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 Clore Center for Biological Physics supports research activities that use the methods of physics and physical chemistry to study biological systems. Under the center’s auspices, biologists, chemists, computer scientists, and physicists work together to explore a variety of fundamental issues in biology, and develop new approaches to address them.

The Crown Institute for Genomics provides next-generation gene sequencing services and data analysis to help scientists at the Weizmann Institute; and researchers from academia, hospitals, and industry; to conduct biomedical research in collaboration with the Nancy and Stephen Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine.

The Crown Photonics Centert promotes the study of light and its applications. The Weizmann Institute is a global leader in basic photonics research. Photonics has given rise to the discovery of gamma rays, ultraviolet light, infrared light, microwaves, and radio waves, with applications ranging from biomedicine to homeland security, and including computing, medical diagnostics, imaging, on-chip data communication, and laser defense.

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 Center for Energy Research promotes research in all aspects of energy including direct conversion of sunlight, thermal electricity generation, thermally driven chemical processes, and photochemistry.

The Leo and Julia Forchheimer Center for Molecular Genetics funds research on the molecular and genetic mechanisms that underlie basic biological processes in complex organisms at the level of single-cell organisms and cells in culture.

The Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger Center for Nanophysics advances theoretical and experimental research in nanophysics and is fueled by the success of the research on mesoscopic physics, a sub-discipline of condensed matter physics that deals with materials of an intermediate length scale. The scale of such materials can be described as being between the size of a quantity of atoms, such as a molecule, and of materials measuring microns.

The Nancy and Stephen Grand Research Center for Sensors and Security develops new types of sensors and ways to improve the sensitivity and accuracy of sensing methods. These include biosensors, biomedical sensors, and experimental technologies needed to make sensors smaller, more accurate, and capable of detecting minute quantities of substances noninvasively.

The Gruber Center for Quantum Electronics supports research on the behavior of electrons in matter. The study of quantum electronics is enabling the miniaturization of technology and the development of the transistors and integrated circuits of tomorrow. As the size of devices shrinks and reaches the nanometer scale, the effects of quantum mechanics on electrons becomes more pronounced and, eventually, determines their electronic properties.

The Dana and Yossie Hollander Center for Structural Proteomics elucidates how proteins are arranged in space, which informs how proteins function and how dysfunctional proteins lead to various diseases; and lead to the design of new drugs, diagnostic tests, proteins engineered for industrial use, vaccines, antibodies, and other blood products, biosensors, agrochemicals, and biologically engineered organisms. The Center is a national service provider.

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 primary aim of the Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for Archaeological Science is to train students at the 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 Joseph and Ceil Mazer Center for Structural Biology focuses elucidating the molecular structure of biological macromolecules, particularly proteins and nucleic acids; how they acquire their structures; and how alterations in their structures affect their function - an area of major importance to biologists because macromolecules carry out most of the functions of cells.

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 Dr. Josef Cohn Minerva Center for Biomembrane Research was inaugurated in 1988 to commemorate Dr. Cohn's major contributions to the scientific links between Germany and Israel. Through its activities, special attention has been given to promoting contacts between Israeli and German scientists.

The John von Neumann Minerva Center for the Development of Reactive Systems advances the development of complex reactive systems, mainly through the processes of modeling and analysis. Research concentrates on visual formalisms and supporting tools for modeling, and on powerful simulation and analysis methods. The center works closely with applications for industry; other projects include service-oriented computing, tactical simulators and health care processes.

The Minerva Center for Life under Extreme Planetary Conditions is devoted to understanding life in extreme conditions on solar system planets and beyond, studying the physical, geochemical, and biological aspects of the topic, and seeking to develop a framework for addressing questions at the forefront of the search for life in the universe.

The Minerva Center for Nonlinear Physics of Complex Systems supports research on nonlinear dynamics and its applications including turbulent flows, theoretical and experimental investigations of pattern formations, and pattern selection and variability. These studies are applied to specific problems taken from astrophysics, geophysics and biology.

The Moross Integrated Cancer Center (MICC) works to unravel the complexity of cancer by harnessing the power of basic research to facilitate translation into the clinical arena in the quest for cancer prevention, early diagnosis and, ultimately, a cure. The overarching goal of the MICC is to move toward personalized cancer medicine, facilitating translational research by enabling the flow of insights from the lab and feedback from patient treatment and samples. The MICC includes six components: the Swiss Society Institute for Cancer Prevention Research, the Ekard Institute for Cancer Diagnosis Research, the Dwek Institute for Cancer Therapy Research, The de Picciotto-Lesser Cancer Cell Observatory in Memory of Wolfgang and Ruth Lesser, the Weizmann-Brazil Tumor Bank, and the Kleinman Cancer Cell Sorting Facility.

The Irving and Cherna Moskowitz Center for Nano and Bio-nano Imaging is focused on enhancing the imaging capacities of the Weizmann Institute. The center encourages new initiatives for improving imaging techniques and capabilities and supports the purchase of new, state-of-the-art equipment and the upgrade of existing facilities.

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.

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 Dr. Scholl Center for Water and Climate 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.

The Sussman Family Center for the Study of Environmental Sciences funds investigations involving complex inter-relationships among the major Earth systems and toward the discovery of novel, non-polluting energy sources.

The Swiss Society Institute for Cancer Prevention Research sponsors initiatives for a non-conventional approach to fighting cancer, by focusing on finding innovative and groundbreaking research methods and tools and by building an interactive community of scientists.

The Weizmann-Brazil Tumor Bank, part of the Moross Integrated Cancer Center (MICC), supports the preservation and an in-depth investigation of tumors in various stages of progression, both in vitro and in vivo. The facility helps Weizmann Institute researchers identify genes associated with tumor growth, thereby promoting the development of new strategies for cancer treatment.

The Willner Family Leadership Institute provides support for scientific research, education, and leadership development. Funding is used for the recruitment of young scientists and outfitting their labs, new research and technology initiatives, the purchase of scientific instrumentation systems, and science education.

The Maurice and Vivienne Wohl Institute for Drug Discovery unit serves Israeli researchers from universities, research institutes and biopharmaceutical companies, providing high throughput screening in order to support biomedical discovery and therapeutic and prophylactic molecules.

The Yad Abraham Research Center for Cancer Diagnostics and Therapy promotes cancer research with a focus on its genetic components and toward developing new avenues for early detection of malignant processes and of novel therapeutic approaches.