Letters & Articles

Dear Weizmann Institute community,

Happy Hanukah and Happy New Year 2026 to all! Merry Christmas to those who celebrate. Since my last letter, so much has happened in Israel and on campus. There is a ceasefire, all the living hostages have come home, and we await the return of the last deceased hostage still in captivity in Gaza. Despite the sorrow of the past two-plus years of war, national healing is beginning.

At Weizmann, the sounds of rebuilding and construction are audible throughout campus and serve as a powerful reminder of our collective will to return to normal and continue to do world-class science. Only a few months after the Iranian missile strikes, all the lab groups that lost their labs have been relocated and are largely back on track. I invite you to watch two videos I showed at my annual presentation to the International Board, in which we followed seven scientists over the course of three months after the attacks: first describing loss and initial recovery efforts, and to close out my talk, a brief check-in with them a few months later.

While the last six months have been highly demanding, it has also been deeply rewarding to witness the collective spirit of our campus community in recovery and rebuilding. I want to thank everyone involved; I do believe that there are few institutions that could have gotten back on track with the same agility and efficiency.

One important “healing moment” was, aptly, the formal launch of our medical school on October 23. The Miriam and Aaron Gutwirth Medical School will offer MD/PhD degrees in an intensive and unique program lasting more than seven years.

I was moved by the large attendance at the 77th Annual General Meeting of the International Board—a clear sign of the eagerness of our global community to come to Israel following two difficult years of war, to show solidarity, and to learn and experience first-hand how the Institute has persevered and what it has achieved despite the challenges.

High honors

Also at the Board, we bestowed the PhD honoris causa on seven extraordinary individuals. As I noted that evening, we now find ourselves at a turning point after tremendous challenges. It is precisely at such moments that we seek light and optimism, which is exactly what this ceremony is all about. This year’s recipients were: Dr. Angela Merkel, former Federal Chancellor of Germany, who was the keynote speaker; Dita (Yehudit) Bronicki of Israel; Prof. Patrick Cramer of Germany; Karen Davidson of the US; Dr. Eugene Koonin of the US; Maurice Lévy of France; and Ilana Ronat-Mantoux of Israel.

We also bestowed the Helen and Martin Kimmel Award for Innovative Investigation and the André Deloro Prize for Scientific Research. Congratulations to Prof. Ariel Amir of the Department of Physics of Complex Systems who was this year’s Kimmel Award winner, and to Prof. Noam Stern-Ginossar of the Department of Molecular Genetics, winner of the Deloro Award.

On November 13, we bestowed the prestigious Weizmann Award upon Bruno Mariani, a Brazilian businessman whose company, Symbiosis, is restoring the vast Atlantic Forest on the coast of Brazil. His impressive reforestation approach is based on robust scientific research and replanting native species. Bruno established a unique business model that enables environmental sustainability and return on investment. The Award is intended to reflect the values of Dr. Chaim Weizmann, who believed that scientific research and higher education are essential foundations for a thriving society. He also felt strongly that a lush, natural environment would provide a peaceful oasis for the best minds to do their best work. In this way, Mr. Mariani’s values truly align with ours.

Scientific prizes are not only important signals of excellence. They also help promote engagement in science and serve as an inspiration for others. This is precisely what we are aiming to do with our recent establishment of the Michael Sela Prize for Biomedical Research, an annual international prize whose value we hope reverberates across the scientific world. The inaugural prize will be bestowed on Profs. Francis Collins, Lee Hood, and Eric Lander, architects of the Human Genome Project who made transformative contributions to genomics, DNA sequencing, and precision medicine. The Sela Prize also is a moving way to memorialize our dear colleague Institute Professor Michael Sela, the renowned immunologist and Weizmann President. I look forward to the first ceremony and symposium, in May 2026.

New hires and appointments  

I would like to welcome Dr. Elik Chapnik as the new CEO of Yeda. Elik replaces Dr. Opher Shapira, who stepped down from the role earlier this year following five successful years. Elik previously served as Vice President of Business Development at Yeda and held senior roles in the pharma industry, including at Quark and Teva. Deeply familiar with Weizmann and its mission, having received his PhD in molecular genetics at the Institute, Elik has broad scientific and industry experience which positions him ideally to lead Yeda in its next chapter of growth and impact. I wish Elik the best of luck in his new role.

I would also like to deeply thank Prof. Yehiam Prior for his dedicated service as the Chief Information Officer and Head of the Information Technology Division since 2020. As of December 1, Liat Bar David has replaced Yehiam in this role. Liat comes with a wealth of experience in the management of information systems, most recently at Assuta Medical Centers. I warmly welcome Liat and wish her much success.

I’m excited to tell you about three newly hired scientists who have joined the Institute in the last several months. Prof. Ehud (Udi) Hrushovski, a leading figure in geometric model theory and its applications, is the newest addition to the Department of Mathematics. Ehud has held appointments at the University of Oxford, Princeton, and MIT. His work has transformed the interaction between mathematical logic and diverse fields of mathematics, including additive combinatorics and algebraic geometry.

Dr. Gil Schwarts is the newest faculty-track member of the Department of Science Teaching, following a postdoc at the University of Michigan and a Senior Intern position at Weizmann as part of the Institute’s Bridge Program. Gil studies mathematically responsive teaching—the ability of classroom instructors to notice and respond productively to students’ ideas, and use those ideas for teaching mathematical content. She is developing AI-driven avatar-based digital simulations that allow teachers to practice responsiveness, supporting deeper insight into students’ mathematical reasoning.

Dr. Tom Manovitz joined the Department of Physics of Complex Systems after a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University. His research focuses on using atom arrays to study quantum phases and phase transitions, as well as on developing new hardware and protocols for quantum computing that is reliable and scalable. At the Board, he was awarded the Sir Charles Clore Prize for Outstanding Scientist, where he eloquently spoke about his decision to return to Israel and to the Institute—where he received his PhD—in the wake of the October 7 attacks.

Welcome and best of luck, Udi, Gil, and Tom!

Highlighting excellence

Professional excellence in the administrative and technical sector is something that we value deeply and which should be recognized and rewarded. On November 19, we held our annual ceremony for the recipients of the Outstanding Employee Award, which was an opportunity for us to recognize 17 individuals who received the award this year and thank them for their hard work and dedication.

They represent a wide range of talent across campus: Dalia Steinberg from Finance; Shahar Nagar from the Chemistry Faculty; Liron Kinda from the Physics Faculty; Shahar Ben-Shimon from IT; Ravid Melnik Zilka from Finance; Elinor Malka from Human Resources; Yarden Jaron from Resource Development; Eyal Keha from the Weizmann School of Science; Hen Ben-David of the Biology Faculty; Maayan Bar-Natan from Science Teaching; Isaac Nagaokar of Procurement; Rachel Polak from the GINCPM; Yosi Doytch of Operations; Yael Elbank from the Biology Faculty; Dr.Stavit Cochva from Human Resources; Benny Moshe from Construction and Engineering; and Shlomi Ben-Haim from Operations.

Mazal tov to all the recipients!

Science doesn’t stop

Our scientific output continues to impress, and is especially remarkable given the challenges of the last six months. In one remarkable international recognition, Prof. Yifat Merbl of the Department of Systems Immunology was named one of “Nature’s 10”—a year-end ranking by the prestigious journal of the “ten people who helped shape science in 2025”. She was included in this group for finding a facet of the immune system in the proteasome, known as the cellular recycling bin, showing that pieces of proteins that were broken down may directly kill bacteria. It’s a finding that may be critical in the hunt for new antibiotics. Her discovery was published in the spring, and her lab in the Wolfson Building was badly damaged in the missile strikes; she’s up and running again as you can see from the short movies referenced above.

Dr. Yael Kiro from the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences—whose lab in the Sussman Building was badly damaged by the shockwaves—recently published a study showing that the hidden water flows between the ocean and coastal aquifers can have a powerful effect on the ocean’s chemistry. Her findings reveal an entire ecological system beneath the shoreline that few scientists knew existed, and which plays a role in the health of our oceans and groundwater resources. This discovery has implications for climate change because oceans absorb massive quantities of CO₂ from the atmosphere.

Prof. Ravid Straussman from the Department of Molecular Cell Biology—whose lab in the Ullmann Building was destroyed—collaborated with physicians at Beilinson and Rambam hospitals and revealed that diverse bacteria reside within brain tumors, and found that certain bacterial species may render tumors resistant to treatment.

In another brain-related study, Prof. Nachum Ulanovsky and his team from the Department of Brain Sciences traveled to a small island off the coast of Tanzania to study how fruit bats navigate in the wild. They found that the bats’ neuronal compass is encoded by head-direction cells that consistently point to the same directions regardless of the bat’s location, and irrespective of the movements of the moon and stars—demonstrating that the mammalian “neuronal compass” is geographically stable and is independent of celestial dynamics.

I hope that the speedy recovery efforts and the Weizmann spirit will ensure that our scientific productivity will continue to soar.

With all best wishes for a happy holiday season and a healthy and peaceful New Year.

Sincerely,

Prof. Alon Chen