The Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics is engaged in both experimental and theoretical research, in various directions. These include elementary particle physics, field theory, string theory, theoretical astrophysics, observational astrophysics, particle astrophysics, relativistic heavy ion physics, molecular physics, nuclear physics, plasma physics, and radiation detection physics.
The functions of biological systems emerge from the structures of macromolecules, their conformational dynamics, and their higher order assembly. Determination of biomolecular structures and an understanding of their conformational changes and assembly properties provide great insights into biological mechanisms. Much of the research in structural biology at the Weizmann Institute is carried out in the Faculty of Chemistry, using a diverse set of cutting-edge research tools and methods. Investigators in the Structural Biology Department rely on the primary techniques for experimental structure determination, namely X-ray crystallography, NMR, and electron microscopy, but they also employ a variety of other specialized and emerging spectroscopic methods combined with creative molecular engineering to explore macromolecular structures, energetics, and dynamics. Experimental strategies are complemented by computational and theoretical approaches. Among the specific subjects of research in the department are ribosomes, protein chaperones, viruses, extracellular matrices, and biominerals. Processes being investigated include protein aggregation in cells, conformational dynamics of enzymes, formation of skeletal tissues, cell penetration by viruses, DNA recognition by proteins, and protein folding. Efforts are also directed towards the design of potential drugs. The wide variety of research activities in the department are based on a shared appreciation for the physical and chemical foundations of biological activities.
The principal interests of the department lie in the areas of computer science and applied mathematics. Research areas include (but are not limited to) algorithms, their design and analysis; biological applications, bioinformatics, system biology, biological modeling; computational complexity, probabilistic proof systems, hardness of approximation, circuit complexity, combinatorial games; computer vision, image processing; cryptography; differential equations; distributed and parallel computing; dynamical systems; fluid dynamics; logic of programs, specification methodologies; machine learning and mathematical statistics; numerical analysis; randomness and its relation to computation; robotics and motion control; visual perception and brain modeling.
The departmental computer facilities include multiple PCs, multiple unix servers, two Linux clusters with multiple nodes, and large data storage systems. In addition, the vision laboratories, robotics laboratories and computational biology laboratories have a combination of experimental equipment and large-scale computing clusters.
The Department of Science Teaching main interrelated missions are to advance the academic discipline of science and mathematics education, to enhance the quality and effectiveness of mathematics and science education in Israel, and to develop academic and practical leadership in science and mathematics education in Israel and overseas. The Department carries out educational research and development primarily for grades 7-12 in mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer science, earth sciences and life sciences, and in science and technology for junior high school. The Department targets both the general student population and those who are majoring in one or more of these disciplines. The Department carries out interrelated and continuous long-term academic activities, including research, development and implementation of innovative learning materials, pedagogical models, and teachers' professional development (PD). The Department has many avenues of collaboration with other departments on campus and with the educational system in Israel; it has a significant impact on science education research, practice, and policy in Israel and overseas.
As the Department is currently shifting from mainly textual teaching and learning materials developed in the Department to primarily digital platforms, the demand for techno-pedagogical support has increased tremendously in recent years. This shift allows the incorporation of new methodologies for both teaching and learning, as well as in the way research is carried out in the Department. The large amount of data on teachers’ and students’ performance accumulating in databases promote the development and use of new research methodologies. AI tools are currently being developed to improve both the teaching and learning that take place on these platforms, as well as to expand the Department’s research possibilities. These days Department is establishing a core facilities unit, entitled EduCore, that is expected to provide the needed services (e.g., software development, technological design, data science services, etc.) and to support both research and development in the various research groups, as well as other units and faculties at the Weizmann Institute that are in need of techno-pedagogical services.
