By Ettay Nevo
The Weizmann Institute’s Prof. Yonina Eldar has been awarded the 2025 Israel Prize in Engineering Research and Engineering Sciences. The country’s highest civilian honor, the Israel Prize was presented at the national ceremony in Jerusalem, held on Independence Day in April.
“It’s an incredibly moving and humbling experience to be part of such a distinguished group of individuals whose contributions are so significant in their respective fields,” says Prof. Eldar. “Particularly meaningful to me is the recognition that scientists in Israel are leading groundbreaking research in so many areas, especially during these challenging times.”
An internationally renowned expert in signal processing, Prof. Eldar develops advanced sensors and algorithms that extract meaningful data from sound, light, and radio waves. Her innovations are used in fields ranging from security and defense to autonomous vehicles and medical monitoring, including a miniaturized ultrasound device.
“Our approach uses advanced signal sampling techniques to tap into additional layers of digital information,” she explains. “We’re not only able to produce higher‑quality images but also extract additional diagnostic parameters beyond what is included in traditional ultrasound imaging.”
Another development is a radar system that can remotely detect extremely subtle movements, such as the rise and fall of a person’s chest during breathing. “What makes our technology unique is the algorithm, which enables precise monitoring of heart rate and respiration—even for multiple individuals simultaneously in crowded environments,” Prof. Eldar says. “This system combines accuracy, scalability, and versatility.”
Born in Toronto in 1973, Prof. Eldar moved to Israel at age six with her family. Her parents, both educators, emphasized community involvement and a passion for learning. After national service with the Bnei Akiva youth movement, she earned a double degree in physics and electrical engineering at Tel Aviv University.
She later completed a PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under signal processing pioneer Prof. Alan Oppenheim—arriving in Boston with her eight‑week‑old baby. Despite offers from top American institutions, Prof. Eldar chose to return to Israel, where she established the Signal Acquisition Modeling Processing and Learning (SAMPL) Lab at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. In 2019, after 17 years at the Technion, she moved her lab to the Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at the Weizmann Institute, where she now also heads the Biomedical Engineering Center.
“The Weizmann Institute is a great fit for our group because there is a wide range of people here who are enthusiastic about cross-disciplinary collaboration,” she says. “This gives us the momentum to pursue the best science, free from rigid classifications, and also opens up many opportunities.”
yonina eldar is supported by:
The Manya Igel Centre for Biomedical Engineering and Signal Processing
The Swiss Society Institute for Cancer Prevention Research
The Dorothy and Patrick Gorman Professorial Chair
