inactivating it when the destruction must be slowed down. Understanding these phenomena is highly relevant to enhancing crop protection.

    Prof. Fluhr received the Yigal Alon Career Development Award (1986-1989) and the Morris L. Levinson Prize in Biology (1992). He has served as President of the Israel Society for Plant Cell Culture and Molecular Biology (1993-1994). From 1996-2001, he directed the National Resource Center for Plant Genome Biotechnology, under the auspices of the Israel Ministry of Science. 

    Read More » about Prof. Robert Fluhr

    Prof. Robert Fluhr

    Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
    Head, Life Sciences Core Facilities

    Prof. Robert Fluhr was born in Brooklyn, New York. He received his BSc from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and a PhD from the Weizmann Institute of Science in 1984. He spent several years as a Research Fellow at Rockefeller University’s Department of Plant Molecular Biology, before joining the Weizmann Institute’s Department of Plant Genetics (now the Department of Plant and Environemntal Sciences) in 1986, and headed the Department from 1997-2003. Since 2009, he has been head of the Life Science Core Facilities (formerly Biological Services). He is the incumbent of the Sir Siegmund Warburg Professorial Chair of Agricultural Molecular Biology. 

    How plants and their fruit survive in a hostile world are the focus of Prof. Fluhr’s research. One of his lab’s projects involves the life strategy of a tomato fruit pathogen and how  it interacts with an array of natural fruit defences. He found that a fungus survives by invading fruit at early unripe stages and bides its time,waiting for the fruit’s natural defensive chemicals to disappear. In another project, he recently unraveled a molecular control switch for programmed cell death in plants. Local cell death can help stymie the spread of disease, and the cell accomplishes this by  activating enzymes called proteases, which chop up essential proteins and thus program the cell to die. His team found a molecule that traps these enzymes, functioning like a molecular mouse trap, latching onto a specific protease and inactivating it when the destruction must be slowed down. Understanding these phenomena is highly relevant to enhancing crop protection.

    Prof. Fluhr received the Yigal Alon Career Development Award (1986-1989) and the Morris L. Levinson Prize in Biology (1992). He has served as President of the Israel Society for Plant Cell Culture and Molecular Biology (1993-1994). From 1996-2001, he directed the National Resource Center for Plant Genome Biotechnology, under the auspices of the Israel Ministry of Science. 

  • Shulamit Geri

    Vice President for Administration and Finance
    Weizmann Institute of Science

    Shulamit (Shuli) Geri has been Vice President for Administration and Finance at the Weizmann Institute of Science since August 2012, responsible for Management, Finance, Human Resources, Construction, Procurement and Operations. She joined the Institute in 2003 as General Counsel and from that time until her recent appointment addressed all legal matters relating to the activities of the Weizmann Institute and its entities. 

    Shulamit (Shuli) Geri has been Vice President for Administration and Finance at the Weizmann Institute of Science since August 2012, responsible for Management, Finance, Human Resources, Construction, Procurement and Operations. She joined the Institute in 2003 as General Counsel and from that time until her recent appointment addressed all legal matters relating to the activities of the Weizmann Institute and its entities.

    Ms. Geri has been actively involved in the enactment of Knesset legislation protecting the interests of institutions of higher education. One of her key achievements is the passing of an amendment to the Income Tax Ordinance, including an exemption from taxation for student scholarships.

    Before joining the Institute, Ms. Geri held numerous legal positions in the private sector and was involved in major commercial transactions both in Israel and abroad, including the merger of Shekem with Hamashbir Lazarchan, the largest department store chains in Israel at the time. She was also instrumental in obtaining franchises for ZARA, Pull & Bear, Guess, and other international brands.

    She served in the IDF's Air Force and Education units and holds an LLB from Tel Aviv University. She is married to Stephen Geri, a businessman and they have three daughters, Ariel, Noa and Yael. The family resides in Tel Aviv.

    Read More » about Shulamit Geri

    Shulamit Geri

    Vice President for Administration and Finance
    Weizmann Institute of Science

    Shulamit (Shuli) Geri has been Vice President for Administration and Finance at the Weizmann Institute of Science since August 2012, responsible for Management, Finance, Human Resources, Construction, Procurement and Operations. She joined the Institute in 2003 as General Counsel and from that time until her recent appointment addressed all legal matters relating to the activities of the Weizmann Institute and its entities.

    Ms. Geri has been actively involved in the enactment of Knesset legislation protecting the interests of institutions of higher education. One of her key achievements is the passing of an amendment to the Income Tax Ordinance, including an exemption from taxation for student scholarships.

    Before joining the Institute, Ms. Geri held numerous legal positions in the private sector and was involved in major commercial transactions both in Israel and abroad, including the merger of Shekem with Hamashbir Lazarchan, the largest department store chains in Israel at the time. She was also instrumental in obtaining franchises for ZARA, Pull & Bear, Guess, and other international brands.

    She served in the IDF's Air Force and Education units and holds an LLB from Tel Aviv University. She is married to Stephen Geri, a businessman and they have three daughters, Ariel, Noa and Yael. The family resides in Tel Aviv.

  • Prof. Haim Harari

    President Emeritus
    Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics

    Prof. Haim Harari was born in Jerusalem in 1940. He became an Associate Professor at the Weizmann Institute at the age of 26, the youngest ever, and was promoted to Professor three years later. Since 1999, he is an "Institute Professor". He made several major contributions to Particle Physics and, in 1975, was the first to synthesize the full "standard model" of six quarks and six leptons in its present form.

    Prof. Haim Harari was born in Jerusalem in 1940. He became an Associate Professor at the Weizmann Institute at the age of 26, the youngest ever, and was promoted to Professor three years later. Since 1999, he is an "Institute Professor". He made several major contributions to Particle Physics and, in 1975, was the first to synthesize the full "standard model" of six quarks and six leptons in its present form.

    Prof. Harari served as President of the Weizmann Institute from 1988 to 2001, prior to which he served as Chairman of the Planning and Budgeting Committee of Israel's Council for Higher Education (1979-1985), the body which distributes all Government funding for Higher Education and Basic Research.

    In the field of education, Prof. Harari served as a Dean of the Graduate School of the Weizmann Institute (1972-1978), and was a co-Founder of "Perach", a national tutoring program for underprivileged children in Israel, which was awarded the 2008 Israel Prize. He initiated and led the establishment of unique educational Institutions, including the Davidson Institute of Science Education and the HEMDA Science Center in Tel Aviv, whose Boards he chaired until 2016.
    Prof. Harari is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and won the Rothschild Prize and the Israel Prize in Physics, the "EMET" Prize in Education, several honorary doctorates and other prizes, medals of honor from Germany and Austria, and the Harnack Medal of the Max Planck Society.

    Prof. Harari is a member of the Institute’s Executive Board, the Chairman of the Management Committee of W-GEM and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Institute of Science and Technology-Austria. He served as member of International Advisory Boards of SwissRe and DaimlerChrysler.

    Read More » about Prof. Haim Harari

    Prof. Haim Harari

    President Emeritus
    Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics

    Prof. Haim Harari was born in Jerusalem in 1940. He became an Associate Professor at the Weizmann Institute at the age of 26, the youngest ever, and was promoted to Professor three years later. Since 1999, he is an "Institute Professor". He made several major contributions to Particle Physics and, in 1975, was the first to synthesize the full "standard model" of six quarks and six leptons in its present form.

    Prof. Harari served as President of the Weizmann Institute from 1988 to 2001, prior to which he served as Chairman of the Planning and Budgeting Committee of Israel's Council for Higher Education (1979-1985), the body which distributes all Government funding for Higher Education and Basic Research.

    In the field of education, Prof. Harari served as a Dean of the Graduate School of the Weizmann Institute (1972-1978), and was a co-Founder of "Perach", a national tutoring program for underprivileged children in Israel, which was awarded the 2008 Israel Prize. He initiated and led the establishment of unique educational Institutions, including the Davidson Institute of Science Education and the HEMDA Science Center in Tel Aviv, whose Boards he chaired until 2016.
    Prof. Harari is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and won the Rothschild Prize and the Israel Prize in Physics, the "EMET" Prize in Education, several honorary doctorates and other prizes, medals of honor from Germany and Austria, and the Harnack Medal of the Max Planck Society.

    Prof. Harari is a member of the Institute’s Executive Board, the Chairman of the Management Committee of W-GEM and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Institute of Science and Technology-Austria. He served as member of International Advisory Boards of SwissRe and DaimlerChrysler.

  • Shimshon Harel

    Chair, Executive Board
    Weizmann Institute of Science
    Chair, Israeli Friends Association of the Weizmann Institute of Science

    Mr. Shimshon Harel serves on the Board of the Weizmann Institute of Science since 1999, as a Member of the International and the Executive Boards. He serves as a Member of the Management, Nominating, and Honors committees, and as a Member of the Board of the Davidson Institute of Science Education.

    Mr. Shimshon Harel serves on the Board of the Weizmann Institute of Science since 1999, as a Member of the International and the Executive Boards. He serves as a Member of the Management, Nominating, and Honors committees, and as a Member of the Board of the Davidson Institute of Science Education.
    Shimshon was elected Chairman of the Israeli Friends Association of the Weizmann Institute in January 2006, and has been active within the framework of the Association and its management for over two decades.
    In his professional life, Shimshon serves as the CEO of America Israel Investments Ltd., a company specializing in real estate investments in Israel and abroad, and serves as a member of the board of directors of several commercial companies: Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bashan Radiators Ltd., Studio C Ltd, and Mango Ltd. He has been a Director of Jerusalem Economy Ltd. since December 2015.
    Shimshon is involved in various social causes. He is a Member of the Friends Association of Ilan, the Chairman of the Haifa Sami Ofer Stadium, Member of the Board of Directors of Haifa Economic Corporation, Member of the Board of Governors of the University of Haifa, and is the Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka in Israel.
    Shimshon holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Master’s degree in Business Administration. He and his wife Orna reside in Haifa.

     

    Read More » about Shimshon Harel

    Shimshon Harel

    Chair, Executive Board
    Weizmann Institute of Science
    Chair, Israeli Friends Association of the Weizmann Institute of Science

    Mr. Shimshon Harel serves on the Board of the Weizmann Institute of Science since 1999, as a Member of the International and the Executive Boards. He serves as a Member of the Management, Nominating, and Honors committees, and as a Member of the Board of the Davidson Institute of Science Education.
    Shimshon was elected Chairman of the Israeli Friends Association of the Weizmann Institute in January 2006, and has been active within the framework of the Association and its management for over two decades.
    In his professional life, Shimshon serves as the CEO of America Israel Investments Ltd., a company specializing in real estate investments in Israel and abroad, and serves as a member of the board of directors of several commercial companies: Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bashan Radiators Ltd., Studio C Ltd, and Mango Ltd. He has been a Director of Jerusalem Economy Ltd. since December 2015.
    Shimshon is involved in various social causes. He is a Member of the Friends Association of Ilan, the Chairman of the Haifa Sami Ofer Stadium, Member of the Board of Directors of Haifa Economic Corporation, Member of the Board of Governors of the University of Haifa, and is the Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka in Israel.
    Shimshon holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Master’s degree in Business Administration. He and his wife Orna reside in Haifa.

     

  • Prof. David Harel

    Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics

    Prof. David Harel was born in London and came to Israel as a child. He earned his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1978), spent two years working at IBM's Research Center in New York, and joined the Weizmann Institute in 1980. He headed its Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics (1989-1995), and served as Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science (1998-2004). He holds the William Sussman Professorial Chair in Mathematics.

    Prof. David Harel was born in London and came to Israel as a child. He earned his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1978), spent two years working at IBM's Research Center in New York, and joined the Weizmann Institute in 1980. He headed its Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics (1989-1995), and served as Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science (1998-2004). He holds the William Sussman Professorial Chair in Mathematics.

    Prof. Harel’s research focuses on computer science, including the limits of computation, software and systems engineering, visual languages, modeling biology, and the communication and synthesis of odor. The inventor of the widely used graphical language of Statecharts and co-inventor of Live Sequence Charts (LSCs), he is one of the creators of Statemate, Rhapsody, the Play-Engine, and PlayGo, software products that greatly simplify the design of complex systems. 
    He has consulted to the Israel Aircraft Industries, among others, and has spent sabbaticals at Carnegie-Mellon University, Cornell University, and the University of Edinburgh. He was one of the Founders of I-Logix, Inc. (eventually acquired by IBM).

    In 2015, Prof. Harel was elected Vice President of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. He is the author of over 250 papers and of several books, including Algorithmics: The Spirit of Computing (1987, 1992, 2004), Computers Ltd.: What They Really Can't Do (2000), and Come, Let's Play: Scenario-based Programming Using LSCs and the Play-Engine (with R. Marelly, 2003). Among his many awards are the ABZ Platinum Gold Medal from ETH Zurich (2013), the EMET Prize (2010), the ACM Software System Award (2007),  the Israel Prize (2004), and the ACM’s Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award (1992). He holds five honoris causa degrees, and is a member of the Academia Europea, a Foreign Member of the US National Academy of Engineering, and a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.  

    In 2014, Prof. Harel celebrated both 30 years of Statecharts, and his 64th birthday with special conferences in Vienna and the Weizmann Institute in his honor.

    Prof. Harel has five children and seven grandchildren. His main hobby is photography.

    Read More » about Prof. David Harel

    Prof. David Harel

    Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics

    Prof. David Harel was born in London and came to Israel as a child. He earned his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1978), spent two years working at IBM's Research Center in New York, and joined the Weizmann Institute in 1980. He headed its Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics (1989-1995), and served as Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science (1998-2004). He holds the William Sussman Professorial Chair in Mathematics.

    Prof. Harel’s research focuses on computer science, including the limits of computation, software and systems engineering, visual languages, modeling biology, and the communication and synthesis of odor. The inventor of the widely used graphical language of Statecharts and co-inventor of Live Sequence Charts (LSCs), he is one of the creators of Statemate, Rhapsody, the Play-Engine, and PlayGo, software products that greatly simplify the design of complex systems. 
    He has consulted to the Israel Aircraft Industries, among others, and has spent sabbaticals at Carnegie-Mellon University, Cornell University, and the University of Edinburgh. He was one of the Founders of I-Logix, Inc. (eventually acquired by IBM).

    In 2015, Prof. Harel was elected Vice President of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. He is the author of over 250 papers and of several books, including Algorithmics: The Spirit of Computing (1987, 1992, 2004), Computers Ltd.: What They Really Can't Do (2000), and Come, Let's Play: Scenario-based Programming Using LSCs and the Play-Engine (with R. Marelly, 2003). Among his many awards are the ABZ Platinum Gold Medal from ETH Zurich (2013), the EMET Prize (2010), the ACM Software System Award (2007),  the Israel Prize (2004), and the ACM’s Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award (1992). He holds five honoris causa degrees, and is a member of the Academia Europea, a Foreign Member of the US National Academy of Engineering, and a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.  

    In 2014, Prof. Harel celebrated both 30 years of Statecharts, and his 64th birthday with special conferences in Vienna and the Weizmann Institute in his honor.

    Prof. Harel has five children and seven grandchildren. His main hobby is photography.

  • Eli Hurvitz

    Director, Trump Foundation

    Eli Hurvitz is the Executive Director of the Trump Foundation and a member of the National Board of Education. Formerly, from 2000 to 2011, Hurvitz served as the Deputy Director of Yad HaNadiv, a Rothschild family philanthropic foundation in Israel. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Hemda, a science teaching center located in Tel Aviv and was among the initiators and founders of Avney Rosha – the Israel Institute for School Leadership. In 2012 and 2016 Hurvitz was nominated by the "The Marker' Magazine as one of Israel's '100 Most Influential People'. In 2015, the 'Yedioth Ahronot' Newspaper selected him as one of Israel's '50 Top Social-Entrepreneurs'.

    Eli Hurvitz is the Executive Director of the Trump Foundation and a member of the National Board of Education. Formerly, from 2000 to 2011, Hurvitz served as the Deputy Director of Yad HaNadiv, a Rothschild family philanthropic foundation in Israel. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Hemda, a science teaching center located in Tel Aviv and was among the initiators and founders of Avney Rosha – the Israel Institute for School Leadership. In 2012 and 2016 Hurvitz was nominated by the "The Marker' Magazine as one of Israel's '100 Most Influential People'. In 2015, the 'Yedioth Ahronot' Newspaper selected him as one of Israel's '50 Top Social-Entrepreneurs'.

    Read More » about Eli Hurvitz

    Eli Hurvitz

    Director, Trump Foundation

    Eli Hurvitz is the Executive Director of the Trump Foundation and a member of the National Board of Education. Formerly, from 2000 to 2011, Hurvitz served as the Deputy Director of Yad HaNadiv, a Rothschild family philanthropic foundation in Israel. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Hemda, a science teaching center located in Tel Aviv and was among the initiators and founders of Avney Rosha – the Israel Institute for School Leadership. In 2012 and 2016 Hurvitz was nominated by the "The Marker' Magazine as one of Israel's '100 Most Influential People'. In 2015, the 'Yedioth Ahronot' Newspaper selected him as one of Israel's '50 Top Social-Entrepreneurs'.

  • Prof. Shahal Ilani

    Department of Condensed Matter Physics

    Prof. Shahal Ilani completed his BSc in mathematics and physics with honors at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in I992. While serving in the Israel Defense Forces’ RAFAEL research program until 2001, he went on to complete an MSc, also with honors, in physics at the Racah Institute of Physics at Hebrew University in 1997. He completed a PhD in physics at the Weizmann Institute of Science in 2003 and conducted postdoctoral work in the Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics at Cornell University. He joined the Weizmann Institute in 2008.

    Prof. Shahal Ilani completed his BSc in mathematics and physics with honors at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in I992. While serving in the Israel Defense Forces’ RAFAEL research program until 2001, he went on to complete an MSc, also with honors, in physics at the Racah Institute of Physics at Hebrew University in 1997. He completed a PhD in physics at the Weizmann Institute of Science in 2003 and conducted postdoctoral work in the Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics at Cornell University. He joined the Weizmann Institute in 2008.

    Prof. Ilani and his lab have developed innovative technologies that allow scientists to explore quantum electronics and create ultra-clean and highly-controllable carbon-based quantum devices. They build nanoscale electrical systems using nanotubes formed from a single graphene layer rolled into a tube, yielding a fiber that is one billionth of a meter, or one nanometer, in diameter, which conducts better than copper, and is stronger and lighter than steel. These form the wiring of a wide range of nanoscale electrical devices. Prof Ilani and his group use these nanoelectric devices to study the ultimate limits of physics in the nanoscale, and to decipher the rules governing quantum mechanics. For instance in 2016, they were the first to demonstrate excitonic attraction between electrons, a phenomenon first suggested in theory more than 50 years ago.

    Prof. Ilani’s academic awards include the André Deloro Prize (2018), the Krill Prize for Excellence in Scientific Research and the Weizmann Institute’s Morris L. Levinson Prize in Physics (2014), an Alon Fellowship (2009-2011), a Rothschild Fellowship (2003-2004), the Chorafas Foundation Award for outstanding PhD from the Swiss Scientific Academies (2002), and a VATAT Scholarship from the Israel Ministry of Science (2001-2003).

    Read More » about Prof. Shahal Ilani

    Prof. Shahal Ilani

    Department of Condensed Matter Physics

    Prof. Shahal Ilani completed his BSc in mathematics and physics with honors at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in I992. While serving in the Israel Defense Forces’ RAFAEL research program until 2001, he went on to complete an MSc, also with honors, in physics at the Racah Institute of Physics at Hebrew University in 1997. He completed a PhD in physics at the Weizmann Institute of Science in 2003 and conducted postdoctoral work in the Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics at Cornell University. He joined the Weizmann Institute in 2008.

    Prof. Ilani and his lab have developed innovative technologies that allow scientists to explore quantum electronics and create ultra-clean and highly-controllable carbon-based quantum devices. They build nanoscale electrical systems using nanotubes formed from a single graphene layer rolled into a tube, yielding a fiber that is one billionth of a meter, or one nanometer, in diameter, which conducts better than copper, and is stronger and lighter than steel. These form the wiring of a wide range of nanoscale electrical devices. Prof Ilani and his group use these nanoelectric devices to study the ultimate limits of physics in the nanoscale, and to decipher the rules governing quantum mechanics. For instance in 2016, they were the first to demonstrate excitonic attraction between electrons, a phenomenon first suggested in theory more than 50 years ago.

    Prof. Ilani’s academic awards include the André Deloro Prize (2018), the Krill Prize for Excellence in Scientific Research and the Weizmann Institute’s Morris L. Levinson Prize in Physics (2014), an Alon Fellowship (2009-2011), a Rothschild Fellowship (2003-2004), the Chorafas Foundation Award for outstanding PhD from the Swiss Scientific Academies (2002), and a VATAT Scholarship from the Israel Ministry of Science (2001-2003).

  • Marshall S. Levin

    Immediate Past CEO, American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science

    An Honors graduate of Swarthmore College and Bryn Mawr Graduate School, Marshall has spent over 45 years as an executive in the non-profit and for-profit worlds, both in the U.S. and abroad.  He has dedicat-ed his professional career to building bridges between communities and cultures—locally, nationally and internationally.

    An Honors graduate of Swarthmore College and Bryn Mawr Graduate School, Marshall has spent over 45 years as an executive in the non-profit and for-profit worlds, both in the U.S. and abroad.  He has dedicat-ed his professional career to building bridges between communities and cultures—locally, nationally and internationally.

    In February 2008, Marshall assumed the position and responsibilities of CEO of the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science. Previously, in the not-for-profit arena, Marshall served as Senior Associ-ate National Director of the Anti-Defamation League. He has also served as Executive Director of Financial Resource Development for UJA-Federation of New York; Executive Director of Community Planning & Al-locations for The Associated-Jewish Community Federation of Balti-more; Supervisor of Northern Israel in charge of crisis intervention for the Israel Ministry of Social Welfare; and Senior Lecturer at Haifa University School of Social Work.  Earlier while Executive Director of synagogues in the Conservative and Reform movements, he played a major role in the landmark decision by the US Supreme Court that protects Jews and oth-er minorities under the Civil Rights Act of the United States.  

    Marshall is also an award-winning filmmaker, novelist, and author of chil-dren’s books, as well as a former professional athlete and coach.

    In concert with his professional responsibilities, spending time with his family puts a smile on his heart.

    Read More » about Marshall S. Levin

    Marshall S. Levin

    Immediate Past CEO, American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science

    An Honors graduate of Swarthmore College and Bryn Mawr Graduate School, Marshall has spent over 45 years as an executive in the non-profit and for-profit worlds, both in the U.S. and abroad.  He has dedicat-ed his professional career to building bridges between communities and cultures—locally, nationally and internationally.

    In February 2008, Marshall assumed the position and responsibilities of CEO of the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science. Previously, in the not-for-profit arena, Marshall served as Senior Associ-ate National Director of the Anti-Defamation League. He has also served as Executive Director of Financial Resource Development for UJA-Federation of New York; Executive Director of Community Planning & Al-locations for The Associated-Jewish Community Federation of Balti-more; Supervisor of Northern Israel in charge of crisis intervention for the Israel Ministry of Social Welfare; and Senior Lecturer at Haifa University School of Social Work.  Earlier while Executive Director of synagogues in the Conservative and Reform movements, he played a major role in the landmark decision by the US Supreme Court that protects Jews and oth-er minorities under the Civil Rights Act of the United States.  

    Marshall is also an award-winning filmmaker, novelist, and author of chil-dren’s books, as well as a former professional athlete and coach.

    In concert with his professional responsibilities, spending time with his family puts a smile on his heart.

  • Prof. Avraham Levy

    Dean, Faculty of Biochemistry

    Born in Paris, Prof. Avraham Levy immigrated to Israel in 1976. He earned his BSc and MSc in field crops and plant breeding at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 1987, he received a PhD in plant genetics from the Weizmann Institute. From 1987 to 1990, he conducted postdoctoral research at Stanford University and then, in 1991, at the Institut National de Recherche Agronomique in Versailles, France. In 1992, he joined the Weizmann Institute. He was head of the Department of Plant Sciences from 2009 to 2014, and chair of the Professorial Council from 2015-2016. He currently serves as dean of the Faculty of Biochemistry and director of the Y. Leon Benoziyo Institute for Molecular Medicine and the Dr. Erhard, Emmi, and Fred Loewinsohn Center for Pediatric Health. He is the incumbent of the Gilbert de Botton Professorial Chair of Plant Sciences.

    Born in Paris, Prof. Avraham Levy immigrated to Israel in 1976. He earned his BSc and MSc in field crops and plant breeding at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 1987, he received a PhD in plant genetics from the Weizmann Institute. From 1987 to 1990, he conducted postdoctoral research at Stanford University and then, in 1991, at the Institut National de Recherche Agronomique in Versailles, France. In 1992, he joined the Weizmann Institute. He was head of the Department of Plant Sciences from 2009 to 2014, and chair of the Professorial Council from 2015-2016. He currently serves as dean of the Faculty of Biochemistry and director of the Y. Leon Benoziyo Institute for Molecular Medicine and the Dr. Erhard, Emmi, and Fred Loewinsohn Center for Pediatric Health. He is the incumbent of the Gilbert de Botton Professorial Chair of Plant Sciences.

    Evolution has generated hundreds of thousands of plant species, compared to only a few thousand mammals. The questions Prof. Levy’s research addresses are: What are the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that are responsible for biodiversity in the plant kingdom? This includes research on  hybridization, genome doubling, DNA recombination and genome stability.  He is interested in utilizing these mechanisms to improve food production, and to find alternative energy solutions. In particular, he harnesses genetic manipulation capabilities to engineer new plant features in a precise manner.

    Prof. Levy coordinates a group of Israeli scientists working on precise genome editing in plants, and serves on the scientific board of Israeli Agro-biotech companies.  He was awarded the Landau Prize of Mifal Hapais for Plant Sciences (2016), and was the recipient of an ERC grant for targeted engineering of plant genomes. He previously served as president of the Genetic Society of Israel.

    He is married and the father of four children.

    Read More » about Prof. Avraham Levy

    Prof. Avraham Levy

    Dean, Faculty of Biochemistry

    Born in Paris, Prof. Avraham Levy immigrated to Israel in 1976. He earned his BSc and MSc in field crops and plant breeding at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 1987, he received a PhD in plant genetics from the Weizmann Institute. From 1987 to 1990, he conducted postdoctoral research at Stanford University and then, in 1991, at the Institut National de Recherche Agronomique in Versailles, France. In 1992, he joined the Weizmann Institute. He was head of the Department of Plant Sciences from 2009 to 2014, and chair of the Professorial Council from 2015-2016. He currently serves as dean of the Faculty of Biochemistry and director of the Y. Leon Benoziyo Institute for Molecular Medicine and the Dr. Erhard, Emmi, and Fred Loewinsohn Center for Pediatric Health. He is the incumbent of the Gilbert de Botton Professorial Chair of Plant Sciences.

    Evolution has generated hundreds of thousands of plant species, compared to only a few thousand mammals. The questions Prof. Levy’s research addresses are: What are the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that are responsible for biodiversity in the plant kingdom? This includes research on  hybridization, genome doubling, DNA recombination and genome stability.  He is interested in utilizing these mechanisms to improve food production, and to find alternative energy solutions. In particular, he harnesses genetic manipulation capabilities to engineer new plant features in a precise manner.

    Prof. Levy coordinates a group of Israeli scientists working on precise genome editing in plants, and serves on the scientific board of Israeli Agro-biotech companies.  He was awarded the Landau Prize of Mifal Hapais for Plant Sciences (2016), and was the recipient of an ERC grant for targeted engineering of plant genomes. He previously served as president of the Genetic Society of Israel.

    He is married and the father of four children.

  • Prof. Ron Milo

    Department of Plant and Environmental Science

    Prof. Ron Milo earned a BSc in physics and mathematics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1996), an MSc in electrical engineering at Tel Aviv University (1999), and a PhD in biological physics at the Weizmann Institute of Science (2005) working with Prof. Uri Alon. He was the first fellow in the new systems biology program at Harvard Medical School. He joined the Department of Plant Sciences (now the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences) at the Weizmann Institute in 2008.

    Prof. Ron Milo earned a BSc in physics and mathematics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1996), an MSc in electrical engineering at Tel Aviv University (1999), and a PhD in biological physics at the Weizmann Institute of Science (2005) working with Prof. Uri Alon. He was the first fellow in the new systems biology program at Harvard Medical School. He joined the Department of Plant Sciences (now the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences) at the Weizmann Institute in 2008.

    Prof. Milo brings the tools of systems biology to bear on the challenges of sustainability. His research aims to understand the cellular highways of energy and carbon transformations in quantitative terms. His research team employs a combination of computational and experimental synthetic biology tools with a focus on carbon fixation, the biological process which incorporates carbon dioxide (CO2) into organic compounds. He works to understand fundamental design principles of carbon fixation and photosynthesis, with the goal of improving the efficiency of food and fuel production.

    In 2010, Prof. Milo was recognized by Thomson Reuters for authoring a highly cited paper, chosen among all scientific papers in the first decade of the 21st century. He has received a number of academic and scientific awards, including a GE & Science Prize for Young Life Scientists (2006), the John F. Kennedy Prize awarded by the Institute to PhD graduates (2006), the Helinger Memorial Prize (2005), and the D.N. Chorafas International PhD award (2004He was elected as a member of the Israel Young Academy in 2014 and chosen as the Head of the Israel Young Academy at the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities in 2015.

    He enjoys playing the harmonica and hiking with his wife, Hilla, and their two daughters, Geffen and Yaara.

    Read More » about Prof. Ron Milo

    Prof. Ron Milo

    Department of Plant and Environmental Science

    Prof. Ron Milo earned a BSc in physics and mathematics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1996), an MSc in electrical engineering at Tel Aviv University (1999), and a PhD in biological physics at the Weizmann Institute of Science (2005) working with Prof. Uri Alon. He was the first fellow in the new systems biology program at Harvard Medical School. He joined the Department of Plant Sciences (now the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences) at the Weizmann Institute in 2008.

    Prof. Milo brings the tools of systems biology to bear on the challenges of sustainability. His research aims to understand the cellular highways of energy and carbon transformations in quantitative terms. His research team employs a combination of computational and experimental synthetic biology tools with a focus on carbon fixation, the biological process which incorporates carbon dioxide (CO2) into organic compounds. He works to understand fundamental design principles of carbon fixation and photosynthesis, with the goal of improving the efficiency of food and fuel production.

    In 2010, Prof. Milo was recognized by Thomson Reuters for authoring a highly cited paper, chosen among all scientific papers in the first decade of the 21st century. He has received a number of academic and scientific awards, including a GE & Science Prize for Young Life Scientists (2006), the John F. Kennedy Prize awarded by the Institute to PhD graduates (2006), the Helinger Memorial Prize (2005), and the D.N. Chorafas International PhD award (2004He was elected as a member of the Israel Young Academy in 2014 and chosen as the Head of the Israel Young Academy at the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities in 2015.

    He enjoys playing the harmonica and hiking with his wife, Hilla, and their two daughters, Geffen and Yaara.

  • Oren Nahari

    Foreign News Editor and Chief International Commentator
    Walla News

    Oren Nahari has over 35 years of experience in public broadcasting. He brought thousands of reports, in depth documentaries, interviews and articles, as well as special programs from all over the world. He edited and presented various television and radio programs, giving a platform to a wide variety of fields and a place to discuss them: current affairs, world politics, history, geography, science, the environment, literature and more.

    Oren Nahari has over 35 years of experience in public broadcasting. He brought thousands of reports, in depth documentaries, interviews and articles, as well as special programs from all over the world. He edited and presented various television and radio programs, giving a platform to a wide variety of fields and a place to discuss them: current affairs, world politics, history, geography, science, the environment, literature and more.

    Nahari led the Foreign News Desk of Israel's Broadcasting Authority (IBA) and outlined its professional and ethical principles: reliable, thorough, deep and broad-minded coverage that distinguishes between presenting facts and interpretations and expressing opinions, as well as commitment to standards of excellence.

    Nahari is one of the founders, producers and editors of innovative foreign news programs that are considered the most profound and appreciated in Israel: "Seeing the World", "Globus", "Global Coverage" and "The International Hour."

    He interviewed US President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the Dalai Lama, S.A. President Nelson Mandela, Czech President Václav Havel; Authors such as Ian McEwan, Paolo Coelho, Umberto Eco, Stephen Fry, Neil Gaiman; Scientists and science authors such as Mario Livio, Malcolm Gladwell, Simon Singh, philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy and many others.
    Author of bestselling non-fiction books, among them: "The Encyclopedic Atlas of the World", "The Historical Atlas of the World", "Dictionary of Personages". Editor of the Hebrew edition and author of the Israeli entries of: "Speeches that Changed the World," "Women Who Changed the World," "Voyages that Changed the World," "Days that Changed the World", "Companies that Changed the World" and more.

    Nahari lectures in Israel and abroad on various issues to various audiences – universities, research institutes, private and public organizations and institutions.

    Read More » about Oren Nahari

    Oren Nahari

    Foreign News Editor and Chief International Commentator
    Walla News

    Oren Nahari has over 35 years of experience in public broadcasting. He brought thousands of reports, in depth documentaries, interviews and articles, as well as special programs from all over the world. He edited and presented various television and radio programs, giving a platform to a wide variety of fields and a place to discuss them: current affairs, world politics, history, geography, science, the environment, literature and more.

    Nahari led the Foreign News Desk of Israel's Broadcasting Authority (IBA) and outlined its professional and ethical principles: reliable, thorough, deep and broad-minded coverage that distinguishes between presenting facts and interpretations and expressing opinions, as well as commitment to standards of excellence.

    Nahari is one of the founders, producers and editors of innovative foreign news programs that are considered the most profound and appreciated in Israel: "Seeing the World", "Globus", "Global Coverage" and "The International Hour."

    He interviewed US President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the Dalai Lama, S.A. President Nelson Mandela, Czech President Václav Havel; Authors such as Ian McEwan, Paolo Coelho, Umberto Eco, Stephen Fry, Neil Gaiman; Scientists and science authors such as Mario Livio, Malcolm Gladwell, Simon Singh, philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy and many others.
    Author of bestselling non-fiction books, among them: "The Encyclopedic Atlas of the World", "The Historical Atlas of the World", "Dictionary of Personages". Editor of the Hebrew edition and author of the Israeli entries of: "Speeches that Changed the World," "Women Who Changed the World," "Voyages that Changed the World," "Days that Changed the World", "Companies that Changed the World" and more.

    Nahari lectures in Israel and abroad on various issues to various audiences – universities, research institutes, private and public organizations and institutions.

  • Dr. Filipe Natalio

    Scientific Archaeology Unit

    Dr. Filipe André da Silva Raminhos Natalio was born in Portugal, where he studied chemistry at the University of Lisbon and completed his thesis at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands (2004).  He did his doctoral training under the supervision of Prof. Werner Müller and Prof. H.C. Schröder at the Medical University of the University of Mainz, Germany, completing his PhD in 2010. During his doctoral studies, he was a visiting researcher both at the Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry in Naples, Italy (2006-2007) and at the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences in Beijing (2009).

    Dr. Filipe André da Silva Raminhos Natalio was born in Portugal, where he studied chemistry at the University of Lisbon and completed his thesis at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands (2004).  He did his doctoral training under the supervision of Prof. Werner Müller and Prof. H.C. Schröder at the Medical University of the University of Mainz, Germany, completing his PhD in 2010. During his doctoral studies, he was a visiting researcher both at the Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry in Naples, Italy (2006-2007) and at the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences in Beijing (2009).

    Interested in both ancient and modern materials, Dr. Natalio uses advanced biochemical approaches are used to study the biolithic signatures left behind in flint-based, prehistoric stone tools, in order to elucidate the behavior of species, like homo erectus, that pre-dated modern humans.  Another focus of his work is materials farming—a new and alternative fabrication method that combine plant biology and smart molecular design for the production of novel, eco-friendly materials with specialized properties.

    Dr. Natalio is the holder of two international patents: for anti-fouling boat paint, and for a green production method for smart textiles. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including a research scholarship from the University of Lisbon (1998-2005) and the EU-Marie Curie Fellowship (2005-2010).  He was also awarded a China-Germany fellowship for collaborative research (2009), the Scidea Ideenwettbewerb (best research idea award) of the Univations/University of Halle (2013). A film called “Cotton-9” describing his materials farming approach was awarded second prize in the Nanospots Kurz Film Festival (2014).

    He is married to Dr. Raquel Maria, a research chemist who also joined the Weizmann Institute in 2017 as a postdoctoral researcher. He is an avid surfer—a sport he has enjoyed since childhood—and recommends Palmachim beach for the best waves in Israel.

    Read More » about Dr. Filipe Natalio

    Dr. Filipe Natalio

    Scientific Archaeology Unit

    Dr. Filipe André da Silva Raminhos Natalio was born in Portugal, where he studied chemistry at the University of Lisbon and completed his thesis at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands (2004).  He did his doctoral training under the supervision of Prof. Werner Müller and Prof. H.C. Schröder at the Medical University of the University of Mainz, Germany, completing his PhD in 2010. During his doctoral studies, he was a visiting researcher both at the Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry in Naples, Italy (2006-2007) and at the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences in Beijing (2009).

    Interested in both ancient and modern materials, Dr. Natalio uses advanced biochemical approaches are used to study the biolithic signatures left behind in flint-based, prehistoric stone tools, in order to elucidate the behavior of species, like homo erectus, that pre-dated modern humans.  Another focus of his work is materials farming—a new and alternative fabrication method that combine plant biology and smart molecular design for the production of novel, eco-friendly materials with specialized properties.

    Dr. Natalio is the holder of two international patents: for anti-fouling boat paint, and for a green production method for smart textiles. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including a research scholarship from the University of Lisbon (1998-2005) and the EU-Marie Curie Fellowship (2005-2010).  He was also awarded a China-Germany fellowship for collaborative research (2009), the Scidea Ideenwettbewerb (best research idea award) of the Univations/University of Halle (2013). A film called “Cotton-9” describing his materials farming approach was awarded second prize in the Nanospots Kurz Film Festival (2014).

    He is married to Dr. Raquel Maria, a research chemist who also joined the Weizmann Institute in 2017 as a postdoctoral researcher. He is an avid surfer—a sport he has enjoyed since childhood—and recommends Palmachim beach for the best waves in Israel.

  • Prof. Michal Neeman

    Vice President
    Weizmann Institute of Science

    Born in Rehovot, Prof. Michal Neeman received a BSc in chemistry and biology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and her MSc and PhD degrees in chemistry from the Weizmann Institute of Science.  She did her postdoctoral research in the Life Sciences Division of Los Alamos National Laboratory (New Mexico), where she conducted research utilizing nuclear magnetic resonance micro-imaging.  In 1991, she returned to the Weizmann Institute, where she joined the Department of Hormone Research (now the Department of Biological Regulation).

    Born in Rehovot, Prof. Michal Neeman received a BSc in chemistry and biology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and her MSc and PhD degrees in chemistry from the Weizmann Institute of Science.  She did her postdoctoral research in the Life Sciences Division of Los Alamos National Laboratory (New Mexico), where she conducted research utilizing nuclear magnetic resonance micro-imaging.  In 1991, she returned to the Weizmann Institute, where she joined the Department of Hormone Research (now the Department of Biological Regulation). From 2009 until the end of 2014 when she became Vice President of the Institute, Prof. Neeman served as the Dean of the Faculty of Biology and Director of the Clore Center for Biological Physics. She is currently the incumbent of the Helen and Morris Mauerberger Chair of Immunology.

    Prof. Neeman’s research focuses on the mechanisms that regulate angiogenesis, using magnetic resonance and optical imaging.  She is particularly interested in ovarian cancer and has demonstrated that the hormonal changes that accompany menopause indirectly promote the growth of dormant tumors and the spread of ovarian cancer by inducing the growth of blood vessels that nourish the tumors. She pioneered a method for tracking blood and lymphatic vessels to help scientists better understand how to suppress vessel growth and prolong tumor dormancy, thereby increasing survival in individuals with ovarian cancer.

    Prof. Neeman received the 1998 Morris L. Levinson Prize in Biology, the 1999 Lindner Prize of the Israel Endocrine Society, the Fellow Award from the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, and the Abisch-Frenkel Prize for Excellence in Life Sciences. She was elected to the Board of Trustees of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) in 2001 and as a Fellow of the European Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and Biology (ESMRMB) in 2013.

    She and her spouse, Amit, live in the village of Mazkeret Batya, where they raise their three sons, two dogs, and a family vineyard.

    Read More » about Prof. Michal Neeman

    Prof. Michal Neeman

    Vice President
    Weizmann Institute of Science

    Born in Rehovot, Prof. Michal Neeman received a BSc in chemistry and biology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and her MSc and PhD degrees in chemistry from the Weizmann Institute of Science.  She did her postdoctoral research in the Life Sciences Division of Los Alamos National Laboratory (New Mexico), where she conducted research utilizing nuclear magnetic resonance micro-imaging.  In 1991, she returned to the Weizmann Institute, where she joined the Department of Hormone Research (now the Department of Biological Regulation). From 2009 until the end of 2014 when she became Vice President of the Institute, Prof. Neeman served as the Dean of the Faculty of Biology and Director of the Clore Center for Biological Physics. She is currently the incumbent of the Helen and Morris Mauerberger Chair of Immunology.

    Prof. Neeman’s research focuses on the mechanisms that regulate angiogenesis, using magnetic resonance and optical imaging.  She is particularly interested in ovarian cancer and has demonstrated that the hormonal changes that accompany menopause indirectly promote the growth of dormant tumors and the spread of ovarian cancer by inducing the growth of blood vessels that nourish the tumors. She pioneered a method for tracking blood and lymphatic vessels to help scientists better understand how to suppress vessel growth and prolong tumor dormancy, thereby increasing survival in individuals with ovarian cancer.

    Prof. Neeman received the 1998 Morris L. Levinson Prize in Biology, the 1999 Lindner Prize of the Israel Endocrine Society, the Fellow Award from the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, and the Abisch-Frenkel Prize for Excellence in Life Sciences. She was elected to the Board of Trustees of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) in 2001 and as a Fellow of the European Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and Biology (ESMRMB) in 2013.

    She and her spouse, Amit, live in the village of Mazkeret Batya, where they raise their three sons, two dogs, and a family vineyard.

  • Photo credit: Bernardo Doral

    Achinoam Nini (Noa)

    International Performer

    Noa is a singer songwriter and percussionist of Yemenite/Israeli/American origin that has been blessed with an angelic voice and magnetic stage presence. Together with her long-standing musical director and guitarist Gil Dor, Noa has thrilled, captivated and mesmerized audiences the world over with her unique, passionate and intelligent style of writing and performing.  Her indefatigable, courageous work for Peace in her country, and her numerous voluntary engagements throughout the world have earned her a long list of titles and accolades, including UN Good will ambassador for FAO, Cavalliera de la Republica Italiana (Italy’s version of Knighthood), the Chrystal Award of the WEF in Davos,  the Dove of Peace by Shimon Peres, and many more.

    Noa is a singer songwriter and percussionist of Yemenite/Israeli/American origin that has been blessed with an angelic voice and magnetic stage presence. Together with her long-standing musical director and guitarist Gil Dor, Noa has thrilled, captivated and mesmerized audiences the world over with her unique, passionate and intelligent style of writing and performing.  Her indefatigable, courageous work for Peace in her country, and her numerous voluntary engagements throughout the world have earned her a long list of titles and accolades, including UN Good will ambassador for FAO, Cavalliera de la Republica Italiana (Italy’s version of Knighthood), the Chrystal Award of the WEF in Davos,  the Dove of Peace by Shimon Peres, and many more. 

    Noa is a gifted, committed artist of the type rarely seen in the popular music scene today.  She has been compared to Barbara Streisand, Joan Baez , Nana Moushkouri, Joni Mitchell and Elis Regina...amongst others. Her talent and artistic integrity have caught the attention ,and hearts, of some of the musical legends of our time, including Quincy Jones, Sting and Pat metheny, who produced her first international Geffen Records release, “Noa”, in 1994.

    Noa has performed her original version of Ave maria for Pope John Paul the 2nd at Vatican, she was the only major Israeli artists to agree to perform at the historic peace rally where Yitchak Rabin was murdered, she has co-written and recorded the theme song for Roberto Benigni’s Oscar-award winning film, “life is beautiful”, collaborated with a long list of renowned artists the world over and written hundreds of songs in English and Hebrew. She has a loyal following in Europe and Israel, where she was born and now lives, and a growing audience in the US, where she was raised.

    Noa  touches the hearts of any audience she  stands before, even one totally unfamiliar with her, with the power of her voice and the deep humanity of her message. That is her great gift.

    Read More » about Achinoam Nini (Noa)

    Achinoam Nini (Noa)

    International Performer

    Noa is a singer songwriter and percussionist of Yemenite/Israeli/American origin that has been blessed with an angelic voice and magnetic stage presence. Together with her long-standing musical director and guitarist Gil Dor, Noa has thrilled, captivated and mesmerized audiences the world over with her unique, passionate and intelligent style of writing and performing.  Her indefatigable, courageous work for Peace in her country, and her numerous voluntary engagements throughout the world have earned her a long list of titles and accolades, including UN Good will ambassador for FAO, Cavalliera de la Republica Italiana (Italy’s version of Knighthood), the Chrystal Award of the WEF in Davos,  the Dove of Peace by Shimon Peres, and many more. 

    Noa is a gifted, committed artist of the type rarely seen in the popular music scene today.  She has been compared to Barbara Streisand, Joan Baez , Nana Moushkouri, Joni Mitchell and Elis Regina...amongst others. Her talent and artistic integrity have caught the attention ,and hearts, of some of the musical legends of our time, including Quincy Jones, Sting and Pat metheny, who produced her first international Geffen Records release, “Noa”, in 1994.

    Noa has performed her original version of Ave maria for Pope John Paul the 2nd at Vatican, she was the only major Israeli artists to agree to perform at the historic peace rally where Yitchak Rabin was murdered, she has co-written and recorded the theme song for Roberto Benigni’s Oscar-award winning film, “life is beautiful”, collaborated with a long list of renowned artists the world over and written hundreds of songs in English and Hebrew. She has a loyal following in Europe and Israel, where she was born and now lives, and a growing audience in the US, where she was raised.

    Noa  touches the hearts of any audience she  stands before, even one totally unfamiliar with her, with the power of her voice and the deep humanity of her message. That is her great gift.

  • Photo credit: Fiona Hanson/AP Images

    Sir Paul Nurse

    Director, Francis Crick Institute
    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

    Director, Francis Crick Institute
    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.

     

  • Prof. Carol Prives

    Co-Chair, Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee
    Weizmann Institute of Science

    Prof. Carol Prives is the DaCosta Professor of Biological Sciences at Columbia University. She was educated in Canada, receiving her BSc and PhD from McGill University. Her postdoctoral training took place at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Weizmann Institute under the mentorship of Professor Michel Revel, after which she became a faculty member at the Weizmann Institute. She then joined the Biological Sciences Department at Columbia University where she was named the DaCosta Professor of Biology in 1995. Prof. Prives served as Chair of that department between 2000 and 2004. She has served as the Co-Chair of the Weizmann Institute's Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee since November 2017.

    Prof. Carol Prives is the DaCosta Professor of Biological Sciences at Columbia University. She was educated in Canada, receiving her BSc and PhD from McGill University. Her postdoctoral training took place at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Weizmann Institute under the mentorship of Professor Michel Revel, after which she became a faculty member at the Weizmann Institute. She then joined the Biological Sciences Department at Columbia University where she was named the DaCosta Professor of Biology in 1995. Prof. Prives served as Chair of that department between 2000 and 2004. She has served as the Co-Chair of the Weizmann Institute's Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee since November 2017.

    Since the late 1980’s her work has focused on the p53 tumor suppressor protein, the product of the most frequently mutated gene in human cancers. She and her group have elucidated aspects of the structure and function of the p53 protein especially as it relates to its roles as a transcriptional activator. In parallel, her group has examined how cancer related mutant forms of p53 regulate tumorigenesis. Work from her laboratory has also illuminated the functions of the key p53 negative regulators, Mdm2 and MdmX.

    Prof. Prives has served as Chair of both the Experimental Virology and the Cell and Molecular Pathology Study Sections of the NIH and was a member of the NCI Intramural Scientific Advisory Board. She was also a member of the Advisory Boards of the Dana-Farber Cancer Center, the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Massachusetts General Cancer Center as well as the American Association for Cancer Research and is currently a member of the Scientific Council of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. She also serves on the editorial boards of Cell, Genes & Development, Cancer Discovery and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Prof. Prives has received several honors including being named an American Cancer Society Research Professor, election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences and the AACR Academy.  She has presented numerous named lectures and has received awards including the NCI Rosalind E Franklin Award for Women in Science, the Paul Jansen Prize in Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, and the AACR-Women in Cancer Research Charlotte Friend Memorial Lectureship Award. Prof. Prives has also received an honorary doctorate from McGill University, her alma mater.

    Read More » about Prof. Carol Prives

    Prof. Carol Prives

    Co-Chair, Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee
    Weizmann Institute of Science

    Prof. Carol Prives is the DaCosta Professor of Biological Sciences at Columbia University. She was educated in Canada, receiving her BSc and PhD from McGill University. Her postdoctoral training took place at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Weizmann Institute under the mentorship of Professor Michel Revel, after which she became a faculty member at the Weizmann Institute. She then joined the Biological Sciences Department at Columbia University where she was named the DaCosta Professor of Biology in 1995. Prof. Prives served as Chair of that department between 2000 and 2004. She has served as the Co-Chair of the Weizmann Institute's Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee since November 2017.

    Since the late 1980’s her work has focused on the p53 tumor suppressor protein, the product of the most frequently mutated gene in human cancers. She and her group have elucidated aspects of the structure and function of the p53 protein especially as it relates to its roles as a transcriptional activator. In parallel, her group has examined how cancer related mutant forms of p53 regulate tumorigenesis. Work from her laboratory has also illuminated the functions of the key p53 negative regulators, Mdm2 and MdmX.

    Prof. Prives has served as Chair of both the Experimental Virology and the Cell and Molecular Pathology Study Sections of the NIH and was a member of the NCI Intramural Scientific Advisory Board. She was also a member of the Advisory Boards of the Dana-Farber Cancer Center, the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Massachusetts General Cancer Center as well as the American Association for Cancer Research and is currently a member of the Scientific Council of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. She also serves on the editorial boards of Cell, Genes & Development, Cancer Discovery and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Prof. Prives has received several honors including being named an American Cancer Society Research Professor, election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences and the AACR Academy.  She has presented numerous named lectures and has received awards including the NCI Rosalind E Franklin Award for Women in Science, the Paul Jansen Prize in Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, and the AACR-Women in Cancer Research Charlotte Friend Memorial Lectureship Award. Prof. Prives has also received an honorary doctorate from McGill University, her alma mater.

  • Dorit Rabinyan

    Author

    Dorit Rabinyan is an internationally acclaimed Israeli author from a Jewish-Iranian descent. Her recent novel All The Rivers (Penguin Random House, 2017) was awarded the prestigious Bernstein Award and named one of the ten best books of the year by Ha’aretz newspaper. All the Rivers became the center of a political scandal in Israel when the Ministry of Education banned the novel from high school’s curriculum.

    Dorit Rabinyan is an internationally acclaimed Israeli author from a Jewish-Iranian descent. Her recent novel All The Rivers (Penguin Random House, 2017) was awarded the prestigious Bernstein Award and named one of the ten best books of the year by Ha’aretz newspaper. All the Rivers became the center of a political scandal in Israel when the Ministry of Education banned the novel from high school’s curriculum.

    Read More » about Dorit Rabinyan

    Dorit Rabinyan

    Author

    Dorit Rabinyan is an internationally acclaimed Israeli author from a Jewish-Iranian descent. Her recent novel All The Rivers (Penguin Random House, 2017) was awarded the prestigious Bernstein Award and named one of the ten best books of the year by Ha’aretz newspaper. All the Rivers became the center of a political scandal in Israel when the Ministry of Education banned the novel from high school’s curriculum.

  • Dr. Neta Regevn-Rudzki

    Department of Biomolecular Sciences

    Dr. Neta Regev-Rudzki, born in Jerusalem in 1972, earned her BSc in chemistry (1998), and MSc in biochemistry and genetics (2002) from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She went on to complete her PhD in 2009 at the Hadassah Medical School. In 2011, Dr. Regev-Rudzki began her postdoctoral training at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) in Melbourne, Australia. She joined the Weizmann Institute of Science in August 2014, and is the incumbent of the Enid Barden and Aaron J. Jade President's Development Chair for New Scientists in Memory of Cantor John Y. Jade.

    Dr. Neta Regev-Rudzki, born in Jerusalem in 1972, earned her BSc in chemistry (1998), and MSc in biochemistry and genetics (2002) from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She went on to complete her PhD in 2009 at the Hadassah Medical School. In 2011, Dr. Regev-Rudzki began her postdoctoral training at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) in Melbourne, Australia. She joined the Weizmann Institute of Science in August 2014, and is the incumbent of the Enid Barden and Aaron J. Jade President's Development Chair for New Scientists in Memory of Cantor John Y. Jade.

    Dr. Regev-Rudzki studies the complex interactions between microscopic organisms. During her postdoctoral training at WEHI, she discovered that malaria parasites, which live inside human red blood cells, communicate with each other to coordinate their differentiation into sexual forms. The parasite must develop a sexual form in the human host in order to be transmitted back to the infecting mosquito.

    Dr. Regev-Rudzki demonstrated that individual parasites located within separate red blood cells are able to send communications, in the form of tiny packages of DNA, to one another via the blood system itself. This study, conducted in collaboration with the University of Melbourne, could provide a foundation for future treatment which will block the parasite’s transmission. In March 2015, she launched the first malaria research laboratory at the Weizmann Institute of Science geared toward studying different aspects of malaria and parasite cellular biology.
    Dr. Regev-Rudzki’s awards include the Rothschild Postdoctoral Fellowship; the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Postdoctoral Fellowship for Outstanding Students; the Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship; the Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship; the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Early Career Post Doctorate Fellowship; participation in the 57th annual Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting; a prize from the Israeli Society for Microbiology for an outstanding PhD thesis; the Israel Knesset Prize for outstanding BSc students; and the Rector Prize for BSc students at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

    Dr. Regev-Rudzki has three children, Taliyah, Eden and Noam.

    Read More » about Dr. Neta Regevn-Rudzki

    Dr. Neta Regevn-Rudzki

    Department of Biomolecular Sciences

    Dr. Neta Regev-Rudzki, born in Jerusalem in 1972, earned her BSc in chemistry (1998), and MSc in biochemistry and genetics (2002) from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She went on to complete her PhD in 2009 at the Hadassah Medical School. In 2011, Dr. Regev-Rudzki began her postdoctoral training at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) in Melbourne, Australia. She joined the Weizmann Institute of Science in August 2014, and is the incumbent of the Enid Barden and Aaron J. Jade President's Development Chair for New Scientists in Memory of Cantor John Y. Jade.

    Dr. Regev-Rudzki studies the complex interactions between microscopic organisms. During her postdoctoral training at WEHI, she discovered that malaria parasites, which live inside human red blood cells, communicate with each other to coordinate their differentiation into sexual forms. The parasite must develop a sexual form in the human host in order to be transmitted back to the infecting mosquito.

    Dr. Regev-Rudzki demonstrated that individual parasites located within separate red blood cells are able to send communications, in the form of tiny packages of DNA, to one another via the blood system itself. This study, conducted in collaboration with the University of Melbourne, could provide a foundation for future treatment which will block the parasite’s transmission. In March 2015, she launched the first malaria research laboratory at the Weizmann Institute of Science geared toward studying different aspects of malaria and parasite cellular biology.
    Dr. Regev-Rudzki’s awards include the Rothschild Postdoctoral Fellowship; the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Postdoctoral Fellowship for Outstanding Students; the Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship; the Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship; the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Early Career Post Doctorate Fellowship; participation in the 57th annual Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting; a prize from the Israeli Society for Microbiology for an outstanding PhD thesis; the Israel Knesset Prize for outstanding BSc students; and the Rector Prize for BSc students at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

    Dr. Regev-Rudzki has three children, Taliyah, Eden and Noam.

  • Prof. Jehuda Reinharz

    Chair, International Board
    Weizmann Institute of Science

    Jehuda Reinharz was born in Haifa, Israel, in 1944. He received his high school education in Germany and immigrated to the United States as a teenager in 1961.

    Prof. Reinharz earned concurrent bachelor’s degrees from Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He earned his master’s degree in medieval Jewish history from Harvard University in 1968 and his doctorate in modern Jewish history from Brandeis University in 1972.

    Jehuda Reinharz was born in Haifa, Israel, in 1944. He received his high school education in Germany and immigrated to the United States as a teenager in 1961.

    Prof. Reinharz earned concurrent bachelor’s degrees from Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He earned his master’s degree in medieval Jewish history from Harvard University in 1968 and his doctorate in modern Jewish history from Brandeis University in 1972.

    Prof. Reinharz was the first professor of Jewish history at the University of Michigan from 1972 to 1982, where he established the program in Judaic Studies and became a full professor.

    In 1982, he became the Richard Koret Professor of Modern Jewish History in the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University. Two years later, he was named Director of the Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry at Brandeis and eight years later founded the Jacob and Libby Goodman Institute for the Study of Zionism and Israel. From 1991 to 1994, Prof. Reinharz served as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. In 1994, he became the seventh President of Brandeis University. In January 2011, Prof. Reinharz assumed the presidency of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation.

    Prof. Reinharz is the author or co-author of more than one hundred articles and thirty-one books in various languages. His Jew in the Modern World (3rd edition 2011), co-edited with Paul Mendes-Flohr, is one of the most widely adopted college texts in modern Jewish history. His two-volume biography of Chaim Weizmann, the first President of Israel, has won many prizes in Israel and the United States and his book, co-authored with the late Ben Halpern, entitled Zionism and the Creation of a New Society, was published in 1998 and re-issued in a revised paperback edition in 2000. His three latest co-authored books (with Prof. Yaacov Shavit) are Darwin and His Kind (published in Hebrew in 2009); Glorious, Accursed Europe (published in 2010), which analyzes the relationship of Jews to Europe from the 18th century to the present; and The Scientific God, which deals with popular science in Eastern Europe in the second half of the 19th century (published in Hebrew in 2011). In 2013, Reinharz co-authored The Road to September 1939 (published in Hebrew) with Yaacov Shavit, as well as Die Sprache der Judenfeindschaft im 21.Jahrhundert, co-authored with Monika Schwarz-Friesel. He is now completing with Prof. Motti Golani of Tel Aviv University, the third and final volume of the biography of Chaim Weizmann.

    Most recently, Prof. Reinharz co-wrote a book on the history of the donkey in literature (with Prof. Yaacov Shavit). The book, The Donkey: A Cultural History, was published in Hebrew (2014). On this subject, Prof. Reinharz has said: “No one has ever contemplated this history on a large scale… It’s probably the most ambitious topic Prof. Shavit and I have ever contemplated.”

    Prof. Reinharz is the recipient of seven honorary doctorates, including one from the Weizmann Institute of Science. In 1992, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. In 1995, Prof. Reinharz was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and in 1999 he was elected a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. In addition, he serves on a number of boards and advisory committees.

    Jehuda Reinharz is married to Shulamit Reinharz, professor emerita of sociology at Brandeis University. They have two daughters, Yael and Naomi.

    Read More » about Prof. Jehuda Reinharz

    Prof. Jehuda Reinharz

    Chair, International Board
    Weizmann Institute of Science

    Jehuda Reinharz was born in Haifa, Israel, in 1944. He received his high school education in Germany and immigrated to the United States as a teenager in 1961.

    Prof. Reinharz earned concurrent bachelor’s degrees from Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He earned his master’s degree in medieval Jewish history from Harvard University in 1968 and his doctorate in modern Jewish history from Brandeis University in 1972.

    Prof. Reinharz was the first professor of Jewish history at the University of Michigan from 1972 to 1982, where he established the program in Judaic Studies and became a full professor.

    In 1982, he became the Richard Koret Professor of Modern Jewish History in the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University. Two years later, he was named Director of the Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry at Brandeis and eight years later founded the Jacob and Libby Goodman Institute for the Study of Zionism and Israel. From 1991 to 1994, Prof. Reinharz served as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. In 1994, he became the seventh President of Brandeis University. In January 2011, Prof. Reinharz assumed the presidency of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation.

    Prof. Reinharz is the author or co-author of more than one hundred articles and thirty-one books in various languages. His Jew in the Modern World (3rd edition 2011), co-edited with Paul Mendes-Flohr, is one of the most widely adopted college texts in modern Jewish history. His two-volume biography of Chaim Weizmann, the first President of Israel, has won many prizes in Israel and the United States and his book, co-authored with the late Ben Halpern, entitled Zionism and the Creation of a New Society, was published in 1998 and re-issued in a revised paperback edition in 2000. His three latest co-authored books (with Prof. Yaacov Shavit) are Darwin and His Kind (published in Hebrew in 2009); Glorious, Accursed Europe (published in 2010), which analyzes the relationship of Jews to Europe from the 18th century to the present; and The Scientific God, which deals with popular science in Eastern Europe in the second half of the 19th century (published in Hebrew in 2011). In 2013, Reinharz co-authored The Road to September 1939 (published in Hebrew) with Yaacov Shavit, as well as Die Sprache der Judenfeindschaft im 21.Jahrhundert, co-authored with Monika Schwarz-Friesel. He is now completing with Prof. Motti Golani of Tel Aviv University, the third and final volume of the biography of Chaim Weizmann.

    Most recently, Prof. Reinharz co-wrote a book on the history of the donkey in literature (with Prof. Yaacov Shavit). The book, The Donkey: A Cultural History, was published in Hebrew (2014). On this subject, Prof. Reinharz has said: “No one has ever contemplated this history on a large scale… It’s probably the most ambitious topic Prof. Shavit and I have ever contemplated.”

    Prof. Reinharz is the recipient of seven honorary doctorates, including one from the Weizmann Institute of Science. In 1992, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. In 1995, Prof. Reinharz was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and in 1999 he was elected a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. In addition, he serves on a number of boards and advisory committees.

    Jehuda Reinharz is married to Shulamit Reinharz, professor emerita of sociology at Brandeis University. They have two daughters, Yael and Naomi.

  • Prof. Irit Sagi

    Dean, Feinberg Graduate School

    Born in Israel, Prof. Irit Sagi completed her undergraduate and graduate studies in Washington, D.C., earning a BSc from American University in 1988, and a PhD in biophysics/ bioinorganics from Georgetown University in 1993. After her studies, she returned to Israel, where she did postdoctoral research at the Weizmann Institute of Science in the group of Prof. Ada Yonath, laureate of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. She continued her postdoctoral work at the Max-Planck Institute in Hamburg, Germany, and joined the faculty of the Weizmann Institute in 1998. She became the dean of the Feinberg Graduate School in 2014 and is the incumbent of the Maurizio Pontecorvo Professorial Chair.

    Born in Israel, Prof. Irit Sagi completed her undergraduate and graduate studies in Washington, D.C., earning a BSc from American University in 1988, and a PhD in biophysics/ bioinorganics from Georgetown University in 1993. After her studies, she returned to Israel, where she did postdoctoral research at the Weizmann Institute of Science in the group of Prof. Ada Yonath, laureate of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. She continued her postdoctoral work at the Max-Planck Institute in Hamburg, Germany, and joined the faculty of the Weizmann Institute in 1998. She became the dean of the Feinberg Graduate School in 2014 and is the incumbent of the Maurizio Pontecorvo Professorial Chair.

      Merging real-time spectroscopic and molecular imaging techniques, Prof. Sagi was the first to reveal the complex molecular nature of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), a group of human enzymes linked to cancer and autoimmune diseases. Insights derived from these studies led her to design a new class of inhibitory antibodies that thwart the negative action of these enzymes. These prototype antibodies are currently being developed for clinical use in inflammatory and cancer disaeses. Aiming to highlight the latest advances in MMP research from a multidisciplinary perspective, Prof. Sagi co-edited a book on the subject called Matrix Metalloproteinase Biology in 2015. 

    Prof. Sagi continues to develop novel experimental tools to decrypt the extracellular matrix molecular remodeling code at near-atomic resolution in healthy and diseased tissues. Her unique biophysical approach is used to decipher molecular mechanisms of dysregulated break-down of proteins in tissues and to develop a new generation of safe and effective drugs.

    The recipient of numerous awards over the past two decades, Prof. Sagi earned the the Landau Prize of Mifal Hapais for Biochemistry in 2017 and the Juludan Prize for outstanding research projects in the exact sciences and advanced medicinal technologies in 2013. In 2006, she was named Inventor of the Year by the Weiznmann Institute’s Yeda Research and Development Company Ltd. Three years prior, she was awarded the Weizmann Institute Scientific Council Prize for Chemistry, and in 2000, she received the Jakubskind-Cymerman Research Prize. Since 2009, she has been the president of the Israel Biophysical Society. She has more than 75 publications in peer reviewed scientific journals and books.
     
    Prof. Sagi is married and has three children.

    Read More » about Prof. Irit Sagi

    Prof. Irit Sagi

    Dean, Feinberg Graduate School

    Born in Israel, Prof. Irit Sagi completed her undergraduate and graduate studies in Washington, D.C., earning a BSc from American University in 1988, and a PhD in biophysics/ bioinorganics from Georgetown University in 1993. After her studies, she returned to Israel, where she did postdoctoral research at the Weizmann Institute of Science in the group of Prof. Ada Yonath, laureate of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. She continued her postdoctoral work at the Max-Planck Institute in Hamburg, Germany, and joined the faculty of the Weizmann Institute in 1998. She became the dean of the Feinberg Graduate School in 2014 and is the incumbent of the Maurizio Pontecorvo Professorial Chair.

      Merging real-time spectroscopic and molecular imaging techniques, Prof. Sagi was the first to reveal the complex molecular nature of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), a group of human enzymes linked to cancer and autoimmune diseases. Insights derived from these studies led her to design a new class of inhibitory antibodies that thwart the negative action of these enzymes. These prototype antibodies are currently being developed for clinical use in inflammatory and cancer disaeses. Aiming to highlight the latest advances in MMP research from a multidisciplinary perspective, Prof. Sagi co-edited a book on the subject called Matrix Metalloproteinase Biology in 2015. 

    Prof. Sagi continues to develop novel experimental tools to decrypt the extracellular matrix molecular remodeling code at near-atomic resolution in healthy and diseased tissues. Her unique biophysical approach is used to decipher molecular mechanisms of dysregulated break-down of proteins in tissues and to develop a new generation of safe and effective drugs.

    The recipient of numerous awards over the past two decades, Prof. Sagi earned the the Landau Prize of Mifal Hapais for Biochemistry in 2017 and the Juludan Prize for outstanding research projects in the exact sciences and advanced medicinal technologies in 2013. In 2006, she was named Inventor of the Year by the Weiznmann Institute’s Yeda Research and Development Company Ltd. Three years prior, she was awarded the Weizmann Institute Scientific Council Prize for Chemistry, and in 2000, she received the Jakubskind-Cymerman Research Prize. Since 2009, she has been the president of the Israel Biophysical Society. She has more than 75 publications in peer reviewed scientific journals and books.
     
    Prof. Sagi is married and has three children.

  • Dr. Sergey Semenov

    Department of Organic Chemistry
    Weizmann Institute of Science

    Dr. Sergey Semenov completed an MS in chemistry with honors at Moscow State University in Russia in 2006. He earned a PhD in chemistry with honors at the University of Zurich, Switzerland in 2010. He served as a postdoctoral fellow at Radboud University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands from 2010 to 2014, and at Harvard University from 2014 through 2017. He joined the Department of Organic Chemistry at the Weizmann Institute of Science in January 2018.

    Dr. Sergey Semenov completed an MS in chemistry with honors at Moscow State University in Russia in 2006. He earned a PhD in chemistry with honors at the University of Zurich, Switzerland in 2010. He served as a postdoctoral fellow at Radboud University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands from 2010 to 2014, and at Harvard University from 2014 through 2017. He joined the Department of Organic Chemistry at the Weizmann Institute of Science in January 2018.

    Organic chemists like Dr. Semenov see living systems as an interconnected network of chemical reactions. Life depends on the ability to self-sustain these reactions, a process called autocatalysis. To understand how an autocatalytic process works, Dr. Semenov created the first experimental example of a simplified, autocatalytic network that could regulate itself, and respond to changes in its environment. His studies in autocatalysis and biological networks offer insights into catalysis and provide new clues to understand the emergence of life from simple organic precursors.

    His awards and honors include a grant for talented young scientists at Moscow State University in 2006, and an award in the international Samsung “Ideas” contest in 2005. He received a Forschungskredit research grant from University of Zürich in 2008 and an Auszeichnung grant in 2010. He was awarded a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship in 2012 and the Sir Charles Clore Prize for Research in 2018. He was invited as the keynote speaker for the 2017 International Conference on BioNano Innovation in Brisbane, Australia. Dr. Semenov serves as a reviewer for a number of professional journals, including Nature Communications, Chemical Communications, Journal of Materials Chemistry, and Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics.

    Read More » about Dr. Sergey Semenov

    Dr. Sergey Semenov

    Department of Organic Chemistry
    Weizmann Institute of Science

    Dr. Sergey Semenov completed an MS in chemistry with honors at Moscow State University in Russia in 2006. He earned a PhD in chemistry with honors at the University of Zurich, Switzerland in 2010. He served as a postdoctoral fellow at Radboud University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands from 2010 to 2014, and at Harvard University from 2014 through 2017. He joined the Department of Organic Chemistry at the Weizmann Institute of Science in January 2018.

    Organic chemists like Dr. Semenov see living systems as an interconnected network of chemical reactions. Life depends on the ability to self-sustain these reactions, a process called autocatalysis. To understand how an autocatalytic process works, Dr. Semenov created the first experimental example of a simplified, autocatalytic network that could regulate itself, and respond to changes in its environment. His studies in autocatalysis and biological networks offer insights into catalysis and provide new clues to understand the emergence of life from simple organic precursors.

    His awards and honors include a grant for talented young scientists at Moscow State University in 2006, and an award in the international Samsung “Ideas” contest in 2005. He received a Forschungskredit research grant from University of Zürich in 2008 and an Auszeichnung grant in 2010. He was awarded a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship in 2012 and the Sir Charles Clore Prize for Research in 2018. He was invited as the keynote speaker for the 2017 International Conference on BioNano Innovation in Brisbane, Australia. Dr. Semenov serves as a reviewer for a number of professional journals, including Nature Communications, Chemical Communications, Journal of Materials Chemistry, and Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics.

  • Prof. Lee Shulman

    Professor Emeritus, Stanford Graduate School of Education
    Past President, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

    Lee S. Shulman is President Emeritus of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Emeritus at Stanford University. He was previously Professor of Educational Psychology and Medical Education at Michigan State University.

    Lee S. Shulman is President Emeritus of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Emeritus at Stanford University. He was previously Professor of Educational Psychology and Medical Education at Michigan State University.

    Shulman is a past president of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and also of the U.S. National Academy of Education. Shulman’s book received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) in 2008. 

    Shulman’s work examines the study of teaching and teacher education; pedagogical content knowledge; the assessment of teachers; medical education; the psychology of instruction in science, mathematics, and medicine; the logic of educational research; and the quality of teaching in higher education. Shulman’s most recent work has been the conceptualizing and description of signature pedagogies in the preparation of professionals and candidates for the doctorate in the sciences and humanities.

    Read More » about Prof. Lee Shulman

    Prof. Lee Shulman

    Professor Emeritus, Stanford Graduate School of Education
    Past President, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

    Lee S. Shulman is President Emeritus of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Emeritus at Stanford University. He was previously Professor of Educational Psychology and Medical Education at Michigan State University.

    Shulman is a past president of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and also of the U.S. National Academy of Education. Shulman’s book received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) in 2008. 

    Shulman’s work examines the study of teaching and teacher education; pedagogical content knowledge; the assessment of teachers; medical education; the psychology of instruction in science, mathematics, and medicine; the logic of educational research; and the quality of teaching in higher education. Shulman’s most recent work has been the conceptualizing and description of signature pedagogies in the preparation of professionals and candidates for the doctorate in the sciences and humanities.

  • Prof. Rotem Sorek

    Department of Molecular Genetics

    Born in Tel Aviv in 1975, Prof. Rotem Sorek conducted his undergraduate and graduate studies at Tel Aviv University, earning a BSc summa cum laude in life sciences in 2000, an MSc summa cum laude in molecular evolution in 2002, and a PhD with distinction in human genetics in 2006. During his graduate studies, he also managed the Genomics research group at Compugen, Ltd., a leading Israeli biotech firm. After conducting postdoctoral studies in the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in Berkeley, CA, for two years, he joined the Weizmann Institute in 2008. He is the incumbent of the Rowland and Sylvia Schaefer Career Development Chair in the Department of Molecular Genetics.

    Born in Tel Aviv in 1975, Prof. Rotem Sorek conducted his undergraduate and graduate studies at Tel Aviv University, earning a BSc summa cum laude in life sciences in 2000, an MSc summa cum laude in molecular evolution in 2002, and a PhD with distinction in human genetics in 2006. During his graduate studies, he also managed the Genomics research group at Compugen, Ltd., a leading Israeli biotech firm. After conducting postdoctoral studies in the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in Berkeley, CA, for two years, he joined the Weizmann Institute in 2008. He is the incumbent of the Rowland and Sylvia Schaefer Career Development Chair in the Department of Molecular Genetics.

    Prof. Sorek harnesses the power of computational genomics to reveal the biological properties of microorganisms through the study of their DNA. Much of his research focuses on “microbial warfare”—the mechanisms by which microorganisms attack one another and defend themselves against such attacks. He investigates CRISPR-Cas, the adaptive “immune” system that bacteria use to defend themselves against viruses. An improved understanding of this system could help devise effective means of protecting industrially beneficial bacteria—such as those for manufacturing yogurt, purifying sewage, or producing biofuel—against a viral attack. He also discovered that viruses can use small molecules to communicate among themselves and coordinate the dynamics of infection.

    Prof. Sorek is a co-owner of 35 patents and patent applications in molecular biology and has received numerous prestigious honors, including the Weizmann Institute’s Scientific Council Prize for Life Sciences in 2016 and the Federation of European Biochemical Societies’ (FEBS) Anniversary Prize in 2015. He also earned many prizes as a young scientist, including the Teva Founders Award for Outstanding Young Scientists in Life Sciences, the Israel Society for Microbiology’s Nili Rubinowitz-Grossman Prize for Outstanding Young Scientist in the Field of Microbiology, the RNA Society/Scaringe Young Scientist Award, the Alon Fellowship, and the Weizmann Institute's Sir Charles Clore Prize for Outstanding Appointment as a Senior Scientist. In 2015, he was elected to the European Academy of Microbiology, and in 2012, he was appointed to the Israeli National Young Academy.

     

    Read More » about Prof. Rotem Sorek

    Prof. Rotem Sorek

    Department of Molecular Genetics

    Born in Tel Aviv in 1975, Prof. Rotem Sorek conducted his undergraduate and graduate studies at Tel Aviv University, earning a BSc summa cum laude in life sciences in 2000, an MSc summa cum laude in molecular evolution in 2002, and a PhD with distinction in human genetics in 2006. During his graduate studies, he also managed the Genomics research group at Compugen, Ltd., a leading Israeli biotech firm. After conducting postdoctoral studies in the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in Berkeley, CA, for two years, he joined the Weizmann Institute in 2008. He is the incumbent of the Rowland and Sylvia Schaefer Career Development Chair in the Department of Molecular Genetics.

    Prof. Sorek harnesses the power of computational genomics to reveal the biological properties of microorganisms through the study of their DNA. Much of his research focuses on “microbial warfare”—the mechanisms by which microorganisms attack one another and defend themselves against such attacks. He investigates CRISPR-Cas, the adaptive “immune” system that bacteria use to defend themselves against viruses. An improved understanding of this system could help devise effective means of protecting industrially beneficial bacteria—such as those for manufacturing yogurt, purifying sewage, or producing biofuel—against a viral attack. He also discovered that viruses can use small molecules to communicate among themselves and coordinate the dynamics of infection.

    Prof. Sorek is a co-owner of 35 patents and patent applications in molecular biology and has received numerous prestigious honors, including the Weizmann Institute’s Scientific Council Prize for Life Sciences in 2016 and the Federation of European Biochemical Societies’ (FEBS) Anniversary Prize in 2015. He also earned many prizes as a young scientist, including the Teva Founders Award for Outstanding Young Scientists in Life Sciences, the Israel Society for Microbiology’s Nili Rubinowitz-Grossman Prize for Outstanding Young Scientist in the Field of Microbiology, the RNA Society/Scaringe Young Scientist Award, the Alon Fellowship, and the Weizmann Institute's Sir Charles Clore Prize for Outstanding Appointment as a Senior Scientist. In 2015, he was elected to the European Academy of Microbiology, and in 2012, he was appointed to the Israeli National Young Academy.

     

  • Prof. Amos Tanay

    Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics and Department of Biological Regulation

    Born on Moshav Moledet, Israel, in 1971, Prof. Amos Tanay earned his BSc (1996) and MSc (2001) in mathematics, and a PhD with distinction in computer science (2005) from Tel Aviv University. While in graduate school, he headed a team that developed algorithms for an optimization company, Schema Group, then co-founded an optical networks technology start-up, Optivera Technologies, and headed its R&D effort for two years. After conducting postgraduate research at Rockefeller University, he joined the Weizmann Institute in 2007. Today he serves as the Scientific Director of the Ilana and Pascal Mantoux Institute for Bioinformatics and is intricately involved in the Bench-to-Bedside program. 

    Born on Moshav Moledet, Israel, in 1971, Prof. Amos Tanay earned his BSc (1996) and MSc (2001) in mathematics, and a PhD with distinction in computer science (2005) from Tel Aviv University. While in graduate school, he headed a team that developed algorithms for an optimization company, Schema Group, then co-founded an optical networks technology start-up, Optivera Technologies, and headed its R&D effort for two years. After conducting postgraduate research at Rockefeller University, he joined the Weizmann Institute in 2007. Today he serves as the Scientific Director of the Ilana and Pascal Mantoux Institute for Bioinformatics and is intricately involved in the Bench-to-Bedside program. 

    Prof. Tanay builds mathematical models for the epigenetic changes in cells—mechanisms that affect the availability and function of the cell’s DNA without changing the sequence itself. Similar to tiny computers, cells regulate their activity by running “software” encoded into their DNA that controls the “hardware”—the components of the cell itself. In order for such software to work correctly and distinguish among different cell types, cells employ several mechanisms that serve as their memory. 

    Prof. Tanay and his group develop single cell genomics techniques to characterize the molecular activity and epigenetics of cells within tissues. They then apply mathematical methods to understand how individual cells determine and maintain their proper role within the context of billions of other cells in the body. Methods for profiling and modeling tissues at single cell resolution are particularly important in cancer, since tumors develop due to individual cells that rewrite their memory and suppress the tissue's normal control mechanisms.

    Prof. Tanay has received a number of prestigious scholarships and awards, including the 2013 Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Award for Innovative Investigation, the 2012 Krill Award for Excellence in Scientific Research, the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) young investigator award (2010), the Morris L. Levinson Prize in Mathematics (2010), and the Rothschild Postdoctoral Fellowship (2006). In 2015, he became a member of the EMBO.

    Prof. Tanay is married and has four children. He is also a keen jazz piano player. 

    Read More » about Prof. Amos Tanay

    Prof. Amos Tanay

    Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics and Department of Biological Regulation

    Born on Moshav Moledet, Israel, in 1971, Prof. Amos Tanay earned his BSc (1996) and MSc (2001) in mathematics, and a PhD with distinction in computer science (2005) from Tel Aviv University. While in graduate school, he headed a team that developed algorithms for an optimization company, Schema Group, then co-founded an optical networks technology start-up, Optivera Technologies, and headed its R&D effort for two years. After conducting postgraduate research at Rockefeller University, he joined the Weizmann Institute in 2007. Today he serves as the Scientific Director of the Ilana and Pascal Mantoux Institute for Bioinformatics and is intricately involved in the Bench-to-Bedside program. 

    Prof. Tanay builds mathematical models for the epigenetic changes in cells—mechanisms that affect the availability and function of the cell’s DNA without changing the sequence itself. Similar to tiny computers, cells regulate their activity by running “software” encoded into their DNA that controls the “hardware”—the components of the cell itself. In order for such software to work correctly and distinguish among different cell types, cells employ several mechanisms that serve as their memory. 

    Prof. Tanay and his group develop single cell genomics techniques to characterize the molecular activity and epigenetics of cells within tissues. They then apply mathematical methods to understand how individual cells determine and maintain their proper role within the context of billions of other cells in the body. Methods for profiling and modeling tissues at single cell resolution are particularly important in cancer, since tumors develop due to individual cells that rewrite their memory and suppress the tissue's normal control mechanisms.

    Prof. Tanay has received a number of prestigious scholarships and awards, including the 2013 Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Award for Innovative Investigation, the 2012 Krill Award for Excellence in Scientific Research, the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) young investigator award (2010), the Morris L. Levinson Prize in Mathematics (2010), and the Rothschild Postdoctoral Fellowship (2006). In 2015, he became a member of the EMBO.

    Prof. Tanay is married and has four children. He is also a keen jazz piano player. 

  • Prof. Nachum Ulanovsky

    Department of Neurobiology

    Prof. Nachum Ulanovsky was a baby when his family made aliyah from Moscow. He grew up in Israel, received his BSc magna cum laude in physics at Tel Aviv University (1992), served for five years in the IDF, and, in parallel, continued his graduate studies in biology at the Weizmann Institute of Science and at Tel Aviv University. In 2004, he earned his PhD in neuroscience and neural computation summa cum laude at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. From 2004-2007, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychology and Institute for Systems Research at the University of Maryland, College Park. He joined the Weizmann Institute in 2007.

    Prof. Nachum Ulanovsky was a baby when his family made aliyah from Moscow. He grew up in Israel, received his BSc magna cum laude in physics at Tel Aviv University (1992), served for five years in the IDF, and, in parallel, continued his graduate studies in biology at the Weizmann Institute of Science and at Tel Aviv University. In 2004, he earned his PhD in neuroscience and neural computation summa cum laude at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. From 2004-2007, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychology and Institute for Systems Research at the University of Maryland, College Park. He joined the Weizmann Institute in 2007.

    Prof. Ulanovsky is interested in the brain basis of behavior and the neurobiology of learning and memory. His main area of study is how three-dimensional, complex naturalistic spaces are represented and remembered in the mammalian brain.  To this end, he uses bats as animal models (particularly Egyptian fruit bats), fitting them with devices which allow him to measure the activity of individual neurons in their brains as they fly. He also fits fruit bats with the smallest tracking devices in the world to track their flight. Prof. Ulanovsky’s group was able to conduct the first ever neural recordings in flying animals, which allowed them to describe the coding of 3D maps and 3D compasses in the brain, as well as to clarify the brain basis of how bats navigate to goals. They recently recorded from the brains of two bats during social interactions, and found neurons in the bat brain that represent the position of another individual—which may underlie social-spatial cognition. The findings of the Ulanovsky group have been published in the world’s top journals such as Nature and Science.

    Prof. Ulanovsky is the receipient of the Helen and Martin Kimmel Award for Innovative Investigation (2018), the André Deloro Prize for Scientific Research (2017), and was the first Israeli and second non-American in history to receive the prestigious SfN Young Investigator Award from the Society for Neuroscience (2015). Among his other honors and awards are the prestigious Bernard Katz Prize in Neuroscience awarded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2013), the Krill Prize for the advancement of science from the Wolf Foundation (2012), and the Sieratzki Prize for Advances in Neuroscience (2011).

    Prof. Ulanovsky is married and has three children. His hobbies include reading, sports, and outdoor activities, especially hiking and rappelling.

    Read More » about Prof. Nachum Ulanovsky

    Prof. Nachum Ulanovsky

    Department of Neurobiology

    Prof. Nachum Ulanovsky was a baby when his family made aliyah from Moscow. He grew up in Israel, received his BSc magna cum laude in physics at Tel Aviv University (1992), served for five years in the IDF, and, in parallel, continued his graduate studies in biology at the Weizmann Institute of Science and at Tel Aviv University. In 2004, he earned his PhD in neuroscience and neural computation summa cum laude at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. From 2004-2007, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychology and Institute for Systems Research at the University of Maryland, College Park. He joined the Weizmann Institute in 2007.

    Prof. Ulanovsky is interested in the brain basis of behavior and the neurobiology of learning and memory. His main area of study is how three-dimensional, complex naturalistic spaces are represented and remembered in the mammalian brain.  To this end, he uses bats as animal models (particularly Egyptian fruit bats), fitting them with devices which allow him to measure the activity of individual neurons in their brains as they fly. He also fits fruit bats with the smallest tracking devices in the world to track their flight. Prof. Ulanovsky’s group was able to conduct the first ever neural recordings in flying animals, which allowed them to describe the coding of 3D maps and 3D compasses in the brain, as well as to clarify the brain basis of how bats navigate to goals. They recently recorded from the brains of two bats during social interactions, and found neurons in the bat brain that represent the position of another individual—which may underlie social-spatial cognition. The findings of the Ulanovsky group have been published in the world’s top journals such as Nature and Science.

    Prof. Ulanovsky is the receipient of the Helen and Martin Kimmel Award for Innovative Investigation (2018), the André Deloro Prize for Scientific Research (2017), and was the first Israeli and second non-American in history to receive the prestigious SfN Young Investigator Award from the Society for Neuroscience (2015). Among his other honors and awards are the prestigious Bernard Katz Prize in Neuroscience awarded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2013), the Krill Prize for the advancement of science from the Wolf Foundation (2012), and the Sieratzki Prize for Advances in Neuroscience (2011).

    Prof. Ulanovsky is married and has three children. His hobbies include reading, sports, and outdoor activities, especially hiking and rappelling.

  • Prof. Daniel Zajfman

    President
    Weizmann Institute of Science

    Born in Belgium, Prof. Daniel Zajfman moved to Israel in 1979. He received a BSc (1983) and a PhD (1989) in atomic physics from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. In 1991 he joined the Weizmann Institute's Department of Particle Physics (now the Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics), after concluding his postdoctoral research at the Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago. Since 2001, he has also been an external member of the Max Planck Institute of Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany, and from 2005 - 2006, he served as Director of that institute. In 2006, he was elected the tenth—and youngest-ever—President of the Weizmann Institute of Science.

    Born in Belgium, Prof. Daniel Zajfman moved to Israel in 1979. He received a BSc (1983) and a PhD (1989) in atomic physics from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. In 1991 he joined the Weizmann Institute's Department of Particle Physics (now the Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics), after concluding his postdoctoral research at the Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago. Since 2001, he has also been an external member of the Max Planck Institute of Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany, and from 2005 - 2006, he served as Director of that institute. In 2006, he was elected the tenth—and youngest-ever—President of the Weizmann Institute of Science.


    Prof. Zajfman's research focuses on the fundamental understanding of molecular dynamics and structure, as well as with the dynamics of ions in traps. He is the  incumbent of the Simon Weinstock Professorial Chair of Astrophysics.

    As President, Prof. Zajfman has given priority to sustaining the Institute's high standards of excellence. He has led the establishment of several research schools, centers, and institutes. Under his direction, major funds have been invested in developing the Weizmann Institute's infrastructure. These efforts include the construction of a new conference center, a technical services facility, a building to house biochemical research, a cutting-edge preclinical facility, a state-of-the-art national center for personalized medicine, an integrated center for cancer research, and a new center for intelligent and advanced materials.

    Under Prof. Zajfman’s leadership, the Weizmann Institute has increasingly become a hub of international science, with more international conferences and a growing number of foreign scientists, postdoctoral fellows, and students on campus. He is also a leader in advancing science education at the school level and science literacy among the public. To this end, he serves as Chair of the Davidson Institute of Science Education. He is also the guiding force behind the establishment of the Schwartz/Reisman Science Education Centers, which he also chairs.  

    Prof. Zajfman is married to Joëlle, who has an MSc in physics and works as a sculptor, and is father to Eyal and Noga.

    Read More » about Prof. Daniel Zajfman

    Prof. Daniel Zajfman

    President
    Weizmann Institute of Science

    Born in Belgium, Prof. Daniel Zajfman moved to Israel in 1979. He received a BSc (1983) and a PhD (1989) in atomic physics from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. In 1991 he joined the Weizmann Institute's Department of Particle Physics (now the Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics), after concluding his postdoctoral research at the Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago. Since 2001, he has also been an external member of the Max Planck Institute of Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany, and from 2005 - 2006, he served as Director of that institute. In 2006, he was elected the tenth—and youngest-ever—President of the Weizmann Institute of Science.


    Prof. Zajfman's research focuses on the fundamental understanding of molecular dynamics and structure, as well as with the dynamics of ions in traps. He is the  incumbent of the Simon Weinstock Professorial Chair of Astrophysics.

    As President, Prof. Zajfman has given priority to sustaining the Institute's high standards of excellence. He has led the establishment of several research schools, centers, and institutes. Under his direction, major funds have been invested in developing the Weizmann Institute's infrastructure. These efforts include the construction of a new conference center, a technical services facility, a building to house biochemical research, a cutting-edge preclinical facility, a state-of-the-art national center for personalized medicine, an integrated center for cancer research, and a new center for intelligent and advanced materials.

    Under Prof. Zajfman’s leadership, the Weizmann Institute has increasingly become a hub of international science, with more international conferences and a growing number of foreign scientists, postdoctoral fellows, and students on campus. He is also a leader in advancing science education at the school level and science literacy among the public. To this end, he serves as Chair of the Davidson Institute of Science Education. He is also the guiding force behind the establishment of the Schwartz/Reisman Science Education Centers, which he also chairs.  

    Prof. Zajfman is married to Joëlle, who has an MSc in physics and works as a sculptor, and is father to Eyal and Noga.