Speakers

  • Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin

    President of the State of Israel

    Mr. Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin is the 10th and current President of the State of Israel.

    President Rivlin was born in 1939 in Jerusalem, where he resides to this day. His father, Prof. Yosef Yoel Rivlin, was a scholar of Semitic languages who translated the Qur’an and One Thousand and One Nights into Hebrew. His family’s roots in Jerusalem date back to the early 19th century. 

    Mr. Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin is the 10th and current President of the State of Israel.

    President Rivlin was born in 1939 in Jerusalem, where he resides to this day. His father, Prof. Yosef Yoel Rivlin, was a scholar of Semitic languages who translated the Qur’an and One Thousand and One Nights into Hebrew. His family’s roots in Jerusalem date back to the early 19th century. 

    Following his military service as an intelligence officer, President Rivlin studied law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He served as legal adviser, chairman, and team manager of the Beitar Jerusalem Sports Association, and was a member of the Jerusalem Municipal Council and of the El Al Executive Council. He is also a former member of the Board of Directors of the Khan Theater and a member of the International Council of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. He served as Chairman of the Likud Organization and Chairman of the Jerusalem Branch of the Herut Movement.

    As a member of the Likud Party, President Rivlin was first elected to the Knesset in 1988, and served seven parliamentary terms. He has also sat on various parliamentary committees, including Foreign Affairs and Defense; Constitution, Law and Justice; and Education and Culture. Appointed Minister of Communications in 2001, Rivlin sought to open up and expand the communications market in Israel and to ensure the development of advanced infrastructure. As twice-elected Speaker of the Knesset (2003-2006, 2009-2013), he worked to promote the parliament’s independence vis-à-vis the government and gained broad public recognition for his defense of Israeli democracy and his efforts to ensure the rights of minority groups.

    Rivlin was elected President of the State of Israel in 2014, winning cross-party support. He has since acted in numerous ways to safeguard Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, to firmly establish cooperation between the diverse sectors comprising Israeli society, and to ensure full equality and prosperity among all of its citizens.

    In May 2019, President Rivlin’s wife of nearly five decades, Nechama Rivlin z”l, passed away. An inspiring yet humble woman, Nechama leaves behind a legacy of supporting women and minorities and combatting intolerance and discrimination. Together they have four children and nine grandchildren. President Rivlin has been a vegetarian for ideological reasons for close to 30 years. 

    Read More » about Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin

    Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin

    President of the State of Israel

    Mr. Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin is the 10th and current President of the State of Israel.

    President Rivlin was born in 1939 in Jerusalem, where he resides to this day. His father, Prof. Yosef Yoel Rivlin, was a scholar of Semitic languages who translated the Qur’an and One Thousand and One Nights into Hebrew. His family’s roots in Jerusalem date back to the early 19th century. 

    Following his military service as an intelligence officer, President Rivlin studied law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He served as legal adviser, chairman, and team manager of the Beitar Jerusalem Sports Association, and was a member of the Jerusalem Municipal Council and of the El Al Executive Council. He is also a former member of the Board of Directors of the Khan Theater and a member of the International Council of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. He served as Chairman of the Likud Organization and Chairman of the Jerusalem Branch of the Herut Movement.

    As a member of the Likud Party, President Rivlin was first elected to the Knesset in 1988, and served seven parliamentary terms. He has also sat on various parliamentary committees, including Foreign Affairs and Defense; Constitution, Law and Justice; and Education and Culture. Appointed Minister of Communications in 2001, Rivlin sought to open up and expand the communications market in Israel and to ensure the development of advanced infrastructure. As twice-elected Speaker of the Knesset (2003-2006, 2009-2013), he worked to promote the parliament’s independence vis-à-vis the government and gained broad public recognition for his defense of Israeli democracy and his efforts to ensure the rights of minority groups.

    Rivlin was elected President of the State of Israel in 2014, winning cross-party support. He has since acted in numerous ways to safeguard Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, to firmly establish cooperation between the diverse sectors comprising Israeli society, and to ensure full equality and prosperity among all of its citizens.

    In May 2019, President Rivlin’s wife of nearly five decades, Nechama Rivlin z”l, passed away. An inspiring yet humble woman, Nechama leaves behind a legacy of supporting women and minorities and combatting intolerance and discrimination. Together they have four children and nine grandchildren. President Rivlin has been a vegetarian for ideological reasons for close to 30 years. 

  • Dr. Lital Adler

    Department of Biological Regulation

    Dr. Lital Adler completed her BSc in Medical Research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2003).  After graduate studies in the Medical School’s Department of Radiobiology and Biotechnology, she joined a direct-to-doctorate program at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, earning her PhD in Biochemistry in 2012.  Her postdoctoral training was undertaken under the supervision of Dr. Ayelet Erez at the Weizmann Institute (2013-2014), and Prof. Elizabeth Mellins at Stanford University (2015-2017).  She returned to the Weizmann Institute as a Staff Scientist in Dr. Erez’s lab in 2017. 

    Dr. Lital Adler completed her BSc in Medical Research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2003). After graduate studies in the Medical School’s Department of Radiobiology and Biotechnology, she joined a direct-to-doctorate program at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, earning her PhD in Biochemistry in 2012. Her postdoctoral training was undertaken under the supervision of Dr. Ayelet Erez at the Weizmann Institute (2013-2014), and Prof. Elizabeth Mellins at Stanford University (2015-2017). She returned to the Weizmann Institute as a Staff Scientist in Dr. Erez’s lab in 2017.

    Dr. Adler’s research focuses on urea cycle enzymes. The urea cycle is a process that removes toxic ammonia—a natural by-product of protein metabolism—from the body. The expression of urea cycle enzymes is systemically altered in cancer patients. An expert both in immunology and in various molecular and cellular biology methodologies—including gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and liquid chromatography—Dr. Adler’s work in the Erez lab has contributed to the discovery of how single-gene mutations that cause a toxic ammonia build-up in children is also involved in cancer progression.

    Dr. Adler has co-authored over a dozen papers, and is the recipient of a number of prestigious honors including the Weizmann Institute’s Dean of Faculty Fellowship (2013); the NIH T32 postdoctoral Fellowship in Immunology (2015-2016); and the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship from Stanford (2016-2017).

    Dr. Adler is married to Tahg, a global high-tech recruiting manager, and is proud mother to four active young boys. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, reading historical novels, and walking her dog, Panda.

    Read More » about Dr. Lital Adler

    Dr. Lital Adler

    Department of Biological Regulation

    Dr. Lital Adler completed her BSc in Medical Research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2003). After graduate studies in the Medical School’s Department of Radiobiology and Biotechnology, she joined a direct-to-doctorate program at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, earning her PhD in Biochemistry in 2012. Her postdoctoral training was undertaken under the supervision of Dr. Ayelet Erez at the Weizmann Institute (2013-2014), and Prof. Elizabeth Mellins at Stanford University (2015-2017). She returned to the Weizmann Institute as a Staff Scientist in Dr. Erez’s lab in 2017.

    Dr. Adler’s research focuses on urea cycle enzymes. The urea cycle is a process that removes toxic ammonia—a natural by-product of protein metabolism—from the body. The expression of urea cycle enzymes is systemically altered in cancer patients. An expert both in immunology and in various molecular and cellular biology methodologies—including gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and liquid chromatography—Dr. Adler’s work in the Erez lab has contributed to the discovery of how single-gene mutations that cause a toxic ammonia build-up in children is also involved in cancer progression.

    Dr. Adler has co-authored over a dozen papers, and is the recipient of a number of prestigious honors including the Weizmann Institute’s Dean of Faculty Fellowship (2013); the NIH T32 postdoctoral Fellowship in Immunology (2015-2016); and the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship from Stanford (2016-2017).

    Dr. Adler is married to Tahg, a global high-tech recruiting manager, and is proud mother to four active young boys. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, reading historical novels, and walking her dog, Panda.

  • Prof. Ido Amit

    Department of Immunology
    Eden and Steven Romick Professorial Chair

    Born in Kibbutz Hazor, Prof. Ido Amit earned his PhD in biological regulation at the Weizmann Institute of Science in 2007. He conducted a four-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Broad Institute of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, before joining the Weizmann Institute in 2011. He is the incumbent of the Eden and Steven Romick Professorial Chair.

    Born in Kibbutz Hazor, Prof. Ido Amit earned his PhD in biological regulation at the Weizmann Institute of Science in 2007. He conducted a four-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Broad Institute of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, before joining the Weizmann Institute in 2011. He is the incumbent of the Eden and Steven Romick Professorial Chair.

    Prof. Amit is a pioneer in the fields of single-cell genomics and sophisticated big-data analytics. He has spearheaded the application of these technologies to generate a comprehensive atlas of the entire immune system. Prof. Amit’s research addresses some of the most fundamental questions in immunology. His discoveries are enabling the development of new immunotherapy strategies,—translational science that is poised to drive innovation in targeted immunotherapy for autoimmune disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer. In addition, Prof. Amit is renowned in the science community as a leader in immunogenomics, a new field aimed at detecting and engineering genetic sequences that are essential for immune system function in health and disease. 

    Prof. Amit is therecipient of numerous awards for academic and scientific excellence, and was , most recently, appointed an International Research Scholar of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (2017).He is also the recipient of the EMBO Gold Medal Award (2016), the Helen and Martin Kimmel Award for Innovative Investigation (2016), and the Rappaport Prize (2016) for his work in revealing the function of the immune system. 

    Prof. Amit enjoys hiking and spending time with his family, as well as road and mountain biking.

    Read More » about Prof. Ido Amit

    Prof. Ido Amit

    Department of Immunology
    Eden and Steven Romick Professorial Chair

    Born in Kibbutz Hazor, Prof. Ido Amit earned his PhD in biological regulation at the Weizmann Institute of Science in 2007. He conducted a four-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Broad Institute of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, before joining the Weizmann Institute in 2011. He is the incumbent of the Eden and Steven Romick Professorial Chair.

    Prof. Amit is a pioneer in the fields of single-cell genomics and sophisticated big-data analytics. He has spearheaded the application of these technologies to generate a comprehensive atlas of the entire immune system. Prof. Amit’s research addresses some of the most fundamental questions in immunology. His discoveries are enabling the development of new immunotherapy strategies,—translational science that is poised to drive innovation in targeted immunotherapy for autoimmune disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer. In addition, Prof. Amit is renowned in the science community as a leader in immunogenomics, a new field aimed at detecting and engineering genetic sequences that are essential for immune system function in health and disease. 

    Prof. Amit is therecipient of numerous awards for academic and scientific excellence, and was , most recently, appointed an International Research Scholar of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (2017).He is also the recipient of the EMBO Gold Medal Award (2016), the Helen and Martin Kimmel Award for Innovative Investigation (2016), and the Rappaport Prize (2016) for his work in revealing the function of the immune system. 

    Prof. Amit enjoys hiking and spending time with his family, as well as road and mountain biking.

  • Prof. Israel Bar-Joseph

    Vice President for Resource Development and Public Affairs
    Dean, Educational Activities

    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 of 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.

    Read More » about Prof. Israel Bar-Joseph

    Prof. Israel Bar-Joseph

    Vice President for Resource Development and Public Affairs
    Dean, Educational Activities

    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 of 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.

  • Silvia Baum de Gerson

    Mexico
    President, Mexican Association of Friends of the Weizmann Institute of Science

    Silvia Baum de Gerson

    Mexico
    President, Mexican Association of Friends of the Weizmann Institute of Science

  • Prof. Carlos Caldas

    Professor of Cancer Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK

    Prof. Carlos Caldas is a clinician scientist and Senior Group Leader at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge. He is the Chair of Cancer Medicine at the University of Cambridge, an Honorary Consultant Medical Oncologist at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and Director of the Cambridge Breast Cancer Research Unit. Prof. Caldas graduated from the University of Lisbon Medical School, and trained at both the University of Texas Southwestern and Johns Hopkins University Hospital, before completing a research fellowship at the University of London. Prof. Caldas joined the Weizmann Institute of Science as a Visiting Professor in 2019.

    Prof. Carlos Caldas is a clinician scientist and Senior Group Leader at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge. He is the Chair of Cancer Medicine at the University of Cambridge, an Honorary Consultant Medical Oncologist at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and Director of the Cambridge Breast Cancer Research Unit. Prof. Caldas graduated from the University of Lisbon Medical School, and trained at both the University of Texas Southwestern and Johns Hopkins University Hospital, before completing a research fellowship at the University of London. Prof. Caldas joined the Weizmann Institute of Science as a Visiting Professor in 2019.

    Prof. Caldas conducts research on the biological and clinical implications of breast cancer genomics. His laboratory redefined the molecular taxonomy of breast cancer: The Caldas group revealed novel subtypes and causal pathways of breast cancer, and shown how it is possible to use functional genomics to predict the trajectories and relapse risk among different breast cancer subtypes. His group’s genetic profiling work has delineated a new role for microRNA molecules (miRNA)— tiny, functionally distinct bits of genetic material endowed with the ability to switch numerous genes on or off—as modulators of the immune response in a subset of breast cancers. 

    In addition, Prof. Caldas has co-led seminal studies of the genomic variability underlying triple negative breast cancers and the ways in which estrogen receptors affect genomic activity in primary breast tumors. His group led the studies of breast cancer biomarkers and novel ways to utilize biopsied tissue to overcome chemo-resistance. More recently, his laboratory has developed and pioneered the use of patient-derived tumors as a model system for breast cancer, in particular as a pre-clinical platform for testing responsiveness to different therapeutic interventions. 

    A prolific author of over 350 published journal articles, Prof. Caldas received the 2016 ESMO Hamilton Fairley Award, and is currently funded through an ERC Advanced Grant. He is a fellow of the Academy of the Medical Sciences, a fellow of the European Academy of Cancer Sciences, and a member of EMBO.

    Read More » about Prof. Carlos Caldas

    Prof. Carlos Caldas

    Professor of Cancer Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK

    Prof. Carlos Caldas is a clinician scientist and Senior Group Leader at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge. He is the Chair of Cancer Medicine at the University of Cambridge, an Honorary Consultant Medical Oncologist at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and Director of the Cambridge Breast Cancer Research Unit. Prof. Caldas graduated from the University of Lisbon Medical School, and trained at both the University of Texas Southwestern and Johns Hopkins University Hospital, before completing a research fellowship at the University of London. Prof. Caldas joined the Weizmann Institute of Science as a Visiting Professor in 2019.

    Prof. Caldas conducts research on the biological and clinical implications of breast cancer genomics. His laboratory redefined the molecular taxonomy of breast cancer: The Caldas group revealed novel subtypes and causal pathways of breast cancer, and shown how it is possible to use functional genomics to predict the trajectories and relapse risk among different breast cancer subtypes. His group’s genetic profiling work has delineated a new role for microRNA molecules (miRNA)— tiny, functionally distinct bits of genetic material endowed with the ability to switch numerous genes on or off—as modulators of the immune response in a subset of breast cancers. 

    In addition, Prof. Caldas has co-led seminal studies of the genomic variability underlying triple negative breast cancers and the ways in which estrogen receptors affect genomic activity in primary breast tumors. His group led the studies of breast cancer biomarkers and novel ways to utilize biopsied tissue to overcome chemo-resistance. More recently, his laboratory has developed and pioneered the use of patient-derived tumors as a model system for breast cancer, in particular as a pre-clinical platform for testing responsiveness to different therapeutic interventions. 

    A prolific author of over 350 published journal articles, Prof. Caldas received the 2016 ESMO Hamilton Fairley Award, and is currently funded through an ERC Advanced Grant. He is a fellow of the Academy of the Medical Sciences, a fellow of the European Academy of Cancer Sciences, and a member of EMBO.

  • Prof. Alon Chen

    President Elect

    Prof. Alon Chen is President-Elect of the Weizmann Institute of Science and will begin his term on Dec. 1, 2019. He was Head of the Department of Neurobiology from 2016-2019.  He is also Managing Director and Scientific Member at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany and serves as the Head of the Max Planck Society - Weizmann Institute of Science Laboratory for Experimental Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurogenetics. He is an adjunct Professor at the Medical School of the Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich.

    Prof. Alon Chen is President-Elect of the Weizmann Institute of Science and will begin his term on Dec. 1, 2019. He was Head of the Department of Neurobiology from 2016-2019.  He is also Managing Director and Scientific Member at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany and serves as the Head of the Max Planck Society - Weizmann Institute of Science Laboratory for Experimental Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurogenetics. He is an adjunct Professor at the Medical School of the Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich.

    Born in Israel in 1970, Prof. Chen received a BSc in Biological Studies, with distinction, from Ben-Gurion University in 1995, and a PhD from the Weizmann Institute of Science in 2001 (Direct PhD Program, with distinction). During his PhD studies, Prof. Chen also received an MBA from Ben-Gurion University. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California, where he started researching stress. In 2005, he joined the faculty of the Weizmann Institute, in the Department of Neurobiology. At the Weizmann Institute, he is the incumbent of the Vera and John Schwartz Professorial Chair in Neurobiology.

    Prof. Chen’s research focuses on the neurobiology of stress, particularly the mechanisms by which the brain regulates the response to stressful challenges and how this response is linked to psychiatric disorders. The collective long-term goal of his research is to elucidate the pathways and mechanisms by which stressors are perceived, processed, and transduced into neuroendocrine and behavioral responses under healthy and pathological conditions.
    His lab has made significant discoveries in the field, including fundamental aspects of the organism’s stress response and actions that link specific stress-related genes, epigenetic mechanisms, and brain circuits with anxiety disorders, depression, eating disorders, and the metabolic syndrome. Prof. Chen and his team use both genetic mouse models and human patients to ultimately create the scientific groundwork for therapeutic interventions to treat stress-related behavioral and physiological disorders.

    Over the years in his various scientific and administrative leadership roles, Prof. Chen has worked extensively with scientific boards, executive boards, elected officials, alumni, donors, and the community at large, to advance the mission of the institutions in which he is involved. On many occasions, Prof. Chen has presented their visions, missions, and values to internal and external stakeholders. He has also been responsible for approving and overseeing institutional and departmental budgets and for securing external funding support.  Prof. Chen is known for his excellent communication and interpersonal skills, strong leadership aptitude, and the ability to identify opportunities and to convert challenges into innovative solutions. 
    He is the recipient of both the Rothschild and Fulbright fellowships. Upon his joining the Weizmann Institute faculty, he received the Alon Fellowship, the most prestigious Israeli fellowship for returning scientists.

    Prof. Chen is married with two children and has a keen interest in science education.

    Read More » about Prof. Alon Chen

    Prof. Alon Chen

    President Elect

    Prof. Alon Chen is President-Elect of the Weizmann Institute of Science and will begin his term on Dec. 1, 2019. He was Head of the Department of Neurobiology from 2016-2019.  He is also Managing Director and Scientific Member at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany and serves as the Head of the Max Planck Society - Weizmann Institute of Science Laboratory for Experimental Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurogenetics. He is an adjunct Professor at the Medical School of the Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich.

    Born in Israel in 1970, Prof. Chen received a BSc in Biological Studies, with distinction, from Ben-Gurion University in 1995, and a PhD from the Weizmann Institute of Science in 2001 (Direct PhD Program, with distinction). During his PhD studies, Prof. Chen also received an MBA from Ben-Gurion University. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California, where he started researching stress. In 2005, he joined the faculty of the Weizmann Institute, in the Department of Neurobiology. At the Weizmann Institute, he is the incumbent of the Vera and John Schwartz Professorial Chair in Neurobiology.

    Prof. Chen’s research focuses on the neurobiology of stress, particularly the mechanisms by which the brain regulates the response to stressful challenges and how this response is linked to psychiatric disorders. The collective long-term goal of his research is to elucidate the pathways and mechanisms by which stressors are perceived, processed, and transduced into neuroendocrine and behavioral responses under healthy and pathological conditions.
    His lab has made significant discoveries in the field, including fundamental aspects of the organism’s stress response and actions that link specific stress-related genes, epigenetic mechanisms, and brain circuits with anxiety disorders, depression, eating disorders, and the metabolic syndrome. Prof. Chen and his team use both genetic mouse models and human patients to ultimately create the scientific groundwork for therapeutic interventions to treat stress-related behavioral and physiological disorders.

    Over the years in his various scientific and administrative leadership roles, Prof. Chen has worked extensively with scientific boards, executive boards, elected officials, alumni, donors, and the community at large, to advance the mission of the institutions in which he is involved. On many occasions, Prof. Chen has presented their visions, missions, and values to internal and external stakeholders. He has also been responsible for approving and overseeing institutional and departmental budgets and for securing external funding support.  Prof. Chen is known for his excellent communication and interpersonal skills, strong leadership aptitude, and the ability to identify opportunities and to convert challenges into innovative solutions. 
    He is the recipient of both the Rothschild and Fulbright fellowships. Upon his joining the Weizmann Institute faculty, he received the Alon Fellowship, the most prestigious Israeli fellowship for returning scientists.

    Prof. Chen is married with two children and has a keen interest in science education.

  • Dame Vivien Duffield, DBE

    United Kingdom
    Chair, Clore Foundation

    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. At the Weizmann Institute of Science, the Clore Foundation established the Clore Garden of Science, the Clore Center for Biological Physics, and the Clore Institute for High-Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy. The Clore FOundation also supports the Sir Charles Clore-Weizmann Fund Post-Doctoral Fellowships and Sir Charles Clore Doctoral Fellowship.

    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

    United Kingdom
    Chair, Clore Foundation

    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. At the Weizmann Institute of Science, the Clore Foundation established the Clore Garden of Science, the Clore Center for Biological Physics, and the Clore Institute for High-Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy. The Clore FOundation also supports the Sir Charles Clore-Weizmann Fund Post-Doctoral Fellowships and Sir Charles Clore Doctoral Fellowship.

    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.

     

  • Dr. Sarel Fleishman

    Department of Biomolecular Sciences

    Prof. Sarel Fleishman was born in Israel. He completed the Adi Lautman Interdisciplinary Program for Outstanding Students and the Life Sciences Research Track at Tel-Aviv University in 2000. He then earned an MSc summa cum laude in 2002, and a PhD with distinction in 2006, both at Tel-Aviv University. He worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington, Seattle from 2007 until joining the faculty of the Weizmann Institute in September 2011. Until his promotion, Prof. Fleishman was the incumbent of the Martha S. Sagon Career Development Chair. He serves as the Director of the Dr. Barry Sherman Institute for Medicinal Chemistry.

    Prof. Sarel Fleishman was born in Israel. He completed the Adi Lautman Interdisciplinary Program for Outstanding Students and the Life Sciences Research Track at Tel-Aviv University in 2000. He then earned an MSc summa cum laude in 2002, and a PhD with distinction in 2006, both at Tel-Aviv University. He worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington, Seattle from 2007 until joining the faculty of the Weizmann Institute in September 2011. Until his promotion, Prof. Fleishman was the incumbent of the Martha S. Sagon Career Development Chair. He serves as the Director of the Dr. Barry Sherman Institute for Medicinal Chemistry.   

    Working at the interface of molecular biology, biophysics, and biochemistry, Prof. Fleishman studies proteins—the working molecules of living organisms. He and his research team develop computer algorithms that encode the current understanding of how proteins fold, bind, and interact, and then conduct experiments to verify the accuracy of their “designed protein.” 

    The Fleishman group was responsible for developing the first completely automated methods for optimizing the activities of diverse proteins. Using these methods, they designed a protein that is an exciting candidate to serve as a vaccine against malaria. The designed protein was much more stable and could be produced cheaply while fully retaining its immunologically protective properties. This innovation could decrease the costs and improve the feasibility of applying this important protein. More recently, his lab demonstrated how to substantially improve therapeutic proteins, designing an enzyme that could break down toxic nerve agents—sarin, soman, and Russian VX—by as much as 4,000-fold above the rates of the starting enzyme. To enable widespread implementation, the Fleishman lab developed these methods into web servers that have been adopted by hundreds of labs around the world. Current efforts in the group focus on developing general methods to design antibodies directed toward viruses and other drug targets.

    Prof. Fleishman’s honors include the Weizmann Institute’s Scientific Council Award in 2018, the Henri Guttwirth Research Award in 2017, an Alon Fellowship in 2012 from the Israel Council for Higher Education, postdoctoral fellowships from the Human Frontier Science Program from 2006 through 2009, a Rothschild Postdoctoral Fellowship (withdrew, 2006), the GE Healthcare and Science Young Investigator Award in Molecular Biology in 2008, and a Sir Charles Clore Doctoral Fellowship from 2003 to 2006.

    Read More » about Dr. Sarel Fleishman

    Dr. Sarel Fleishman

    Department of Biomolecular Sciences

    Prof. Sarel Fleishman was born in Israel. He completed the Adi Lautman Interdisciplinary Program for Outstanding Students and the Life Sciences Research Track at Tel-Aviv University in 2000. He then earned an MSc summa cum laude in 2002, and a PhD with distinction in 2006, both at Tel-Aviv University. He worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington, Seattle from 2007 until joining the faculty of the Weizmann Institute in September 2011. Until his promotion, Prof. Fleishman was the incumbent of the Martha S. Sagon Career Development Chair. He serves as the Director of the Dr. Barry Sherman Institute for Medicinal Chemistry.   

    Working at the interface of molecular biology, biophysics, and biochemistry, Prof. Fleishman studies proteins—the working molecules of living organisms. He and his research team develop computer algorithms that encode the current understanding of how proteins fold, bind, and interact, and then conduct experiments to verify the accuracy of their “designed protein.” 

    The Fleishman group was responsible for developing the first completely automated methods for optimizing the activities of diverse proteins. Using these methods, they designed a protein that is an exciting candidate to serve as a vaccine against malaria. The designed protein was much more stable and could be produced cheaply while fully retaining its immunologically protective properties. This innovation could decrease the costs and improve the feasibility of applying this important protein. More recently, his lab demonstrated how to substantially improve therapeutic proteins, designing an enzyme that could break down toxic nerve agents—sarin, soman, and Russian VX—by as much as 4,000-fold above the rates of the starting enzyme. To enable widespread implementation, the Fleishman lab developed these methods into web servers that have been adopted by hundreds of labs around the world. Current efforts in the group focus on developing general methods to design antibodies directed toward viruses and other drug targets.

    Prof. Fleishman’s honors include the Weizmann Institute’s Scientific Council Award in 2018, the Henri Guttwirth Research Award in 2017, an Alon Fellowship in 2012 from the Israel Council for Higher Education, postdoctoral fellowships from the Human Frontier Science Program from 2006 through 2009, a Rothschild Postdoctoral Fellowship (withdrew, 2006), the GE Healthcare and Science Young Investigator Award in Molecular Biology in 2008, and a Sir Charles Clore Doctoral Fellowship from 2003 to 2006.

  • Shulamit Geri

    Vice President for Administration and Finance

    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

    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. Christopher Goodnow

    Australia
    Executive Director, Garvan Institute of Medical Research

    Professor Goodnow holds The Bill and Patricia Ritchie Foundation Chair as Head of the Immunogenomics laboratory, a NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow, and is Professor and Director of the Cellular Genomics Futures Institute at UNSW Sydney.

    Professor Goodnow holds The Bill and Patricia Ritchie Foundation Chair as Head of the Immunogenomics laboratory, a NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow, and is Professor and Director of the Cellular Genomics Futures Institute at UNSW Sydney.

    With an American father and Australian mother, Professor Goodnow grew up in Washington DC before moving to Sydney as a teenager. He trained in veterinary medicine and surgery, immunochemistry and immunology at the University of Sydney and in DNA technology at Stanford University. After doctoral studies begun at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne and performed at Sydney University, he joined the faculty of Stanford University Medical School and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in 1990. There he established the concept of multiple immune tolerance checkpoints, a framework now widely used in cancer treatment with “checkpoint inhibitors”, and revealed the function of key genes in these checkpoints including FAS, CD86, PTPN6/SHP1, and later AIRE.

    To pioneer genome-wide analysis of the DNA sequences controlling the immune system, he joined the faculty at the Australian National University in 1997 as Professor and founding Director of the Medical Genome Centre, leading its development into a major national research facility, the Australian Phenomics Facility. That effort revealed critical, entirely unknown functions of fourteen essential genes controlling the immune system, including CARD11, ROQUIN1, HNRNPLL, THEMIS, DOCK8, ATP11C, SPPL2A, ZFP318, GSDMD and ETAA1, as well as four previously obscure genes in neurodegeneration and infertility.

    Professor Goodnow joined Garvan in 2015 as Deputy Director and to translate genomic DNA sequence analysis of the human immune system into understanding the cause of immune disorders and developing more effective, personalised treatments. In his time at Garvan, he has forged a close partnership between Garvan and Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science, and has overseen the development of the multi-million dollar Garvan-Weizmann Centre for Cellular Genomics, the only multidisciplinary centre of its kind in the southern hemisphere. He was key to the development of CIRCA (Clinical Immunogenomics Research Consortium Australia), a Garvan-led national initiative that seeks to diagnose, understand and treat individuals with rare immune disorders through a combination of genomic DNA sequencing, clinical expertise and biomedical research.

    Professor Goodnow is now leading Hope Research – a transformative research program that is an initiative of the Garvan-Weizmann partnership and is supported by The Bill and Patricia Ritchie Foundation. Hope Research aims to uncover a common cause for all autoimmune disease, which include more than 100 different diseases that collectively affect one in eight people. Using single cell DNA sequencing, Professor Goodnow and his team are tracking down and identifying the ‘rogue’ immune cells in the blood of adults with 36 autoimmune diseases, which drive the immune system to attack parts of the body.

    Professor Goodnow’s research contributions have been recognised by numerous awards, including the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) Pharmingen Investigator Award, AAI Distinguished Lecturer, Australasian Society for Immunology Burnet Orator, Gottschalk Medal, Health Minister’s Prize, Centenary Medal, Ramaciotti Medal, GSK Award for Research Excellence, William E. Paul Award. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, Fellow of the Royal Society (UK), and Member of the US National Academy of Sciences. He was President of the Australasian Society for Immunology in 2015-2016.

    Beyond his research endeavours, Professor Goodnow enjoys spending time with his family and surfing at Sydney’s Manly Beach and on the NSW South Coast. Surfing has been a passion since Professor Goodnow’s school days, and he is well known in surfing circles for leading a 1980 expedition discovering the now-famous breaks in Indonesia’s remote Mentawai Islands.

    Read More » about Prof. Christopher Goodnow

    Prof. Christopher Goodnow

    Australia
    Executive Director, Garvan Institute of Medical Research

    Professor Goodnow holds The Bill and Patricia Ritchie Foundation Chair as Head of the Immunogenomics laboratory, a NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow, and is Professor and Director of the Cellular Genomics Futures Institute at UNSW Sydney.

    With an American father and Australian mother, Professor Goodnow grew up in Washington DC before moving to Sydney as a teenager. He trained in veterinary medicine and surgery, immunochemistry and immunology at the University of Sydney and in DNA technology at Stanford University. After doctoral studies begun at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne and performed at Sydney University, he joined the faculty of Stanford University Medical School and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in 1990. There he established the concept of multiple immune tolerance checkpoints, a framework now widely used in cancer treatment with “checkpoint inhibitors”, and revealed the function of key genes in these checkpoints including FAS, CD86, PTPN6/SHP1, and later AIRE.

    To pioneer genome-wide analysis of the DNA sequences controlling the immune system, he joined the faculty at the Australian National University in 1997 as Professor and founding Director of the Medical Genome Centre, leading its development into a major national research facility, the Australian Phenomics Facility. That effort revealed critical, entirely unknown functions of fourteen essential genes controlling the immune system, including CARD11, ROQUIN1, HNRNPLL, THEMIS, DOCK8, ATP11C, SPPL2A, ZFP318, GSDMD and ETAA1, as well as four previously obscure genes in neurodegeneration and infertility.

    Professor Goodnow joined Garvan in 2015 as Deputy Director and to translate genomic DNA sequence analysis of the human immune system into understanding the cause of immune disorders and developing more effective, personalised treatments. In his time at Garvan, he has forged a close partnership between Garvan and Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science, and has overseen the development of the multi-million dollar Garvan-Weizmann Centre for Cellular Genomics, the only multidisciplinary centre of its kind in the southern hemisphere. He was key to the development of CIRCA (Clinical Immunogenomics Research Consortium Australia), a Garvan-led national initiative that seeks to diagnose, understand and treat individuals with rare immune disorders through a combination of genomic DNA sequencing, clinical expertise and biomedical research.

    Professor Goodnow is now leading Hope Research – a transformative research program that is an initiative of the Garvan-Weizmann partnership and is supported by The Bill and Patricia Ritchie Foundation. Hope Research aims to uncover a common cause for all autoimmune disease, which include more than 100 different diseases that collectively affect one in eight people. Using single cell DNA sequencing, Professor Goodnow and his team are tracking down and identifying the ‘rogue’ immune cells in the blood of adults with 36 autoimmune diseases, which drive the immune system to attack parts of the body.

    Professor Goodnow’s research contributions have been recognised by numerous awards, including the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) Pharmingen Investigator Award, AAI Distinguished Lecturer, Australasian Society for Immunology Burnet Orator, Gottschalk Medal, Health Minister’s Prize, Centenary Medal, Ramaciotti Medal, GSK Award for Research Excellence, William E. Paul Award. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, Fellow of the Royal Society (UK), and Member of the US National Academy of Sciences. He was President of the Australasian Society for Immunology in 2015-2016.

    Beyond his research endeavours, Professor Goodnow enjoys spending time with his family and surfing at Sydney’s Manly Beach and on the NSW South Coast. Surfing has been a passion since Professor Goodnow’s school days, and he is well known in surfing circles for leading a 1980 expedition discovering the now-famous breaks in Indonesia’s remote Mentawai Islands.

  • Alain Grosmann

    France
    Treasurer, French Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science

    In his extensive career as an auditor, Alain Grosmann has been responsible for
    the auditing of several multinational companies listed on both the Paris and
    New York stock exchanges. The companies have been mainly within the steel
    manufacturing (Arcelor), electronic and technology/media/telecommunications
    (Scheider Electronique, Alcatel, Vivendi), and service (Veolia, F.C.B.) industries.

    In his extensive career as an auditor, Alain Grosmann has been responsible for
    the auditing of several multinational companies listed on both the Paris and
    New York stock exchanges. The companies have been mainly within the steel
    manufacturing (Arcelor), electronic and technology/media/telecommunications
    (Scheider Electronique, Alcatel, Vivendi), and service (Veolia, F.C.B.) industries.

    Over the course of his work with Arthur Andersen, from 1967 through 2002, Alain
    served as a worldwide audit partner, a partner in charge of the Andersen audit
    business unit in France, an international board member, a partner in charge of
    audit practice quality (i.e., control, procedures, personnel, client service program)
    and risk management for France, Benelux, Switzerland, and Morocco, and finally,
    as Vice Chairman of the European Executive Committee for Risk Management. In
    2002, Alain became a Senior Partner with Ernst & Young and served as a member of
    the Arthur Andersen merger task force and the Ernst & Young transition executive
    committee, through 2003.

    In addition to his work with Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young, Alain has worked
    with the French Insitute of Commissariat aux Comptes, participating on its
    committee of auditing standards. He also served on the Institute’s ad hoc working
    group to monitor the registration process of French audit firms with the U.S. Public
    Company Accounting Oversight Board. Alain has served as the Chairman of the
    Ethical Committee of the French Institute of Directors. Alain graduated from the
    Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris with a degree in finance and accounting. He is a certified public account, and a certified legal auditor.

    Alain has long been a friend of the Weizmann Institute of Science, including
    membership in the Weizmann France-Europe.

    Read More » about Alain Grosmann

    Alain Grosmann

    France
    Treasurer, French Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science

    In his extensive career as an auditor, Alain Grosmann has been responsible for
    the auditing of several multinational companies listed on both the Paris and
    New York stock exchanges. The companies have been mainly within the steel
    manufacturing (Arcelor), electronic and technology/media/telecommunications
    (Scheider Electronique, Alcatel, Vivendi), and service (Veolia, F.C.B.) industries.

    Over the course of his work with Arthur Andersen, from 1967 through 2002, Alain
    served as a worldwide audit partner, a partner in charge of the Andersen audit
    business unit in France, an international board member, a partner in charge of
    audit practice quality (i.e., control, procedures, personnel, client service program)
    and risk management for France, Benelux, Switzerland, and Morocco, and finally,
    as Vice Chairman of the European Executive Committee for Risk Management. In
    2002, Alain became a Senior Partner with Ernst & Young and served as a member of
    the Arthur Andersen merger task force and the Ernst & Young transition executive
    committee, through 2003.

    In addition to his work with Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young, Alain has worked
    with the French Insitute of Commissariat aux Comptes, participating on its
    committee of auditing standards. He also served on the Institute’s ad hoc working
    group to monitor the registration process of French audit firms with the U.S. Public
    Company Accounting Oversight Board. Alain has served as the Chairman of the
    Ethical Committee of the French Institute of Directors. Alain graduated from the
    Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris with a degree in finance and accounting. He is a certified public account, and a certified legal auditor.

    Alain has long been a friend of the Weizmann Institute of Science, including
    membership in the Weizmann France-Europe.

  • Prof. Jacob (Yaqub) Hanna

    Department of Molecular Genetics

    Born in Rama, a village in the Galilee region of Israel, Prof. Jacob (Yaqub) Hanna earned his BSc in medical science (2001), PhD in microbiology and immunology (2007), and MD in clinical medicine summa cum laude (2007) from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He conducted postdoctoral research at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. He joined the Weizmann Institute in 2011.

    Born in Rama, a village in the Galilee region of Israel, Prof. Jacob (Yaqub) Hanna earned his BSc in medical science (2001), PhD in microbiology and immunology (2007), and MD in clinical medicine summa cum laude (2007) from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He conducted postdoctoral research at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. He joined the Weizmann Institute in 2011.

    Prof. Hanna is pioneering techniques in induced pluripotency and reprogramming of adult cells. Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells have regenerative properties almost identical to those of embryonic stem cells, but can be created from adult cells without using an egg or fetal material. Prof. Hanna was the lead researcher in a study that showed how further-modified iPS cells could be used to treat sickle-cell anemia in mice, the first proof of concept of the therapeutic application of iPS cells. Prof. Hanna has uncovered novel pathways regulating the reprogramming process, and was the first to boost it up to 100% efficiency. He was also the first to derive pristine “naïve” human pluripotent cells equivalent to those derived from mice, and can generate “humanized” mouse models that have human derived tissues. In addition to demonstrating the power of cell reprogramming, his work offers the promise of powerful new research models for infertility, degenerative diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, and cancer.

    During his postdoctoral work, Prof. Hanna received a prestigious Novartis Fellowship from the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation. In 2010, he was awarded the Sir Charles Clore Prize for Outstanding Appointment as a Senior Scientist in the Weizmann Institute. He received a European Research Council Early and Consolidator Career Development Awards (2011, 2016), an EMBO young investigator (EMBO-YIP) award (2012), a Rappaport Prize in biomedical research (2013), a Krill Prize for Scientific Excellence by the Wolf Foundation (2013), and the Helen and Martin Kimmel Award for Innovative Investigation (2014). In 2014, he was elected as a member of the Israel Young Academy and was featured among “40 under 40” innovative scientists by the prestigious journal Cell. He sits on the editorial boards of several leading stem cell journals and was elected as a member of EMBO in 2017

    Read More » about Prof. Jacob (Yaqub) Hanna

    Prof. Jacob (Yaqub) Hanna

    Department of Molecular Genetics

    Born in Rama, a village in the Galilee region of Israel, Prof. Jacob (Yaqub) Hanna earned his BSc in medical science (2001), PhD in microbiology and immunology (2007), and MD in clinical medicine summa cum laude (2007) from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He conducted postdoctoral research at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. He joined the Weizmann Institute in 2011.

    Prof. Hanna is pioneering techniques in induced pluripotency and reprogramming of adult cells. Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells have regenerative properties almost identical to those of embryonic stem cells, but can be created from adult cells without using an egg or fetal material. Prof. Hanna was the lead researcher in a study that showed how further-modified iPS cells could be used to treat sickle-cell anemia in mice, the first proof of concept of the therapeutic application of iPS cells. Prof. Hanna has uncovered novel pathways regulating the reprogramming process, and was the first to boost it up to 100% efficiency. He was also the first to derive pristine “naïve” human pluripotent cells equivalent to those derived from mice, and can generate “humanized” mouse models that have human derived tissues. In addition to demonstrating the power of cell reprogramming, his work offers the promise of powerful new research models for infertility, degenerative diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, and cancer.

    During his postdoctoral work, Prof. Hanna received a prestigious Novartis Fellowship from the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation. In 2010, he was awarded the Sir Charles Clore Prize for Outstanding Appointment as a Senior Scientist in the Weizmann Institute. He received a European Research Council Early and Consolidator Career Development Awards (2011, 2016), an EMBO young investigator (EMBO-YIP) award (2012), a Rappaport Prize in biomedical research (2013), a Krill Prize for Scientific Excellence by the Wolf Foundation (2013), and the Helen and Martin Kimmel Award for Innovative Investigation (2014). In 2014, he was elected as a member of the Israel Young Academy and was featured among “40 under 40” innovative scientists by the prestigious journal Cell. He sits on the editorial boards of several leading stem cell journals and was elected as a member of EMBO in 2017

  • Shimshon Harel

    Chair, Executive Board
    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
    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. Serge Haroche

    France
    Co-Chair, Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee

    Prof. Serge Haroche was born in 1944 in Casablanca. He graduated from École Normale Supérieure (ENS), receiving his doctorate from Paris VI University in 1971 (thesis advisor: Claude Cohen-Tannoudji). After a post-doctoral visit to Stanford University in the laboratory of Arthur Schawlow (1972-73), he became full professor at Paris VI University in 1975, a position he held until 2001, when he was appointed Professor at Collège de France (in the chair of quantum physics).

    Prof. Serge Haroche was born in 1944 in Casablanca. He graduated from École Normale Supérieure (ENS), receiving his doctorate from Paris VI University in 1971 (thesis advisor: Claude Cohen-Tannoudji). After a post-doctoral visit to Stanford University in the laboratory of Arthur Schawlow (1972-73), he became full professor at Paris VI University in 1975, a position he held until 2001, when he was appointed Professor at Collège de France (in the chair of quantum physics). He has been Maitre de Conference at Ecole Polytechique (1974- 1984), visiting professor at Harvard (1981), part time professor at Yale University (1984-1993), member of Institut Universitaire de France (1991-2000) and Chairman of the ENS Department of Physics (1994-2000). From 2012 to 2015 he has been Administrateur of Collège de France (President of the institution). Since 2015, he is Emeritus Professor at Collège de France. His research has mostly taken place in laboratoire Kastler Brossel at ENS, where he now works with a team of senior coworkers, postdocs, and graduate students.

    Prof. Haroche has received many prizes and awards, culminating with the Nobel Prize in Physics 2012, shared with David Wineland. Other awards include the Grand Prix Jean Ricard of the French Physical Society (1983), the Einstein Prize for Laser science (1988), the Humboldt Award (1992), the Michelson Medal from the Franklin Institute (1993), the Tomassoni Award from La Sapienza University (Rome, 2001), the Quantum Electronics prize of the European Physical Society (2002), the Quantum Communication Award of the International Organization for Quantum Communication, Measurement and Computing (2002), the Townes Award of the Optical Society of America, the CNRS Gold Medal (2009) and the Herbert Walter Prize of the German Physical Society and the Optical Society of America.

    He is a member of the French Academy of Sciences, a Foreign Member of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States and of the Brazilian, Moroccan, Colombian, and Russian academies of Sciences. He has received honorary degrees from the Universities of Patras, Montreal, Strathclyde, Bar Ilan, and City University of Hong Kong as well as from the Weizmann Institute of Sciences (2015).

    Read More » about Prof. Serge Haroche

    Prof. Serge Haroche

    France
    Co-Chair, Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee

    Prof. Serge Haroche was born in 1944 in Casablanca. He graduated from École Normale Supérieure (ENS), receiving his doctorate from Paris VI University in 1971 (thesis advisor: Claude Cohen-Tannoudji). After a post-doctoral visit to Stanford University in the laboratory of Arthur Schawlow (1972-73), he became full professor at Paris VI University in 1975, a position he held until 2001, when he was appointed Professor at Collège de France (in the chair of quantum physics). He has been Maitre de Conference at Ecole Polytechique (1974- 1984), visiting professor at Harvard (1981), part time professor at Yale University (1984-1993), member of Institut Universitaire de France (1991-2000) and Chairman of the ENS Department of Physics (1994-2000). From 2012 to 2015 he has been Administrateur of Collège de France (President of the institution). Since 2015, he is Emeritus Professor at Collège de France. His research has mostly taken place in laboratoire Kastler Brossel at ENS, where he now works with a team of senior coworkers, postdocs, and graduate students.

    Prof. Haroche has received many prizes and awards, culminating with the Nobel Prize in Physics 2012, shared with David Wineland. Other awards include the Grand Prix Jean Ricard of the French Physical Society (1983), the Einstein Prize for Laser science (1988), the Humboldt Award (1992), the Michelson Medal from the Franklin Institute (1993), the Tomassoni Award from La Sapienza University (Rome, 2001), the Quantum Electronics prize of the European Physical Society (2002), the Quantum Communication Award of the International Organization for Quantum Communication, Measurement and Computing (2002), the Townes Award of the Optical Society of America, the CNRS Gold Medal (2009) and the Herbert Walter Prize of the German Physical Society and the Optical Society of America.

    He is a member of the French Academy of Sciences, a Foreign Member of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States and of the Brazilian, Moroccan, Colombian, and Russian academies of Sciences. He has received honorary degrees from the Universities of Patras, Montreal, Strathclyde, Bar Ilan, and City University of Hong Kong as well as from the Weizmann Institute of Sciences (2015).

  • Dr. Takashi Kawashima

    Department of Neurobiology

    Born in Japan, Dr. Takashi Kawashima completed his MD in 2009 and his PhD in biochemistry in 2013 at the University of Tokyo. During his PhD studies, he also learned visual physiology and in vivo imaging at the Kyushu University. In 2013, Dr. Kawashima joined the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Janelia Research Campus in Ashburn, Virginia as a postdoctoral associate. He joined the faculty of the Weizmann Institute of Science in June 2019. He is the incumbent of Birnbach family career Development Chair.

    Born in Japan, Dr. Takashi Kawashima completed his MD in 2009 and his PhD in biochemistry in 2013 at the University of Tokyo. During his PhD studies, he also learned visual physiology and in vivo imaging at the Kyushu University. In 2013, Dr. Kawashima joined the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Janelia Research Campus in Ashburn, Virginia as a postdoctoral associate. He joined the faculty of the Weizmann Institute of Science in June 2019. He is the incumbent of Birnbach family career Development Chair.

    Dr. Kawashima studies an aspect of the learning process regulated by the release of a special class of chemical agents by one neuron, to change the activity of a group of other neurons, a process called neuromodulation. The chemicals involved—such as dopamine and serotonin—act as dimmers or amplifiers in the brain, regulating the activity of a whole host of brain cells at once. Dr. Kawashima uses zebrafish to study the learning process—tiny fish that share many learning-related neural circuits with humans and whose small, transparent brains can be imaged and analyzed whole or at the single-cell level. He is especially interested in how dopamine and serotonin systems affect how we (or fish) learn that a particular stimulus is positive or negative, and worth taking a risk to obtain or avoid. Clarifying how the brain learns to make positive or negative associations with stimuli has major implications for understanding both addiction and anxiety disorders. Dr. Kawashima also anticipates that his research will have implications for understanding the relationship between the primary effects and side effects of neuropsychiatric drugs, which typically target the dopamine and serotonin systems.

    Beginning with a gold medal in the Japan High-School Chemistry Grand Prix in 2002, Dr. Kawashima has received a number of honors and recognition, including: The University of Tokyo President’s Award in 2009, a three-year JSPS pre-doctoral fellowship beginning in 2010, the Inoue Research Award for Young Scientists in 2015, and the Japan Neuroscience Society Young Investigator Award in 2017. He has two Japanese and one international patents for inventions in biomedical research.

    Dr. Kawashima is married to Dr. Mio Nonaka, a neuroscientist joining the lab of Prof. Orly Reiner at the Weizmann Institute of Science. The couple have two daughters. 

    Read More » about Dr. Takashi Kawashima

    Dr. Takashi Kawashima

    Department of Neurobiology

    Born in Japan, Dr. Takashi Kawashima completed his MD in 2009 and his PhD in biochemistry in 2013 at the University of Tokyo. During his PhD studies, he also learned visual physiology and in vivo imaging at the Kyushu University. In 2013, Dr. Kawashima joined the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Janelia Research Campus in Ashburn, Virginia as a postdoctoral associate. He joined the faculty of the Weizmann Institute of Science in June 2019. He is the incumbent of Birnbach family career Development Chair.

    Dr. Kawashima studies an aspect of the learning process regulated by the release of a special class of chemical agents by one neuron, to change the activity of a group of other neurons, a process called neuromodulation. The chemicals involved—such as dopamine and serotonin—act as dimmers or amplifiers in the brain, regulating the activity of a whole host of brain cells at once. Dr. Kawashima uses zebrafish to study the learning process—tiny fish that share many learning-related neural circuits with humans and whose small, transparent brains can be imaged and analyzed whole or at the single-cell level. He is especially interested in how dopamine and serotonin systems affect how we (or fish) learn that a particular stimulus is positive or negative, and worth taking a risk to obtain or avoid. Clarifying how the brain learns to make positive or negative associations with stimuli has major implications for understanding both addiction and anxiety disorders. Dr. Kawashima also anticipates that his research will have implications for understanding the relationship between the primary effects and side effects of neuropsychiatric drugs, which typically target the dopamine and serotonin systems.

    Beginning with a gold medal in the Japan High-School Chemistry Grand Prix in 2002, Dr. Kawashima has received a number of honors and recognition, including: The University of Tokyo President’s Award in 2009, a three-year JSPS pre-doctoral fellowship beginning in 2010, the Inoue Research Award for Young Scientists in 2015, and the Japan Neuroscience Society Young Investigator Award in 2017. He has two Japanese and one international patents for inventions in biomedical research.

    Dr. Kawashima is married to Dr. Mio Nonaka, a neuroscientist joining the lab of Prof. Orly Reiner at the Weizmann Institute of Science. The couple have two daughters. 

  • Prof. Rafal Klajn

    Department of Organic Chemistry

    Born in Poland, Prof. Rafal Klajn completed an MSc summa cum laude in Chemistry at the University of Warsaw, Poland, in 2004 and a PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering at Northwestern University in Evanston (USA) in 2009. He joined the Department of Organic Chemistry at the Weizmann Institute of Science in that same year. Prof. Klajn is the 2019 winner of the Helen and Martin Kimmel Award for Innovative Investigation.

    Born in Poland, Prof. Rafal Klajn completed an MSc summa cum laude in Chemistry at the University of Warsaw, Poland, in 2004 and a PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering at Northwestern University in Evanston (USA) in 2009. He joined the Department of Organic Chemistry at the Weizmann Institute of Science in that same year.

    Prof. Klajn's research group focuses on supramolecular chemistry, which is the study of entities of greater complexity than individual molecules—assemblies of molecules that bond and organize through intermolecular interactions. He is also interested in developing new “smart” materials by integrating two types of building blocks: nanocrystals and molecular switches. Based on these studies, the group has recently fabricated reversible information storage media, in which information can be stored for desired periods of time.

    Among his honors and awards are the 2019 Helen and Martin Kimmel Award for Innovative Investigation, 2018 Cram Lehn Pedersen Prize in Supramolecular Chemistry, and the 2017 Chemical Society Reviews Emerging Investigator Lectureship. In 2016, he received the Weizmann Institute Scientific Council Prize for Chemistry and the Netherlands Scholar Award for Supramolecular Chemistry. Previously, Prof. Klajn received the 2015 Outstanding Young Scientist Award of the Israel Chemical Society, the 2013 Victor K. LaMer Award from the American Chemical Society, and the 2010 IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) Prize for Young Chemists.

    He serves on the advisory boards of several scientific journals, including Chemical Society Reviews, Chem, and ChemPhotoChem. He has recently organized several conferences, including the Annual Meeting of the Israel Chemical Society and Gordon Research Conferences on Artificial Molecular Switches & Motors, Systems Chemistry, and Self-Assembly & Supramolecular Chemistry.

    Prof. Klajn is married to cultural anthropologist, translator, and Yiddish scholar, Dr. Aleksandra Geller. They have two children, Adam and Adela.

    Read More » about Prof. Rafal Klajn

    Prof. Rafal Klajn

    Department of Organic Chemistry

    Born in Poland, Prof. Rafal Klajn completed an MSc summa cum laude in Chemistry at the University of Warsaw, Poland, in 2004 and a PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering at Northwestern University in Evanston (USA) in 2009. He joined the Department of Organic Chemistry at the Weizmann Institute of Science in that same year.

    Prof. Klajn's research group focuses on supramolecular chemistry, which is the study of entities of greater complexity than individual molecules—assemblies of molecules that bond and organize through intermolecular interactions. He is also interested in developing new “smart” materials by integrating two types of building blocks: nanocrystals and molecular switches. Based on these studies, the group has recently fabricated reversible information storage media, in which information can be stored for desired periods of time.

    Among his honors and awards are the 2019 Helen and Martin Kimmel Award for Innovative Investigation, 2018 Cram Lehn Pedersen Prize in Supramolecular Chemistry, and the 2017 Chemical Society Reviews Emerging Investigator Lectureship. In 2016, he received the Weizmann Institute Scientific Council Prize for Chemistry and the Netherlands Scholar Award for Supramolecular Chemistry. Previously, Prof. Klajn received the 2015 Outstanding Young Scientist Award of the Israel Chemical Society, the 2013 Victor K. LaMer Award from the American Chemical Society, and the 2010 IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) Prize for Young Chemists.

    He serves on the advisory boards of several scientific journals, including Chemical Society Reviews, Chem, and ChemPhotoChem. He has recently organized several conferences, including the Annual Meeting of the Israel Chemical Society and Gordon Research Conferences on Artificial Molecular Switches & Motors, Systems Chemistry, and Self-Assembly & Supramolecular Chemistry.

    Prof. Klajn is married to cultural anthropologist, translator, and Yiddish scholar, Dr. Aleksandra Geller. They have two children, Adam and Adela.

  • Tom Manovitz

    PhD Student, Department of Physics of Complex Systems

    A quantum computer is a machine that performs calculations while utilizing the same physical laws that govern the behavior of particles at the sub-atomic level. If it is ever developed, a large enough quantum computer will be able to tackle a class of problems that are out of reach for current technologies.   In his PhD research, Tom Manovitz works to isolate and control individual atoms, so as to better understand and utilize the quantum-mechanical behavior upon which future quantum computing may be based.

    A quantum computer is a machine that performs calculations while utilizing the same physical laws that govern the behavior of particles at the sub-atomic level. If it is ever developed, a large enough quantum computer will be able to tackle a class of problems that are out of reach for current technologies.   In his PhD research, Tom Manovitz works to isolate and control individual atoms, so as to better understand and utilize the quantum-mechanical behavior upon which future quantum computing may be based. 

    Under the supervision of Prof. Roee Ozeri in the Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Tom designed and built a system for detecting individual atomic qubits—the quantum computing corollary to the “bit” of classical computing—while still a Master’s student.  In his more recent work he collaborated with Prof. Ozeri and others on engineering a quantum logic gate.  This gate generates quantum entanglement—a physical phenomenon that occurs when pairs or groups of particles cannot be described independently of the others. The logic gate, based on charged atoms (ions) affected by electrical fields in a vacuum chamber and controlled with high-precision laser light, was demonstrated in laboratory experiments and the results were recently published in the prestigious journal Physical Review Letters.  

    Tom received his BSc in Physics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem as part of Amirim, an honors program that exposes students to diverse subjects in the humanities.  He completed his Masters at the Weizmann Institute, where he is organizing a lecture series on the History and Philosophy of Physics. He volunteers teaching math to high school students, enjoys playing and watching basketball, and, once in a while, plays guitar.

    Read More » about Tom Manovitz

    Tom Manovitz

    PhD Student, Department of Physics of Complex Systems

    A quantum computer is a machine that performs calculations while utilizing the same physical laws that govern the behavior of particles at the sub-atomic level. If it is ever developed, a large enough quantum computer will be able to tackle a class of problems that are out of reach for current technologies.   In his PhD research, Tom Manovitz works to isolate and control individual atoms, so as to better understand and utilize the quantum-mechanical behavior upon which future quantum computing may be based. 

    Under the supervision of Prof. Roee Ozeri in the Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Tom designed and built a system for detecting individual atomic qubits—the quantum computing corollary to the “bit” of classical computing—while still a Master’s student.  In his more recent work he collaborated with Prof. Ozeri and others on engineering a quantum logic gate.  This gate generates quantum entanglement—a physical phenomenon that occurs when pairs or groups of particles cannot be described independently of the others. The logic gate, based on charged atoms (ions) affected by electrical fields in a vacuum chamber and controlled with high-precision laser light, was demonstrated in laboratory experiments and the results were recently published in the prestigious journal Physical Review Letters.  

    Tom received his BSc in Physics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem as part of Amirim, an honors program that exposes students to diverse subjects in the humanities.  He completed his Masters at the Weizmann Institute, where he is organizing a lecture series on the History and Philosophy of Physics. He volunteers teaching math to high school students, enjoys playing and watching basketball, and, once in a while, plays guitar.

  • Prof. Michal Neeman

    Vice President

    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 Professorial Chair in Biological Sciences.

    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 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

    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 Professorial Chair in Biological Sciences.

    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 Mazkeret Batya, where they raise their three sons, two dogs, and a family vineyard.

  • Prof. Moshe Oren

    Department of Molecular Cell Biology
    Director, Moross Integrated Cancer Center

    Prof. Moshe Oren was born in Poland and immigrated to Israel as a child in 1950. He received his MSc degree in microbiology from Tel Aviv University in 1970, and his PhD in molecular virology from the Weizmann Institute of Science in 1978. He did postdoctoral work at Princeton University and at SUNY-Stony Brook. In 1981, he joined the Weizmann Institute, where he is the incumbent of the Andre Lwoff Professorial Chair in Molecular Biology.

    Prof. Moshe Oren was born in Poland and immigrated to Israel as a child in 1950. He received his MSc degree in microbiology from Tel Aviv University in 1970, and his PhD in molecular virology from the Weizmann Institute of Science in 1978. He did postdoctoral work at Princeton University and at SUNY-Stony Brook. In 1981, he joined the Weizmann Institute, where he is the incumbent of the Andre Lwoff Professorial Chair in Molecular Biology. Prof. Oren has held a number of senior positions at the Institute, including director of the Leo and Julia Forchheimer Center for Molecular Genetics, chair of the Council of Professors and of the Senior Promotions Committee, and, from 1999 to 2003, Dean of the Faculty of Biology. In 2015, he was appointed the first director of the newly established Moross Integrated Cancer Center.

    Prof. Oren has spent much of his career studying a key player in molecular cancer control—the tumor suppressor gene called p53. In the early 1980s, he cloned p53, meaning that he determined the sequence of its genetic letters, which has provided the foundation for much of the subsequent p53 research worldwide. Prof. Oren also obtained some of the earliest evidence that p53 is indeed a tumor suppressor and was the first to prove that this gene causes apoptosis, the natural process that leads to cell death. These findings have enabled physicians to develop innovative therapeutic strategies, including the first clinically approved anti-cancer gene therapy. His work focuses on understanding the mechanisms that govern the activity of p53 in normal and in cancer cells, and he also investigates the involvement of micro-RNAs—tiny bits of encoded genetic material that regulate protein production—in cancer.

    His numerous awards include the Israel Prize in Biochemistry (2008), a Merit Award of the National Cancer Institute (2003), the EMET Prize in Biology (2003), the Sergio Lombroso Award in Cancer Research (2002), the Harvey Lectureship of NY (2002), the Abisch-Frenkel Prize for Excellence in the Life Sciences (1999), the Feher Award for Medical Research (1993), and the Leukemia Society of America Scholarship (1985-1990). He serves on the editorial boards of several leading scientific journals and is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Medicine, and a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the Academia Europeae.

    Read More » about Prof. Moshe Oren

    Prof. Moshe Oren

    Department of Molecular Cell Biology
    Director, Moross Integrated Cancer Center

    Prof. Moshe Oren was born in Poland and immigrated to Israel as a child in 1950. He received his MSc degree in microbiology from Tel Aviv University in 1970, and his PhD in molecular virology from the Weizmann Institute of Science in 1978. He did postdoctoral work at Princeton University and at SUNY-Stony Brook. In 1981, he joined the Weizmann Institute, where he is the incumbent of the Andre Lwoff Professorial Chair in Molecular Biology. Prof. Oren has held a number of senior positions at the Institute, including director of the Leo and Julia Forchheimer Center for Molecular Genetics, chair of the Council of Professors and of the Senior Promotions Committee, and, from 1999 to 2003, Dean of the Faculty of Biology. In 2015, he was appointed the first director of the newly established Moross Integrated Cancer Center.

    Prof. Oren has spent much of his career studying a key player in molecular cancer control—the tumor suppressor gene called p53. In the early 1980s, he cloned p53, meaning that he determined the sequence of its genetic letters, which has provided the foundation for much of the subsequent p53 research worldwide. Prof. Oren also obtained some of the earliest evidence that p53 is indeed a tumor suppressor and was the first to prove that this gene causes apoptosis, the natural process that leads to cell death. These findings have enabled physicians to develop innovative therapeutic strategies, including the first clinically approved anti-cancer gene therapy. His work focuses on understanding the mechanisms that govern the activity of p53 in normal and in cancer cells, and he also investigates the involvement of micro-RNAs—tiny bits of encoded genetic material that regulate protein production—in cancer.

    His numerous awards include the Israel Prize in Biochemistry (2008), a Merit Award of the National Cancer Institute (2003), the EMET Prize in Biology (2003), the Sergio Lombroso Award in Cancer Research (2002), the Harvey Lectureship of NY (2002), the Abisch-Frenkel Prize for Excellence in the Life Sciences (1999), the Feher Award for Medical Research (1993), and the Leukemia Society of America Scholarship (1985-1990). He serves on the editorial boards of several leading scientific journals and is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Medicine, and a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the Academia Europeae.

  • Prof. Roee Ozeri

    Department of Physics of Complex Systems
    Vice President Designate, Resource Development and Public Affairs

    Prof. Roee Ozeri was born in Israel and earned a BSc in physics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He received his MSc and PhD degrees in physics from the Weizmann Institute of Science. He conducted postdoctoral research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado in the group of David Wineland, 2012 Physics Nobel Laurate. He joined the Weizmann Institute faculty in 2007, and will assume office as the Vice President for Resource Development and Public Affairs on December 1, 2019.

    Prof. Roee Ozeri was born in Israel and earned a BSc in physics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He received his MSc and PhD degrees in physics from the Weizmann Institute of Science. He conducted postdoctoral research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado in the group of David Wineland, 2012 Physics Nobel Laurate. He joined the Weizmann Institute faculty in 2007, and will assume office as the Vice President for Resource Development and Public Affairs on December 1, 2019.

    Prof. Ozeri conducts research in the field of ultra-cold atoms. One of his research efforts is quantum computing—the development of computing systems that make use of the principles of quantum mechanics. Such quantum systems have the potential to perform immense information-processing tasks that are out of reach of regular computers, and they can have a vastly greater capacity for storing information. If such systems are indeed built, they will revolutionize the world of computing, requiring, for example, an entirely new approach to ensuring the secrecy of information—such as in online banking transactions. Prof. Ozeri focuses on one of the greatest challenges in developing quantum computers: finding ways to mitigate the effect of noise on quantum systems. Since quantum information is extremely fragile, noise is the largest nemesis of quantum computing. 

    Prof. Ozeri received the Rosa and Emilio Segre Research Award in 2019, the Morris L. Levinson Prize in Physics in 2012, and the prestigious Rothschild Fund postdoctoral prize fellowship in 2003. His articles have been published in prestigious scientific and physics journals such as Nature, Science, and Physical Review Letters. Prof. Ozeri is a member of the executive boards of the Davidson Institute of Science Education and the Schwarz-Reisman Centers for Science Education.

    Read More » about Prof. Roee Ozeri

    Prof. Roee Ozeri

    Department of Physics of Complex Systems
    Vice President Designate, Resource Development and Public Affairs

    Prof. Roee Ozeri was born in Israel and earned a BSc in physics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He received his MSc and PhD degrees in physics from the Weizmann Institute of Science. He conducted postdoctoral research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado in the group of David Wineland, 2012 Physics Nobel Laurate. He joined the Weizmann Institute faculty in 2007, and will assume office as the Vice President for Resource Development and Public Affairs on December 1, 2019.

    Prof. Ozeri conducts research in the field of ultra-cold atoms. One of his research efforts is quantum computing—the development of computing systems that make use of the principles of quantum mechanics. Such quantum systems have the potential to perform immense information-processing tasks that are out of reach of regular computers, and they can have a vastly greater capacity for storing information. If such systems are indeed built, they will revolutionize the world of computing, requiring, for example, an entirely new approach to ensuring the secrecy of information—such as in online banking transactions. Prof. Ozeri focuses on one of the greatest challenges in developing quantum computers: finding ways to mitigate the effect of noise on quantum systems. Since quantum information is extremely fragile, noise is the largest nemesis of quantum computing. 

    Prof. Ozeri received the Rosa and Emilio Segre Research Award in 2019, the Morris L. Levinson Prize in Physics in 2012, and the prestigious Rothschild Fund postdoctoral prize fellowship in 2003. His articles have been published in prestigious scientific and physics journals such as Nature, Science, and Physical Review Letters. Prof. Ozeri is a member of the executive boards of the Davidson Institute of Science Education and the Schwarz-Reisman Centers for Science Education.

  • Dr. Javier Maria Peralta Ramos

    Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Neurobiology

    Dr. Javier Peralta Ramos is a postdoctoral research fellow in the research group led by Prof. Michal Schwartz in the Department of Neurobiology. His work focuses on advancing an innovative next-generation immunotherapy treatment for clinical use. The treatment harnesses the immune system to fight against Alzheimer’s disease, and is advancing a blood-based biomarker to predict the onset and development of this neurodegenerative disorder.

    Dr. Javier Peralta Ramos is a postdoctoral research fellow in the research group led by Prof. Michal Schwartz in the Department of Neurobiology. His work focuses on advancing an innovative next-generation immunotherapy treatment for clinical use. The treatment harnesses the immune system to fight against Alzheimer’s disease, and is advancing a blood-based biomarker to predict the onset and development of this neurodegenerative disorder.

    Dr. Peralta Ramos was born in Buenos Aires and earned his PhD with the highest honors from the National University of Córdoba, Argentina. A former Visiting Research Fellow from the Charité in Germany, and Visiting PhD candidate from KU Leuven in Belgium, Dr. Peralta Ramos has received several fellowships, including an EMBO short-term fellowship, in recognition of his PhD studies which addressed the role of the immune system in the brain during neuroinflammation.

    Dr. Peralta Ramos is a ‘nature-holic’ whose partner, Dr. Denise Kviatcovsky, is a postdoctoral research fellow in Prof. Eran Elinav’s lab in the Department of Immunology. He has two children, Bautista and Juan Cruz.

    Read More » about Dr. Javier Maria Peralta Ramos

    Dr. Javier Maria Peralta Ramos

    Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Neurobiology

    Dr. Javier Peralta Ramos is a postdoctoral research fellow in the research group led by Prof. Michal Schwartz in the Department of Neurobiology. His work focuses on advancing an innovative next-generation immunotherapy treatment for clinical use. The treatment harnesses the immune system to fight against Alzheimer’s disease, and is advancing a blood-based biomarker to predict the onset and development of this neurodegenerative disorder.

    Dr. Peralta Ramos was born in Buenos Aires and earned his PhD with the highest honors from the National University of Córdoba, Argentina. A former Visiting Research Fellow from the Charité in Germany, and Visiting PhD candidate from KU Leuven in Belgium, Dr. Peralta Ramos has received several fellowships, including an EMBO short-term fellowship, in recognition of his PhD studies which addressed the role of the immune system in the brain during neuroinflammation.

    Dr. Peralta Ramos is a ‘nature-holic’ whose partner, Dr. Denise Kviatcovsky, is a postdoctoral research fellow in Prof. Eran Elinav’s lab in the Department of Immunology. He has two children, Bautista and Juan Cruz.

  • Prof. Carol Prives

    United States
    Co-Chair, Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee

    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. 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

    United States
    Co-Chair, Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee

    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.

  • Prof. Jehuda Reinharz

    United States / Israel
    Chair, International Board

    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.

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    Prof. Jehuda Reinharz

    United States / Israel
    Chair, International Board

    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. Guy Rothblum

    Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics

    Prof. Guy Rothblum completed his BA magna cum laude in computer science at the Open University of Israel in 1999. After serving in the technological research and development wing of the Israel Defense Forces, he completed his MSc at the Weizmann Institute in 2005 and his PhD in mathematics and computer sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), under the supervision of Prof. Shafi Goldwasser, in 2009. After serving as a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University, Prof. Rothblum worked with the Microsoft Research group in Silicon Valley for three years. He joined the Weizmann Institute in October 2016.

    Prof. Guy Rothblum completed his BA magna cum laude in computer science at the Open University of Israel in 1999. After serving in the technological research and development wing of the Israel Defense Forces, he completed his MSc at the Weizmann Institute in 2005 and his PhD in mathematics and computer sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), under the supervision of Prof. Shafi Goldwasser, in 2009. After serving as a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University, Prof. Rothblum worked with the Microsoft Research group in Silicon Valley for three years. He joined the Weizmann Institute in October 2016.

    Prof. Rothblum’s research seeks new ways to protect the privacy of individuals and their sensitive data in a world of interconnected computer networks that store vast amounts of information in a shared “cloud” of third-party servers. He uses the tools of cryptography and privacy-preserving data analysis, as well as complexity theory, machine learning, statistics, and algorithm design. 

    During his PhD studies, Prof. Rothblum spent the summer of 2008 as a research intern at Microsoft Research, New England; and the fall of 2009 as an intern with Microsoft Research, Silicon Valley. He was awarded a Computing Innovation Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2009 and 2010, and a Symantec Graduate Fellowship in 2008. His article, “Securely Obfuscating Re-Encryption”, was selected as one of the top three papers of the Theory of Cryptography Conference (TCC) in 2007. He is a recent recipient of the Morris L. Levinson Prize in Mathematics. In addition to his awards, he is a referee for a number of leading journals in cryptography, encryption, and computing; and has served on the program committee for a number of several major conferences in these fields.

    Read More » about Prof. Guy Rothblum

    Prof. Guy Rothblum

    Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics

    Prof. Guy Rothblum completed his BA magna cum laude in computer science at the Open University of Israel in 1999. After serving in the technological research and development wing of the Israel Defense Forces, he completed his MSc at the Weizmann Institute in 2005 and his PhD in mathematics and computer sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), under the supervision of Prof. Shafi Goldwasser, in 2009. After serving as a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University, Prof. Rothblum worked with the Microsoft Research group in Silicon Valley for three years. He joined the Weizmann Institute in October 2016.

    Prof. Rothblum’s research seeks new ways to protect the privacy of individuals and their sensitive data in a world of interconnected computer networks that store vast amounts of information in a shared “cloud” of third-party servers. He uses the tools of cryptography and privacy-preserving data analysis, as well as complexity theory, machine learning, statistics, and algorithm design. 

    During his PhD studies, Prof. Rothblum spent the summer of 2008 as a research intern at Microsoft Research, New England; and the fall of 2009 as an intern with Microsoft Research, Silicon Valley. He was awarded a Computing Innovation Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2009 and 2010, and a Symantec Graduate Fellowship in 2008. His article, “Securely Obfuscating Re-Encryption”, was selected as one of the top three papers of the Theory of Cryptography Conference (TCC) in 2007. He is a recent recipient of the Morris L. Levinson Prize in Mathematics. In addition to his awards, he is a referee for a number of leading journals in cryptography, encryption, and computing; and has served on the program committee for a number of several major conferences in these fields.

  • Prof. Yardena Samuels

    Department of Molecular Cell Biology
    Head, Weizmann-Brazil Tumor Bank
    Head, EKARD Institute for Cancer Diagnosis Research

    Prof. Yardena Samuels received her BSc from Cambridge University, UK in 1993, and earned an MSc in immunology and cancer research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Medical School in 1997. She completed a PhD in molecular cancer biology at Imperial College, London in 2002. Prof. Samuels worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine from 2003 to 2006. She served as an Assistant Professor with the Cancer Genetics Branch of the (U.S.) National Human Genome Research Institute and Head of their Molecular Cancer Genetics Section before joining the Department of Molecular Cell Biology at the Weizmann Institute in December, 2012.

    Prof. Yardena Samuels received her BSc from Cambridge University, UK in 1993, and earned an MSc in immunology and cancer research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Medical School in 1997. She completed a PhD in molecular cancer biology at Imperial College, London in 2002. Prof. Samuels worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine from 2003 to 2006. She served as an Assistant Professor with the Cancer Genetics Branch of the (U.S.) National Human Genome Research Institute and Head of their Molecular Cancer Genetics Section before joining the Department of Molecular Cell Biology at the Weizmann Institute in December, 2012. Today she is the director of both the EKARD Institute for Cancer Diagnosis Research and the Weizmann Brazil Tumor Bank of the Moross Integrated Cancer Center, and is the incumbent of the Knell Family Professorial Chair. 

    In her postdoctoral work, Prof. Samuels discovered a gene that mutated in 32% of colorectal cancer patients as well as many other human cancers. In her current research, Prof. Samuels uses the power of DNA sequencing to identify new groups of genetic mutations involved in melanoma, and to differentiate these from “passengers”—genetic abnormalities that play no role in tumorigenesis. In another aspect of her work, Prof. Samuels is examining interactions between melanoma and immune T-cells, and has developed tools to identify and characterize melanoma neo-antigens—an approach that may eventually contribute to the development of anti-cancer vaccines and personalized treatment. 

    Prof. Samuels is the recipient of the Pezoller Foundation - EACR Cancer Researcher Award and the Youdim Family Prize for Excellence in Cancer Research, both in 2016. She won the TEVA-Israel Science Foundation Founders Prize (2014), the Peter and Patricia Gruber Prize for Scientific Excellence (2013), and the Pigment Cell and Melanoma Research prize (2011). While at the NIH, she received the NIH Directors Challenge Innovation Award and the NIH Bench-to-Bedside Award, both in 2008. In 2009, she was named one of Genome Technology’s top 25 Young Investigators. She was awarded a European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) postdoctoral fellowship as well as the European Research Council (ERC) award in addition to awards during her postdoctoral research. Prof. Samuels is a member on several editorial boards including the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

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    Prof. Yardena Samuels

    Department of Molecular Cell Biology
    Head, Weizmann-Brazil Tumor Bank
    Head, EKARD Institute for Cancer Diagnosis Research

    Prof. Yardena Samuels received her BSc from Cambridge University, UK in 1993, and earned an MSc in immunology and cancer research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Medical School in 1997. She completed a PhD in molecular cancer biology at Imperial College, London in 2002. Prof. Samuels worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine from 2003 to 2006. She served as an Assistant Professor with the Cancer Genetics Branch of the (U.S.) National Human Genome Research Institute and Head of their Molecular Cancer Genetics Section before joining the Department of Molecular Cell Biology at the Weizmann Institute in December, 2012. Today she is the director of both the EKARD Institute for Cancer Diagnosis Research and the Weizmann Brazil Tumor Bank of the Moross Integrated Cancer Center, and is the incumbent of the Knell Family Professorial Chair. 

    In her postdoctoral work, Prof. Samuels discovered a gene that mutated in 32% of colorectal cancer patients as well as many other human cancers. In her current research, Prof. Samuels uses the power of DNA sequencing to identify new groups of genetic mutations involved in melanoma, and to differentiate these from “passengers”—genetic abnormalities that play no role in tumorigenesis. In another aspect of her work, Prof. Samuels is examining interactions between melanoma and immune T-cells, and has developed tools to identify and characterize melanoma neo-antigens—an approach that may eventually contribute to the development of anti-cancer vaccines and personalized treatment. 

    Prof. Samuels is the recipient of the Pezoller Foundation - EACR Cancer Researcher Award and the Youdim Family Prize for Excellence in Cancer Research, both in 2016. She won the TEVA-Israel Science Foundation Founders Prize (2014), the Peter and Patricia Gruber Prize for Scientific Excellence (2013), and the Pigment Cell and Melanoma Research prize (2011). While at the NIH, she received the NIH Directors Challenge Innovation Award and the NIH Bench-to-Bedside Award, both in 2008. In 2009, she was named one of Genome Technology’s top 25 Young Investigators. She was awarded a European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) postdoctoral fellowship as well as the European Research Council (ERC) award in addition to awards during her postdoctoral research. Prof. Samuels is a member on several editorial boards including the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

  • Dr. Rachel Sarig

    Department of Molecular Cell Biology

    Dr. Rachel Sarig received her BSc summa cum laude from Bar-Ilan University in life sciences in 1992, and her M.Med.Sc summa cum laude from Ben-Gurion University Medical School in 1994. She received a PhD with distinction from the Weizmann Institute of Science in 2000, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Weizmann Institute from 2000-2004. In 2004, she became a staff scientist, and currently works at the Department of Molecular Cell Biology, in the lab of Prof. Eldad Tzahor. She is the incumbent of the Gabriella Schmidt Research Fellow Chair.

    Dr. Rachel Sarig received her BSc summa cum laude from Bar-Ilan University in life sciences in 1992, and her M.Med.Sc summa cum laude from Ben-Gurion University Medical School in 1994. She received a PhD with distinction from the Weizmann Institute of Science in 2000, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Weizmann Institute from 2000-2004. In 2004, she became a staff scientist, and currently works at the Department of Molecular Cell Biology, in the lab of Prof. Eldad Tzahor. She is the incumbent of the Gabriella Schmidt Research Fellow Chair.

    Dr. Sarig’s research focuses on the biology of stem cell differentiation and reprogramming of mature mammalian cells. She is currently studying the biology of cardiac cells in the attempt to advance heart cell regeneration. Ischemic heart disease is the most common cardiac ailment and the leading cause of death in the developed world today. The development of novel procedures that facilitate the renewal of cardiac cells (cardiomyocytes) as well as stem cell therapy are a major goal and challenge in current biomedical research. Prof. Tzahor’s research group, of which Dr. Sarig is an integral member, combines these novel approaches to study the biology of cardiomyoctyes and their microenvironment in order to improve heart regeneration.

    Since 2009 Dr. Sarig has been a member of the editorial board of the World Journal of Stem Cells, and since 2011, she has been a member of the editorial board of Stem Cell Discovery. She is the recipient of the Klein Award from the Israel Science Foundation as well as fellowships from Feinberg and the Israel Cancer Research Fund.

    Read More » about Dr. Rachel Sarig

    Dr. Rachel Sarig

    Department of Molecular Cell Biology

    Dr. Rachel Sarig received her BSc summa cum laude from Bar-Ilan University in life sciences in 1992, and her M.Med.Sc summa cum laude from Ben-Gurion University Medical School in 1994. She received a PhD with distinction from the Weizmann Institute of Science in 2000, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Weizmann Institute from 2000-2004. In 2004, she became a staff scientist, and currently works at the Department of Molecular Cell Biology, in the lab of Prof. Eldad Tzahor. She is the incumbent of the Gabriella Schmidt Research Fellow Chair.

    Dr. Sarig’s research focuses on the biology of stem cell differentiation and reprogramming of mature mammalian cells. She is currently studying the biology of cardiac cells in the attempt to advance heart cell regeneration. Ischemic heart disease is the most common cardiac ailment and the leading cause of death in the developed world today. The development of novel procedures that facilitate the renewal of cardiac cells (cardiomyocytes) as well as stem cell therapy are a major goal and challenge in current biomedical research. Prof. Tzahor’s research group, of which Dr. Sarig is an integral member, combines these novel approaches to study the biology of cardiomyoctyes and their microenvironment in order to improve heart regeneration.

    Since 2009 Dr. Sarig has been a member of the editorial board of the World Journal of Stem Cells, and since 2011, she has been a member of the editorial board of Stem Cell Discovery. She is the recipient of the Klein Award from the Israel Science Foundation as well as fellowships from Feinberg and the Israel Cancer Research Fund.

  • Dr. Rita Schmidt

    Department of Neurobiology

    Dr. Rita Schmidt was born in Moldova and immigrated with her family to Israel when she was 12 years old. She earned her BSc in physics (2000) and her MSc in medical physics (2005) from Tel Aviv University. After several years working as a system engineer at the hi-tech company Insightec, Dr. Schmidt returned to academia to earn her PhD in chemical physics at the Weizmann Institute of Science (2014). Her doctoral research on spatiotemporal encoding in 3D ultrafast magnetic resonance imaging was conducted under the guidance of Prof. Lucio Frydman.

    Dr. Rita Schmidt was born in Moldova and immigrated with her family to Israel when she was 12 years old. She earned her BSc in physics (2000) and her MSc in medical physics (2005) from Tel Aviv University. After several years working as a system engineer at the hi-tech company Insightec, Dr. Schmidt returned to academia to earn her PhD in chemical physics at the Weizmann Institute of Science (2014). Her doctoral research on spatiotemporal encoding in 3D ultrafast magnetic resonance imaging was conducted under the guidance of Prof. Lucio Frydman. Dr. Schmidt then moved to the Netherlands to conduct a postdoctoral fellowship at the CJ Gorter Center for High-Field MRI in Leiden, with Prof. Andrew Webb. Throughout the fellowship, she has also worked as a visiting scientist in the Weizmann Institute’s Department of Neurobiology. She joined the Weizmann Institute faculty full-time in September 2018.

    Dr. Schmidt’s research interests include changes in electrical conductivity within the brain. She aims to capitalize on these changes to develop a novel, more direct measurement method of brain cell activity. She is also interested in using metabolic spectroscopic imaging to shed light on healthy and diseased brain circuit function. These topics go hand-in-hand with her study of fast and high-resolution spectroscopic brain imaging, as well as her pursuit of new advanced and intelligent materials for MRI that allow researchers to zoom-in, as with a magnifying lens, into the brain.

    Dr. Schmidt has received several academic awards and honors for her research on magnetic resonance imaging. She is the co-inventor of four patented systems and methods related to magnetic resonance and ultrasound.

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    Dr. Rita Schmidt

    Department of Neurobiology

    Dr. Rita Schmidt was born in Moldova and immigrated with her family to Israel when she was 12 years old. She earned her BSc in physics (2000) and her MSc in medical physics (2005) from Tel Aviv University. After several years working as a system engineer at the hi-tech company Insightec, Dr. Schmidt returned to academia to earn her PhD in chemical physics at the Weizmann Institute of Science (2014). Her doctoral research on spatiotemporal encoding in 3D ultrafast magnetic resonance imaging was conducted under the guidance of Prof. Lucio Frydman. Dr. Schmidt then moved to the Netherlands to conduct a postdoctoral fellowship at the CJ Gorter Center for High-Field MRI in Leiden, with Prof. Andrew Webb. Throughout the fellowship, she has also worked as a visiting scientist in the Weizmann Institute’s Department of Neurobiology. She joined the Weizmann Institute faculty full-time in September 2018.

    Dr. Schmidt’s research interests include changes in electrical conductivity within the brain. She aims to capitalize on these changes to develop a novel, more direct measurement method of brain cell activity. She is also interested in using metabolic spectroscopic imaging to shed light on healthy and diseased brain circuit function. These topics go hand-in-hand with her study of fast and high-resolution spectroscopic brain imaging, as well as her pursuit of new advanced and intelligent materials for MRI that allow researchers to zoom-in, as with a magnifying lens, into the brain.

    Dr. Schmidt has received several academic awards and honors for her research on magnetic resonance imaging. She is the co-inventor of four patented systems and methods related to magnetic resonance and ultrasound.

  • Dr. Ravid Straussman

    Department of Molecular Cell Biology

    Dr. Ravid Straussman was born in Israel. After service in the Israel Air Force, he completed a BS summa cum laude at the Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School in 1997. He earned his MSc in medical biochemistry there in 1998 and entered the MD/PhD program. He conducted his MD internship at Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva (2002- 2003), and completed his PhD in the Department of Medical Biochemistry in 2005. Dr. Straussman was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Cellular Biochemistry and Human Genetics at Hebrew University from 2005 to 2008.

    Dr. Ravid Straussman was born in Israel. After service in the Israel Air Force, he completed a BS summa cum laude at the Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School in 1997. He earned his MSc in medical biochemistry there in 1998 and entered the MD/PhD program. He conducted his MD internship at Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva (2002- 2003), and completed his PhD in the Department of Medical Biochemistry in 2005. Dr. Straussman was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Cellular Biochemistry and Human Genetics at Hebrew University from 2005 to 2008.  He also worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT from 2008 until joining the Weizmann Institute in 2013. He is the incumbent of the Roel C. Buck Career Development Chair.

    Dr. Straussman is exploring the various mechanisms that render cancer cells resistant to anti-cancer therapy by studying the cancer cells’ microenvironment and the healthy cells that surround it. While many anti-cancer drugs can kill all the cancer cells in a test tube, they are much less successful in living tissues. Dr. Straussman suspected that something outside of the cancer cells themselves was contributing to this increased resistance to treatment. He found that normal, non-cancer cells that are present in and adjacent to human tumors frequently rescue cancer cells from chemotherapy.

    Dr. Straussman and his team are also studying bacteria found in human tumors and its role in tumor growth in response to therapy. The lab is characterizing these unique tumor bacteria across hundreds of human tumors in a series of projects using novel methods to visualize the bacteria and study their cross talk with human cancer cells. They are also investigating the mutual effects between the cancer cells and the bacteria that reside near or inside them. Dr. Straussman hopes to apply his findings to the discovery of more effective cancer treatments.

    His prizes and honors include the Dean’s and Rector’s prizes plus an award for excellence in research at the Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical School; a Foulkes Foundation fellowship, a Philip Morris Postdoctoral Fellowship, as well as an American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) scholar-in-training award in 2012.

    Read More » about Dr. Ravid Straussman

    Dr. Ravid Straussman

    Department of Molecular Cell Biology

    Dr. Ravid Straussman was born in Israel. After service in the Israel Air Force, he completed a BS summa cum laude at the Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School in 1997. He earned his MSc in medical biochemistry there in 1998 and entered the MD/PhD program. He conducted his MD internship at Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva (2002- 2003), and completed his PhD in the Department of Medical Biochemistry in 2005. Dr. Straussman was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Cellular Biochemistry and Human Genetics at Hebrew University from 2005 to 2008.  He also worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT from 2008 until joining the Weizmann Institute in 2013. He is the incumbent of the Roel C. Buck Career Development Chair.

    Dr. Straussman is exploring the various mechanisms that render cancer cells resistant to anti-cancer therapy by studying the cancer cells’ microenvironment and the healthy cells that surround it. While many anti-cancer drugs can kill all the cancer cells in a test tube, they are much less successful in living tissues. Dr. Straussman suspected that something outside of the cancer cells themselves was contributing to this increased resistance to treatment. He found that normal, non-cancer cells that are present in and adjacent to human tumors frequently rescue cancer cells from chemotherapy.

    Dr. Straussman and his team are also studying bacteria found in human tumors and its role in tumor growth in response to therapy. The lab is characterizing these unique tumor bacteria across hundreds of human tumors in a series of projects using novel methods to visualize the bacteria and study their cross talk with human cancer cells. They are also investigating the mutual effects between the cancer cells and the bacteria that reside near or inside them. Dr. Straussman hopes to apply his findings to the discovery of more effective cancer treatments.

    His prizes and honors include the Dean’s and Rector’s prizes plus an award for excellence in research at the Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical School; a Foulkes Foundation fellowship, a Philip Morris Postdoctoral Fellowship, as well as an American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) scholar-in-training award in 2012.

  • Dana Weiss

    Chief Political Analyst and Anchor of "Saturday News with Dana Weiss"
    Channel 12 News

    Dana Weiss is one of Israel’s most trusted and decorated journalists, serving as The Israeli News Company's Chief Political Analyst and host of the "Saturday News with Dana Weiss", Israel's most watched news program. A sharp and unrelenting interviewer, Dana regularly challenges Israeli and international politicians, with humor and insight.  She has led some of the most high-profile media campaigns to bring to light to social injustices and political malpractice throughout Israel, and is a capable and erudite speaker on the issues of freedom of press, and the strength of Israel’s democracy – to which she is a testament, as one of Israel’s leading female broadcaster.

    Dana Weiss is one of Israel’s most trusted and decorated journalists, serving as The Israeli News Company's Chief Political Analyst and host of the "Saturday News with Dana Weiss", Israel's most watched news program. A sharp and unrelenting interviewer, Dana regularly challenges Israeli and international politicians, with humor and insight. She has led some of the most high-profile media campaigns to bring to light to social injustices and political malpractice throughout Israel, and is a capable and erudite speaker on the issues of freedom of press, and the strength of Israel’s democracy – to which she is a testament, as one of Israel’s leading female broadcaster.

    As a broadcast journalist for Israeli News Company, millions of Israelis have welcomed Ms. Weiss into their homes, earning her the nickname of ‘Israel’s Diane Sawyer.’ A prolific political commentator, she worked first as a legal affairs correspondent and then as host of ‘Meet the Press’ for almost a decade. Former President Shimon Peres has said, “Dana Weiss is blessed with a combination of sharp wit and a disarming style that has brought her close to every decision maker in Israel over the past twenty years. When there’s news to break, leaders want Dana to break it.”

    Over her more than twenty-year career in broadcast journalism, she has reported on 8 national election campaigns, moderated the 2009 and 2013 Israeli Prime Ministerial debates, covered every war and operation in the past twenty years, and shared a deeper look at a wide range of industries and topics with the Israeli public – such as antibiotics, ADHD, the Israeli academic brain drain, and the changing work-life balance of professionals. She has interviewed every Israeli Prime Minister from Rabin through Netanyahu, Israeli Presidents, US President Bill Clinton, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Prime Ministers of the UK, Spain, Italy, and many other high-profile personalities from various fields and industries.

    She is currently leading the Political and Diplomatic Desk at Israeli News Company, breaking exclusive stories and providing the viewers with in-depth analysis on Israel's most important stories, often setting the agenda and bringing a unique voice and perspective to the discussion on security and future of the country.

    Weiss is a leading figure in Israel working towards women’s empowerment and gender equality. In 2015, she was named to the Israeli President’s Council for a New Israeli Agenda. She holds a law degree and BA degree in Communications from the Hebrew University and a LLM from Tel Aviv University. Mrs. Weiss in lives Tel Aviv with her husband and three sons.

    Read More » about Dana Weiss

    Dana Weiss

    Chief Political Analyst and Anchor of "Saturday News with Dana Weiss"
    Channel 12 News

    Dana Weiss is one of Israel’s most trusted and decorated journalists, serving as The Israeli News Company's Chief Political Analyst and host of the "Saturday News with Dana Weiss", Israel's most watched news program. A sharp and unrelenting interviewer, Dana regularly challenges Israeli and international politicians, with humor and insight. She has led some of the most high-profile media campaigns to bring to light to social injustices and political malpractice throughout Israel, and is a capable and erudite speaker on the issues of freedom of press, and the strength of Israel’s democracy – to which she is a testament, as one of Israel’s leading female broadcaster.

    As a broadcast journalist for Israeli News Company, millions of Israelis have welcomed Ms. Weiss into their homes, earning her the nickname of ‘Israel’s Diane Sawyer.’ A prolific political commentator, she worked first as a legal affairs correspondent and then as host of ‘Meet the Press’ for almost a decade. Former President Shimon Peres has said, “Dana Weiss is blessed with a combination of sharp wit and a disarming style that has brought her close to every decision maker in Israel over the past twenty years. When there’s news to break, leaders want Dana to break it.”

    Over her more than twenty-year career in broadcast journalism, she has reported on 8 national election campaigns, moderated the 2009 and 2013 Israeli Prime Ministerial debates, covered every war and operation in the past twenty years, and shared a deeper look at a wide range of industries and topics with the Israeli public – such as antibiotics, ADHD, the Israeli academic brain drain, and the changing work-life balance of professionals. She has interviewed every Israeli Prime Minister from Rabin through Netanyahu, Israeli Presidents, US President Bill Clinton, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Prime Ministers of the UK, Spain, Italy, and many other high-profile personalities from various fields and industries.

    She is currently leading the Political and Diplomatic Desk at Israeli News Company, breaking exclusive stories and providing the viewers with in-depth analysis on Israel's most important stories, often setting the agenda and bringing a unique voice and perspective to the discussion on security and future of the country.

    Weiss is a leading figure in Israel working towards women’s empowerment and gender equality. In 2015, she was named to the Israeli President’s Council for a New Israeli Agenda. She holds a law degree and BA degree in Communications from the Hebrew University and a LLM from Tel Aviv University. Mrs. Weiss in lives Tel Aviv with her husband and three sons.

  • Prof. Daniel Zajfman

    President

    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

    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.

  • Prof. Eli Zeldov

    Department of Condensed Matter Physics

    Born in Riga, Latvia (then part of the Soviet Union), in 1957, Prof. Zeldov immigrated to Israel in 1971 with his parents who had been Prisoners of Zion. He received his BSc and PhD in electrical engineering at the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology in 1986, and was appointed a lecturer in the Department of Electrical Engineering the same year. From 1988 to 1991, he conducted research at the IBM–T.J. Watson Research Center in New York. He returned to Israel and joined the Weizmann Institute’s Department of Condensed Matter Physics in 1992. He is the head of the Gruber Center for Quantum Electronics and the incumbent of the David and Inez Myers Professorial Chair.

    Born in Riga, Latvia (then part of the Soviet Union), in 1957, Prof. Zeldov immigrated to Israel in 1971 with his parents who had been Prisoners of Zion. He received his BSc and PhD in electrical engineering at the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology in 1986, and was appointed a lecturer in the Department of Electrical Engineering the same year. From 1988 to 1991, he conducted research at the IBM–T.J. Watson Research Center in New York. He returned to Israel and joined the Weizmann Institute’s Department of Condensed Matter Physics in 1992. He is the head of the Gruber Center for Quantum Electronics and the incumbent of the David and Inez Myers Professorial Chair.

    Prof. Zeldov is one of the world’s leading experts on superconductors—materials that, at extremely low temperatures, conduct electricity with virtually no resistance. His work focuses specifically on high-temperature superconductivity, a field that fascinate scientists both because of the basic open research questions and because these materials may one day be used in many areas, from building levitating trains to manufacturing superfast computers. Recently, Prof. Zeldov and his group developed the smallest Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID) that resides on a nanoscale sharp tip, the most sensitive device for measuring local magnetic fields. Moreover, this SQUID-on-tip acts as a scanning nano-thermometer, providing thermal imaging of quantum systems with record sensitivity—ten thousand times more sensitive than any other thermal imaging technique.

    He is a recipient of the prestigious H. Kamerlingh Onnes Prize (2003). In 2008, he was elected as a fellow of the American Physical Society and in 2009 as a fellow of the School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo. He was awarded the Landau Prize of Mifal Hapais for Exact Sciences in 2012. In 2019 he was awarded the Abrikosov Prize, the Weizmann Prize for Exact Sciences by the Tel Aviv Municipality, and the Deloro Prize by the Adelis Foundation.

    Prof. Zeldov is married and has four children.

    Read More » about Prof. Eli Zeldov

    Prof. Eli Zeldov

    Department of Condensed Matter Physics

    Born in Riga, Latvia (then part of the Soviet Union), in 1957, Prof. Zeldov immigrated to Israel in 1971 with his parents who had been Prisoners of Zion. He received his BSc and PhD in electrical engineering at the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology in 1986, and was appointed a lecturer in the Department of Electrical Engineering the same year. From 1988 to 1991, he conducted research at the IBM–T.J. Watson Research Center in New York. He returned to Israel and joined the Weizmann Institute’s Department of Condensed Matter Physics in 1992. He is the head of the Gruber Center for Quantum Electronics and the incumbent of the David and Inez Myers Professorial Chair.

    Prof. Zeldov is one of the world’s leading experts on superconductors—materials that, at extremely low temperatures, conduct electricity with virtually no resistance. His work focuses specifically on high-temperature superconductivity, a field that fascinate scientists both because of the basic open research questions and because these materials may one day be used in many areas, from building levitating trains to manufacturing superfast computers. Recently, Prof. Zeldov and his group developed the smallest Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID) that resides on a nanoscale sharp tip, the most sensitive device for measuring local magnetic fields. Moreover, this SQUID-on-tip acts as a scanning nano-thermometer, providing thermal imaging of quantum systems with record sensitivity—ten thousand times more sensitive than any other thermal imaging technique.

    He is a recipient of the prestigious H. Kamerlingh Onnes Prize (2003). In 2008, he was elected as a fellow of the American Physical Society and in 2009 as a fellow of the School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo. He was awarded the Landau Prize of Mifal Hapais for Exact Sciences in 2012. In 2019 he was awarded the Abrikosov Prize, the Weizmann Prize for Exact Sciences by the Tel Aviv Municipality, and the Deloro Prize by the Adelis Foundation.

    Prof. Zeldov is married and has four children.