Centers and institutes

The Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Research funds studies in the physiology, biochemistry, and functioning of the human brain and on brain diseases, toward devising improved therapies and cures. The Azrieli Institute will work in concert with the new Israel National Center for Brain Imaging and Stimulation, a government-funded entity to be led the Weizmann Institute and in partnership with the Technion and Sourasky Medical Center.

The David Barton Center for Research on the Chemistry of Life was established to support basic research and innovative directions in biological chemistry with a focus on proteins as chemical catalysts or building blocks.

The Tom and Mary Beck Center for Advanced and Intelligent Materials supports groundbreaking research on innovative materials conducted with an eye towards possible applications in medicine, building materials, and alternative energy.

The Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for Astrophysics promotes research in theoretical and experimental astrophysics, cosmology, and related topics including observational astronomy, computational astrophysics, and experimental particle astrophysics.

The Y. Leon Benoziyo Institute for Molecular Medicine supports biomedical research and utilizes high-throughput DNA sequencing and protein purification and identification of research relevant to translational medicine and facilitates ties between the laboratory and the medical clinic.

The Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for Neurosciences supports research on the complex neuronal mechanisms underlying learning, memory, and sensory processing, as well as the relationship between brain and mind.

The Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Center for Submicron Research explores the miniaturization of electronic devices. Scientists pursue the design, material growth, fabrication, and characterization of submicron semiconductors, which are essential for a new type of quantum electronics which is leading to the development of smaller and faster computer chips for tomorrow’s advanced electronics industry.

The Dimitris N. Chorafas Institute for Scientific Exchange supports international scientific conferences at the David Lopatie Conference Centre on the Weizmann Institute campus, with the aim of enriching intellectual exchange and solidifying the Weizmann Institute’s role as a world hub of scientific research.

The Clore Institute for High-Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy supports research questions spanning across all realms of science – from physiology and biochemistry in cells, tissues, animals, and humans; to the structure and dynamics of chemicals and biomolecules; to studies of advanced and new materials. The Institute also develops methods for high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and data processing, as well as technologies for exploring related phenomena.

The Crown Human Genome Center supplies experimental and computational genetic information knowledge to the academic, medical, and biotechnology communities in diagnostics, agriculture, genetic diseases, drug development, and gene therapy. It is a vital part of the strategic infrastructure that has increased Israel’s capacity to use the vast information resulting from the worldwide Human Genome Project. With its many collaborators, the center also has been a major partner in conducting groundbreaking research to investigate the human genome.

The Weizmann Institute Data Science Research Center —a subdivision within the Artificial Intelligence Enterprise for Scientific Discovery—promotes the integration of leading-edge data science techniques to basic and applied research in the natural science, by fostering cross-discipline collaborations and by developing advanced tools for high performance computing.

The de Botton Institute for Protein Profiling uses the latest tools to provide comprehensive and quantitative analysis of proteins in any biological sample for researchers pursuing basic research and research in personalized medicine. It also serves as a center for innovation in proteomic analysis through collaborative work with researchers and clinicians. The unit is part of The Nancy and Stephen Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine (G-INCPM).

The André Deloro Institute for Space and Optics Research explores the nature of the universe from the smallest sub-particle to the most distant galaxies. It brings together scientists investigating the nature of light and matter on the quantum scale of particle physics; planetary and space scientists working on an astronomical scale ranging from micro-meteors to giant gas planets to supernova explosions at the outer edges of the universe; and theoretical scientists who work on scales both vast and infinitesimal.

The Center for the Development of Scientific Resources provides funds that permit staff scientists and engineers to develop ways to get the most out of the existing equipment and improve their performance to address special research needs. Such support is targeted to enable innovative solutions to cases in which researchers have non-standard demands that require specific adjustments of standard protocols or higher accuracy than manufacturer's standards.

Dwek Institute for Cancer Therapy Research, part of the Moross Integrated Cancer Center (MICC), explores the molecular mechanisms of cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment (surrounding tissues, blood vessels, immune cells, etc.); strives for an in-depth understanding of the programmed cell death installed in every cell; and searches for new and efficient biological approaches to override the resistance of tumor cells to treatments. Our goal is to identify drugs and other types of treatment modalities that would kill cancer and cancer accessory cells with minimal or no damage to healthy tissues.

The Dolfi and Lola Ebner Center for Biomedical Research supports research on human diseases at the molecular level including studies addressing biochemical mechanisms that underlie the major threats to human health, such as cardiovascular defects, cancer, and infectious diseases.

The Ekard Research School of Biological Science was founded in 2010 by donors who chose to remain anonymous. The Ekard Research School gives graduate students in biology the tools to excel and grow in their research and studies.

The Irene and Jared M. Drescher Center for Research on Mental and Emotional Health combines a variety of methods and approaches to shed light on the mechanisms and properties of emotional regulation to provide insights that will help encourage mental resilience, prevent mental illness, and inform the design of new treatments and therapies. This center is part of the Azrieli Institute for Brain and Neural Sciences.

The Center for Experimental Physics fosters research in all areas of experimental physics, ranging from the most basic aspects of particle physics to experimental studies of basic material properties such as semiconductors and superconductors. Research also involves atomic, molecular, plasma and optical physics and interdisciplinary studies of the physics of biological systems.

This center provides a financial backbone required for transforming innovative projects that have strong translational potential from curiosity-driven basic science into more mature technologies, thereby increasing the likelihood of industry’s willingness to invest in their technology transfer and subsequent commercialization.

The Nancy and Stephen Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine is based at and managed by the Weizmann Institute. It offers multi-disciplinary teams of scientists, clinicians, biomedical and pharmaceutical companies the ability to conduct research involving genomics, protein profiling, bioinformatics, and drug discovery. The insights arising from this research are applied to the clinic for the benefit of human health.

The Murray H. and Meyer Grodetsky Center for Research of Higher Brain Functions advances understanding of the link between cognitive processes such as perception, action, memory and emotional regulation, and the multiple scales of spatio-temporal patterns of brain activity.

The Fritz Haber Center supports scientific activities in the fields of Physical Chemistry, Chemical Physics and Biological Physics. The support of the Center is given directly to research groups to help initiate new endeavors, and in support of ongoing activities. The support is usually dedicated to the purchase of new scientific equipment, the upgrade of operating laboratories, the extension of existing experimental systems, or repairs of specialized instrumentation.

The Manya Igel Centre for Biomedical Engineering and Signal Processing concentrates on merging computer science with advanced techniques used in life sciences for neuroscience, brain studies, cancer research, and other fields where signals and data are being collected in great quantities and need to be interpreted.

The Center for Infectious Disease and Host Interaction Research aims to advance microbiology and microbiome research and supports state-of-the-art basic and translational exploration seeking to understand the molecular basis of host-pathogen and host-commensal interactions, their connection with communicable and non-communicable diseases, and translation into methods of medical intervention that could thwart the substantial threat infectious diseases pose human existence.

The Morris Kahn Institute for Human Immunology is dedicated to understanding acquired immunity, i.e. how the immune system protects the body from invading pathogens. The center focuses on investigating cellular and molecular interactions that underlie the antibody mediated immune response against infectious pathogens, in response to vaccination and during intestinal immune response. In addition, our scientists harness the emerging new findings for the design of immunotherapeutic strategies. By elucidating the cellular and molecular components involved in successful immune responses, we aim to pave the way for new approaches for manipulating the immune system and direct it against tumors.

The Ilse Katz Institute for Material Sciences and Magnetic Resonance Research advances research utilizing magnetic resonance (MR) and advancing MR technology. Institute scientists have made major inroads advancing theoretical work on the basic quantum mechanical principles underlying MR, devising a wide variety of new materials, research techniques and medical applications.

The Aharon Katzir-Katchalsky Center was established in 1972, following the tragic death of Aharon Katzir-Katchalski at the hands of terrorists, as a living memorial. The Center promotes activities in physical biology and macromolecular science and in such other areas of science that fall within the wide-ranging interests of Aharon Katzir-Katchalski, especially the impact of scientific and technological advances on human society.

The Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for Archaeological Science trains students at the MSc and PhD level in both the natural sciences and archaeology, enabling them to implement the most sophisticated analytical tools and methods in studies of ancient cultures based on their material remains.

The Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for Molecular Design supports scientific activities (including international conferences) focused on molecular design. In particular, the Center provides seed funding for research projects encompassing diverse aspects of molecular design, with particular emphasis on interdisciplinary collaborations. Research supported by the Center includes, but is not limited to, development of functional materials based on metal–ligand coordination (van der Boom group), fluorescent molecular sensors for protein detection (Margulies group), polyoxometalate-based catalysts (Neumann group), stimuli-responsive molecules and materials (Klajn group), chemical reaction networks (with implications for synthetic biology and origins of life) (Semenov group), new sensors for magnetic resonance imaging (Bar-Shir group), pincer-type organometallic catalysts (Milstein group), sustainable materials self-assembled from small-molecule building blocks (Rybtchinski group), as well as development of new methods in computational quantum chemistry (Martin group), uncovering the molecular mechanisms underlying the function of retinal proteins (Sheves group), and computational design of biologically active small-molecule compounds (London group).

The Helen Kimmel Center for Planetary Science nurtures novel collaborations in planetary surface geology and geophysics, planetary geochemistry and exobiology, planetary atmospheres and climate, and extrasolar planets. It enables a graduate studies program in planetary sciences, and enables the Weizmann Institute to take a leading role in national and international space research initiatives.

The Helen and Milton A. Kimmelman Center for Biomolecular Structure & Assembly advances research on the assembly of biological macromolecules into functionally active intracellular units and organelles. It supports research projects in nucleic acids and protein expression and purification, crystallization, and crystallographic data collection, the area in which Prof. Yonath’s research won her the Nobel Prize.

The Knell Family Center for Microbiology aims to promote the understanding of microorganisms and to harness this knowledge for the benefit of creating new tools to improve human health and our environment.

The Henry Chanoch Krenter Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Genomics enables the convergence of high-resolution bioimaging and genomics techniques toward a coherent picture of cancer’s ability to function, grow, evade treatment, and respond to treatment.

The Lorry I. Lokey Research School of Biochemical Science was established by Lorry Lokey of San Francisco, in 2007 for the benefit of graduate students working in biochemistry. It was the first of the five Research Schools created to support and enhance graduate education at the Weizmann Institute’s Feinberg Graduate School.

The M. Judith Ruth Institute for Preclinical Brain Research is paving the way towards groundbreaking discoveries in mental health and illness, as well as brain development and degeneration, by supporting preclinical core facilities and advanced disease modeling platforms for innovative comparative medicine research.

The Mantoux Institute for Bioinformatics uses innovative computational tools to help scientists efficiently and accurately analyze the reams of intricate information that modern, large-scale basic, preclinical, and clinical studies generates. This merger of biology and computing has become a major driving force in biological investigation worldwide.

The Ben May Center for Chemical Theory and Computation brings together theoretical and computational scientists to study the fundamental properties of materials and physical systems, using advanced theoretical and computational tools and spanning a broad range of scales.

The Belle S. and Irving E. Meller Center for the Biology of Aging advances research on the pathology of aging, including the immune system, the vascular system, connective tissues, and more.

The Institute for Microbiome Research promotes the integrated application of immunology, molecular cell biology, and mathematical approaches to the examination of how microbial species, residing naturally in the intestinal tract, influence the incidence and progress of a host of human conditions and diseases. Built around the “Personalized Nutrition Project” and resting on intensive collaboration with clinical researchers, Institute activities have implications for the eventual design of personalized treatments for disorders including obesity and diabetes, inflammation, cancer, and neurodegeneration.

The Minerva Foundation, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Weizmann Institute of Science established the Avron-Minerva center for Photosynthesis in 1995. The center promotes research in the chemical, physical, technological and regulatory aspects of photosynthesis from the molecular to the global level.

The Albert Einstein Minerva Center for Theoretical Physics fosters research on theoretical physics with an emphasis on collaborations between Weizmann Institute scientists and German scientists. Research ranges from the most abstract aspects of string theory, through astrophysics, to down-to-earth problems in optics and statistical and condensed-matter physics.

The Minerva Center for Decision-Making Strategies in Microorganisms – was established in 2015 and is dedicated to research in probabilistic decision making in bacteria and budding yeast.

The Minerva Center on Live Emulation of Evolution in the Lab was formed in 2014 to conductscientific research in the fields of evolution, genomics and systems biology. The modelorganisms studied in particular are microbial species, worms and humans.

The Monroy-Marks Integrative Center for Brain Disorder Research funds efforts to translate fundamental research in neuroscience into medical solutions. This center works within the Azrieli Institute for Brain and Neural Sciences to promote collaborations between Weizmann Institute’s scientists and clinicians in Israel and worldwide developing new technology and data analysis tools.

Moross Research School of Mathematics and Computer Science was created by in 2009 by Manfred Moross and his family to help with the needs of graduate students in these key areas of science and mathematics.

The Israel National Nano Technology Initiative Center is part of the Israel National Nanotechnology Initiative run jointly by the Ministry of Economy and TELEM. It supports nanoscience and nanotechnology activities, mainly through the purchase of new shared equipment.

The Andrea L. and Lawrence A. Wolfe Family Center for Research on and Neuromodulation supports the use of innovative tools and technologies to study interactions among neurons, neural tissue, and immune cells, with the aim of understanding and modulating the neural/immune interface to enhance healthy brain function. This center is part of the Azrieli Institute for Brain and Neural Sciences.

The Center for New Scientists administers charitable gifts and endowments dedicated to helping young faculty members and researchers excel during their critical first years at the Weizmann Institute of Science.

The Perlman Institute of Chemical Sciences supports the regular maintenance and activities of the Perlman Chemical Sciences Building, established by the late Harold Perlman, a founding member of the Chicago Committee of the Weizmann Institute of Science. Through its support, scientists at the Department of Materials and Interfaces and the Department of Chemical Physics enjoy a modern research facility. Scientific research projects conducted at the Perlman Building are diverse and include, among other things, the development of advanced chemical nano-structures such as nanotubes; finding alternative energy sources and improving existing technologies for the production of sustainable energy; identifying theoretical models of cellular shapes and dynamics; and exploring advanced methods of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance.

The Center for Quantum Science and Technology promotes research on quantum mechanics and its application to critical challenges in physics, chemistry, optics, and engineering. Building on earlier discoveries about how matter behaves at the nanoscale, scientists associated with the Center are examining how complex quantum properties such as superposition and entanglement may make it possible to construct the powerful and massively efficient technologies of the future. Center website: https://centers.weizmann.ac.il/quantum-science-technology/

The Gabrielle Rich Center for Transplantation Biology Research was created to especially support the research of Prof. Tsvee Lapidot, Prof. Dov Zipori and Prof. Yair Reisner, dedicated to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

The Sagol Center for Research on the Aging Brain focuses in the mechanisms of aging in health and disease by studying molecular, structural, and functional aspects of the aging brain and combining them with behavioral analyses. The center aims to guide the development of novel therapeutic approaches. This center is part of the Azrieli Institute for Brain and Neural Sciences.

The Dr. Scholl Center for Water and Climate Research funds projects on water and climate toward advancing an improved understanding of the global environment.

The Schwartz/Reisman Center for Intense Laser Physics is working on the basic challenges to realizing the potential of intense laser physics in a wide range of applications, from medical diagnostics to security screening.

The Center for Scientific Excellence oversees endowed funds and gifts to give grants to established researchers with exciting new ideas.

The David and Fela Shapell Family Institute for Preclinical Studies supports preclinical projects in which The Nancy and Stephen Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine (G-INCPM) is involved. The Shapell Family Institute forwards its goal by providing the needed equipment, manpower, and resources for conducting preclinical-related research at the G-INCPM.

Statistical Mechanics center supports research in statistical physics and application of its methods to a wide set of disciplines, from biology and soft matter to fluid physics and quantum information.

The Sustainability and Energy Research Initiative (SAERI) focuses on providing the fundamental scientific basis of technological developments in sustainability and alternative energy.

The Swiss Society Center for Research on Perception and Action aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of how sensory input translates into action, by exploring forms of sensory processing, including vision, audition, olfaction, taste, and touch, as well as sensorimotor integration and navigation. This center is part of the Azrieli Institute for Brain and Neural Sciences.

The Weizmann-Brazil Center for Research on Neurodegeneration supports research on basic mechanisms compromised in neurodegeneration, on the causes and trajectories of neurodegenerative diseases, the earliest hallmarks we can identify, and the means for preventing, delaying, or even curing these diseases.

The Wertheimer Center for Computational Biology facilitates the historical transition of the biological sciences toward Big Data-driven research and information-centered integration of experiments and theory. Serving as analysts, educators, and mediators between the departments in which they work and the Nancy and Stephen Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine, the Center’s computational biology experts advance the Weizmann Institute’s leadership in the new era of information-centric biology and its numerous applications in precision medicine.

The Willner Family Center for Vascular Biology focuses on the regulation of vascular processes in healthy and diseased states, including in cancer. Since dysregulation of vascular processes causes many human diseases such as heart failure, stroke, and cancer, research findings are leading to the development of early diagnosis tools and therapies.

The Women's Health Research Center bridges the gap between basic research and clinical studies in women’s and gender health-related issues. The center primarily supports research projects pertinent to ovarian function and infertility, gender-specific malignancies, and bone structure and development as related to osteoporosis.