award recipients 2009 - weizmann institute of science recipients 2009 • clore israel foundation...
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Supported by:
Award Recipients 2009
• CloreIsraelFoundation• TheMorrisFederFamily• JanineGordon• ArlynImberman• MerylJaffeandAdamHurwich• ThePearlWelinskyMerloFoundation,EllenMerlo• CharlesH.RevsonFoundation• MikeandValeriaRosenbloomthroughthe
MikeRosenbloomFoundation• Rueff-WormserPostdoctoralAward• TheRowlandandSylviaSchaeferFoundation
MarlaSchaefer,BonnieSchaefer,RobertaWaller,Directors• KarenSiem• FreddaWeissFoundation
מכון ויצמן למדע -תוכנית לאומית לפרסי
דוקטוריאליים – מחקר בתרלקידום נשים במדע
Weizmann Institute of Science – National Postdoctoral Award Program for Advancing Women in Science
For further information about the program, please contact:
Prof. Adi Kimchi
President’s Advisor for advancing Women in Science Weizmann Institute of Science
972-8-934-2428
Ms. Yosefa Givoli, Secretary
Weizmann Institute of Science
972-8-934-3841
It is a known fact that there are few women scientists in
the world in general, and in the Israeli higher education
system, in particular. Israel, a small country with almost no natural
resources other than human talent, simply cannot afford this loss of
potential.
We see it as an urgent priority to increase the number of women
faculty members at the Weizmann Institute, at all levels, from young
researchers to tenured scientists. Our broader aim is to help increase
the number of women scientists nationwide.
Toward these goals, we initiated a plan to proactively advance talented
Israeli female scientists. In the first stage, we focused primarily on the
key issue of recruitment at the postdoctoral level; we strongly believe
that postdoctoral training abroad for a period of between two to four
years is of vital importance to the quality of Israeli science, and a
critical phase in every scientist’s career. However, most Israeli women
graduates in the exact and natural sciences forego this essential
part of their career development for social, cultural, and financial
reasons. This is precisely the stage at which most women, in fact,
decide to abandon their academic careers.
Therefore, in 2007, we established a nationwide award program,
initiated by Prof. Hadassa Degani, open to outstanding women Ph.D.
graduates at all Israeli institutions of higher learning, to enable their
postdoctoral training at leading international laboratories, with a view
of returning to Israel for an academic research career.
The program is administered by the Weizmann Institute’s Feinberg
Graduate School, which has extensive experience in evaluating
students and postdocs.
F o r e w o r d
The Steering Committee is headed by Prof. Adi Kimchi, the President’s
Advisor for Advancing Women in Science.
This year, a nationwide call for applications was issued on March 1, and
fifty eight women scientists submitted their applications by June1.
All of these women received their Ph.D. degrees from Israeli institutions
of higher learning: 16 from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; 17
from the Weizmann Institute; 7 from the Technion-Israel Institute of
Technology; 12 from Tel Aviv University; 5 from Ben-Gurion University
of the Negev; 1 from Bar-Ilan University. The selection committee
chose eleven outstanding women scientists who will be each granted
this special award for their studies abroad. Their fields of research
span a wide range of topics in science, including experimental
and theoretical chemistry, molecular cellular and developmental
biology, neurobiology, mathematics and computer science and
Astronomy and Astrophysics.
The criteria for the award were based on academic excellence, as
evidenced by the standard scientific evaluation tools: outstanding
Ph.D. work; state-of-the-art proposed postdoctoral research;
scientific productivity and publications in leading journals; as well
as strong recommendations of advisors and scientists familiar with
the work; recognition from the candidate’s own institution; and
scientific prizes.
All applicants expressed their intention to return to Israel following
postdoctoral training to pursue a scientific career.
In this brochure, we are proud to present the 11 Postdoctoral Award
recipients for 2009.
T he Weizmann Institute of Science is grateful to our
friends throughout the world who have generously
supported the cause of Women in Science
Rec
ipie
nts
of
the
20
09
Aw
ard
ד“ר מירלה בן-חןDr. Mirela Ben-Chen
Ph.D.: Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Department: Computer Science
Advisor: Prof. Craig Gotsman
Ph.D. Thesis: Discrete geometric algorithms for mesh processing
Post-doctorate: Stanford University, United States
Department: Computer Science
Advisor: Prof. Leonidas J. Guibas
Research Topic: Discrete quasi-conformal maps, theory and applications
ד“ר נעם גינוסרDr. Noam Ginossar (Stern)
Ph.D.: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Department: Immunology
Advisor: Prof. Ofer Mandelboim
Ph.D. Thesis: Modulation of NK cells cytotoxic activity
Post-doctorate: University of California, San Francisco, United States
Department: Cellular & Molecular Pharmacology
Advisor: Prof. Jonathan Weissman
Research Topic: Global analysis of protein translation in virally infected cells
Rec
ipie
nts
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the
20
09
Aw
ard
ד“ר שלומית גרינברגDr. Shlomit Greeenberg
Ph.D.: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Department: Psychology
Advisor: Prof. Leon Deouell
Ph.D. Thesis: Brain synchronization: binding, consciousness, attention or Intention?
Post-doctorate: New York University, United States
Department: Psychology and Center for Neural Sci
Advisor: Prof. David Heeger
Research Topic: Finding the neural correlates of implicit object recognition
ד“ר אילנה קולודקין-גלDr. Ilana Kolodkin-gal
Ph.D.: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Department: Molecular Biology
Advisor: Prof. Hanna Engelberg-Kulka
Ph.D. Thesis: Determinants required for programmed cell death in E. coli and the participation of a novel communication factor (EDF) in cell death
Post-doctorate: Harvard Medical School, United States
Department: Molecular and Cellular Biology
Advisor: Prof. Richard Losick and Prof. Roberto Kolter
Research Topic: Characterization of genetic and physiological components regulating extracellular matrix production and biofilm formation in B subtilis
Rec
ipie
nts
of
the
20
09
Aw
ard
ד“ר ראדה מסארווהDr. R’ada (Jada) Massarwa
Ph.D.: Weizmann Institute of Science
Department: Molecular Genetics
Advisor: Prof. Benny Shilo
Ph.D. Thesis: Execution of morphogenetic processes in Drosophila by distinct actin-polymerization machineries
Post-doctorate: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, United States
Department: Pediatrics, Section of Developmental Biology
Advisor: Prof. Lee Niswander
Research Topic: The cell biological basis for neural tube closure
ד“ר סמדר נאוזDr. Smadar Naoz
Ph.D.: Tel-Aviv University
Department: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Advisor: Prof. Rennan Barkana
Ph.D. Thesis: The first generation of galaxies and 21cm fluctuations
Post-doctorate: Northwestern University, United States
Department: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Advisor: Prof. Vicky Kalogera
Research Topic: Probing the era of the formation of the first generation of galaxies and re-ionization using the 21cm line
Rec
ipie
nts
of
the
20
09
Aw
ard
ד“ר יאנה נץDr. Yana Nec
Ph.D.: Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Department: Mathematics
Advisor: Prof. Alexander Nepomnyashchy
Ph.D. Thesis: Pattern formation in systems with anomalous diffusion
Post-doctorate: University of British Columbia, Canada
Department: Mathematics
Advisor: Prof. Daniel Coombs
Research Topic: Chain and signal type processes in biological systems with anomalous diffusion
ד“ר יעל פוליטיDr. Yael Politi
Ph.D.: Weizmann Institute of Science
Department: Structural Biology
Advisor: Prof. Lia Addadi and Prof. Steve Weiner
Ph.D. Thesis: Amorphous calcium carbonate in biomineralization: understanding the mechanisms of stabilization and destabilization.
Post-doctorate: Max Planck Institute, Germany
Department: Biomaterials
Advisor: Prof. Peter Fratzl
Research Topic: A Study of the structure-function relations of chitineous structures in mechano-sensors apparatus of arthropods
Rec
ipie
nts
of
the
20
09
Aw
ard
ד“ר מיכל ריבלין-עציוןDr. Michal Rivlin-Etzion
Ph.D.: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Department: Interdisciplinary Center for Neural Computation
Advisor: Prof. Hagai Bergman
Ph.D. Thesis: Synchronous oscillations in the basal ganglia-cortical network: Do they generate tremor and other symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease?
Post-doctorate: University of California at Berkeley, United States
Department: Molecular and Cell Biology & Helen Wills Neurosciences
Advisor: Prof. Marla B. Feller
Research Topic: Does the establishment of neural circuits that are sensitive to visual motion depend on retinal activity?
ד“ר אסיה רולסDr. Asya Rolls
Ph.D.: Weizmann Institute of Science
Department: Neurobiology
Advisor: Prof. Michal Schwartz
Ph.D. Thesis: Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans and its receptors in CNS plasticity
Post-doctorate: Stanfordf University, United States
Department: Psychiatry
Advisor: Prof. Luis de Lecea
Research Topic: Sleep-dependent cognitive processing
Rec
ipie
nts
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20
09
Aw
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ד“ר מאיה זייץDr. Maya Zayats
Ph.D.: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Department: Organic chemistry
Advisor: Prof. Itamar Willner
Ph.D. Thesis: Organization of molecular, supramolecular and biomolecular assemblies on surfaces as functional Interfaces for specific sensing
Post-doctorate: The Johns Hopkins University, United States
Department: Materials Science and Engineering
Advisor: Prof. Peter C. Searson
Research Topic: Synthetic biomolecular recognition towards biomolecular binding using synthetic constructs
Recipients 2008
Dr. Maya Bar Sadan
Dr. Liraz Chai
Dr. Einat Cinnamon
Dr. Irit Gat-Viks
Dr. Liat Goldfarb
Dr. Inbal Goshen
Dr. Orna Mizrachi-Man
Dr. Sharon Reef
Dr. Dana Reichman
Dr. Dina Schneidman
Dr. Maytal Toroker (Caspary)
Committee:Prof. Adi Kimchi, Chair
Prof. Lia Addadi, Dean Feinberg School
Prof. Irit Dinur
Prof. Shulamit Michaeli
Dr. Hanna Rapaport
Prof. David Cahen
Prof. Yosef Nir
Dr. Avraham Yaron
Yosefa Givoli, Secretary
About the Weizmann Institute of Science:The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, is one of the world’s top-ranking multidisciplinary research institutions. Noted for its wide-ranging exploration of the natural and exact sciences, the Institute is home to 2,600 scientists, students, technicians and supporting staff. Institute research efforts include the search for new ways of fighting disease and hunger, examining leading questions in mathematics and computer science, probing the physics of matter and the universe, creating novel materials and developing new strategies for protecting the environment.
Weizmann Institute of Science Feinberg Graduate School P.O. Box 26, Rehovot 76100, Israel Tel: 972-8-9343841; Fax: 972-8-9344114 www.weizmann.ac.il/feinberg/WomenInScience