Weizmann Compass

This spring marks one year since the passing of Prof. Michael Sela, the sixth President of the Weizmann Institute, who was one of the founding fathers of biomedical research in Israel and an international leader in the fields of immunology and drug discovery. To this day, the impact of Prof. Sela’s scientific achievements and institutional leadership are evident in every corner of the Weizmann campus.

How did small segments of proteins floating in the primordial soup evolve into the complex protein molecules we know today?

Will an electron escaping a molecule through a quantum tunnel behave differently depending on its inherent asymmetry?

Our ability to handle stressful situations may come down to genetics

Friends of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel Yehuda and Dita Bronicki say their relationship with Weizmann originated from the conviction that industry has much to gain from cooperating with research institutions and that research institutions can benefit from cooperation with industry.

The Brazilian Association of Friends of the Weizmann Institute of Science, under the leadership of President Mario Fleck, has undertaken a major endeavor to support the construction of the building to house Weizmann’s neuroscience flagship initiative, the Azrieli Institute for Brain and Neural Sciences.

The Weizmann Institute is excited to announce a pledge from longtime friend David Lopatie to establish the David Lopatie Center for Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience—a pillar of the Azrieli Institute for Brain and Neural Sciences. The new Lopatie Center will advance efforts to unravel the basic principles of nerve cell communication and crack the underlying neural code.

The Weizmann Institute was recently gifted an endowment by Milvia Perinot and the Fondazione Henry Krenter toward a new research center within the Frontiers of the Universe flagship: the Krenter-Perinot Center for High-Energy Particle Physics.

Big Data―the massive amounts of information created by modern digital technologies―has changed the way we manage, analyze, and leverage what we know. This is particularly true in healthcare, where the Big Data methods used in Weizmann labs are having a transformative impact on clinical practice.

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration is set to launch Israel’s first space telescope—the Ultraviolet Transient Astronomy Satellite, orULTRASAT, designed by Weizmann astrophysicists—into high-Earth orbit in early 2026

A beautiful meadow near the Weizmann Institute campus in Rehovot, is the place where Prof. Ron Milo goes to think, relax, and draw inspiration. He wonders, “Will my daughters be able to enjoy this meadow in the same way? Will we all be able to enjoy all that nature provides in 10 years?”

Members of the Weizmann community often describe the campus as a kind of kibbutz. Indeed, it is the unique feeling of community at the Weizmann Institute that brings so many brilliant, passionate minds together. Thanks to Dan and Evelyn Simon, longtime friends of the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science, a new wellness complex on campus will be a hub of health and camaraderie that will plant seeds of collaboration and innovation for years to come.  

Yotam Berkowitz was a strong, healthy 20-something, finished with his compulsory service in the Israel Defense Forces, physics degree in hand and with plans to pursue an entrepreneurial career, when he suddenly began to suffer from kidney stones.

Three years ago, the Davidson Institute of Science Education—the educational arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science—embarked on an ambitious overhaul of its iconic open-air museum, the Clore Garden of Science.

A ‘computational clubhouse’ for AI and science

Dr. Ora Simcha Bitton Israel and her team are revolutionizing the way resources reach Weizmann scientists

“I have been building things for as long as I can remember myself,” says Dan Gelbart, a German-born, Israel-raised, and―since 1973―Canada-based inventor.

Weizmann alumni are making their mark on Israel’s thriving food-tech sector—boosting nutritional value and finding alternative, sustainable food sources

New computational method is a major step in sustainable chemistry

Flipping a single synaptic connection in a neural circuit prompts male worms to behave like female worms

Why do our hemispheres look equally bright from space?

A new computational method that tracks multiple protein modifications promises to shed new light on unsolved biomedical problems

Tumor fungi activity may facilitate cancer detection, diagnosis, and even treatment

Prof. Nir Yosef is combining single-cell genomic sequencing with a powerful partner: artificial intelligence

Prof. Thomas Vidick is using complexity theory to test and verify quantum phenomena

Dr. Tslil Ast is looking for therapeutic targets in devastating diseases

Inspired by biology, physicist Dr. Alexandra Tayar is transforming material science

The applied mathematics research of Dr. Boris Landa

A physicist by training, Dr. Eyal Karzbrun is now exploring the physical forces that guide organ formation

Dr. Samer Gnaim is making the most of organic chemistry

Prof. Ariel Amir is viewing the microbial world through the lens of physics

The Weizmann  Institute of Science was thrilled to announce a lead philanthropic donation from the Azrieli

The Weizmann Institute’s Frontiers of the Universe flagship project—which aims to transform our understanding of how the Universe works, from the tiniest  subatomic  particles to the largest galaxies—recently received a major boost from longstanding American Committee leader and Board member Dr. Mark Alexander.  

As the Weizmann Institute launches its artificial intelligence flagship project, Institute Prof. Ruth Arnon and her husband Dr. Uriel Arnon have made a substantial gift to support research in AI and smart materials.

In December, a celebratory summit took place between Weizmann biomedical researchers and their colleagues at the Schneider Children’s  Medical Center in Israel — one of the world’s leading children’s hospitals. 

Avisionary gift from Valeria Rosenbloom of Montreal, Canada has enabled the establishment of the Mike and Valeria Rosenbloom Center for Research on Positive Neuroscience—one of the 12 centers in the new Azrieli Institute for Brain and Neural Sciences, Weizmann’s flagship initiative.

The Weizmann Institute of Science is delighted to announce a pledge from Larry and Andi Wolfe to establish the Andrea L. and Lawrence A. Wolfe Family Center for Research on Neuroimmunology and Neuromodulation—a pillar of Weizmann’s neuroscience flagship, the Azrieli Institute for Brain and Neural Sciences.

The Weizmann Institute has launched emergency programs to help students and scientists from Ukraine and Russia to continue carrying out their scientific research.

This year two outstanding Weizmann scientists were selected to join the prestigious EMBO Young Investigator Programme

Prof. Jacob Hanna from the Department of Molecular Genetics continues to earn worldwide recognition for his   groundbreaking research in embryonic stem cell biology

On your mark, get set, GAMES! In late March, a group of student scientist-athletes went for the gold, representing the Weizmann Institute at the 2022 Academic Sports Association (ASA) Games in Eilat. 

The Weizmann Institute’s Feinberg Graduate School recently opened a new course in science communication skills to help scientists and students effectively convey the crux of their research and be able to adapt their presentation to a variety of audiences.

The maker movement continues to sweep the world, reshaping the face of modern  manufacturing, recycling, and sustainability.