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Ph.D. Honorees

Dr. Uriel Arnon

Israel

Dr. Uriel Arnon was born in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1930, and immigrated with his family to Mandatory Palestine in 1945. He studied chemical engineering at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, graduating in 1957, and subsequently pursued advanced studies at the Polytechnic Institute of New York (previously the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn), receiving his PhD in polymer chemistry in 1964.

Dr. Uriel Arnon was born in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1930, and immigrated with his family to Mandatory Palestine in 1945. He studied chemical engineering at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, graduating in 1957, and subsequently pursued advanced studies at the Polytechnic Institute of New York (previously the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn), receiving his PhD in polymer chemistry in 1964.

His engineering career included positions in government and commercial companies, nuclear research centers, and in the Israel Aerospace Industries, where he served as the head of Materials Engineering and Technology Development for 13 years. Since 1992, he has been an independent consultant.

Uri is married to Prof. Ruth Arnon, former President of the Israel Academy of Sciences and the Humanities and former Vice President of the Weizmann Institute of Science. The two share a deep commitment to advancing the future of Israeli science through youth education at the highest level. In the spirit of this vision, in 2014 they established the Ruth and Uriel Arnon Science Education Campus at the Weizmann Institute, housing the Schwartz/Reisman Science Education Center, Rehovot, a science learning center that offers advanced science curricula for high-school students from the Institute’s region (Rehovot and Ness Ziona).

Uri and Ruth are active and generous philanthropists who have supported a broad range of causes related to science, health, music, and education in Israel, including a donation for the construction of an internal medicine ward focusing primarily on acute conditions for geriatric patients at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov).

Uri has been a member of the Institute’s International Board since 2014, and was elected a Life Member in 2018.

The couple has two children, Michal and Yoram.

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Dr. Uriel Arnon

Israel

Dr. Uriel Arnon was born in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1930, and immigrated with his family to Mandatory Palestine in 1945. He studied chemical engineering at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, graduating in 1957, and subsequently pursued advanced studies at the Polytechnic Institute of New York (previously the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn), receiving his PhD in polymer chemistry in 1964.

His engineering career included positions in government and commercial companies, nuclear research centers, and in the Israel Aerospace Industries, where he served as the head of Materials Engineering and Technology Development for 13 years. Since 1992, he has been an independent consultant.

Uri is married to Prof. Ruth Arnon, former President of the Israel Academy of Sciences and the Humanities and former Vice President of the Weizmann Institute of Science. The two share a deep commitment to advancing the future of Israeli science through youth education at the highest level. In the spirit of this vision, in 2014 they established the Ruth and Uriel Arnon Science Education Campus at the Weizmann Institute, housing the Schwartz/Reisman Science Education Center, Rehovot, a science learning center that offers advanced science curricula for high-school students from the Institute’s region (Rehovot and Ness Ziona).

Uri and Ruth are active and generous philanthropists who have supported a broad range of causes related to science, health, music, and education in Israel, including a donation for the construction of an internal medicine ward focusing primarily on acute conditions for geriatric patients at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov).

Uri has been a member of the Institute’s International Board since 2014, and was elected a Life Member in 2018.

The couple has two children, Michal and Yoram.
Catherine Beck

Canada

Catherine (Cathy) Beck is one of the Weizmann Institute’s pillars of support and leadership, both in Israel and in her native Canada. The daughter of the late Mary and Tom Beck, longstanding supporters and advocates of the Weizmann Institute from Toronto – who were founding members of Weizmann Canada – Cathy has been a prominent and cherished member of the Weizmann Institute community for over four decades.

Catherine (Cathy) Beck is one of the Weizmann Institute’s pillars of support and leadership, both in Israel and in her native Canada. The daughter of the late Mary and Tom Beck, longstanding supporters and advocates of the Weizmann Institute from Toronto – who were founding members of Weizmann Canada – Cathy has been a prominent and cherished member of the Weizmann Institute community for over four decades.

Cathy started working in the family business, one of the largest producers of Christmas tree lights in North America, at age 22, eventually serving as Chief Executive. Since the late 1970s, she has dedicated a significant amount of her time to philanthropic endeavors, a decision that reflected her parents’ commitment to earning and giving, including United Way, the Regent Park School of Music in Toronto, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, where, since 2016, she has served as Chair of the Board.

She joined the Board of Weizmann Canada in 2008, and from 2010 to 2016 served two consecutive terms as its Chair, overseeing a period of extraordinary growth and development. Under her leadership, Weizmann Canada surpassed its fundraising goals, increased engagement, and raised awareness for the Weizmann Institute of Science across the country. Working hand-in-hand with then-Weizmann Institute President Prof. Daniel Zajfman, Weizmann Canada’s Executive Director Susan Stern, and the Committee’s professional team, she helped build and expand the Canadian circle of friends of the Institute to what it is today. Under Cathy’s leadership, the community of Canadian friends of the Institute enlarged exponentially, along with its philanthropic support, mirroring – and even surpassing – the surge of activity during her parents’ leadership a generation before.

The Beck family has had an outsized impact on energy research at the Weizmann Institute, and given scientists the tools to revolutionize the field. They helped establish The Mary and Tom Beck Canadian Center for Alternative Energy Research, part of the Sustainability and Energy Research Initiative (SAERI), which positioned the Institute as a world leader in solar energy research, and brought a great line of Canadian and other donors in its wake.

Tom and Mary Beck always wanted to leave a legacy gift, and that became the eponymous Center for Advanced and Intelligent Materials, headed by Prof. Leeor Kronik. The Center supports groundbreaking research on innovative materials conducted with an eye towards applications in medicine, building materials, and alternative energy – resonating with the Beck family’s historic devotion to alternative energy research.

Cathy was elected to the International Board of the Weizmann Institute in 2007, and has been a member of the Executive Board since 2010. In this capacity, as well as through her membership in various committees of the Board and Weizmann-affiliated entities, she contributes tirelessly to securing the future of the Weizmann Institute of Science.

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Catherine Beck

Canada

Catherine (Cathy) Beck is one of the Weizmann Institute’s pillars of support and leadership, both in Israel and in her native Canada. The daughter of the late Mary and Tom Beck, longstanding supporters and advocates of the Weizmann Institute from Toronto – who were founding members of Weizmann Canada – Cathy has been a prominent and cherished member of the Weizmann Institute community for over four decades.

Cathy started working in the family business, one of the largest producers of Christmas tree lights in North America, at age 22, eventually serving as Chief Executive. Since the late 1970s, she has dedicated a significant amount of her time to philanthropic endeavors, a decision that reflected her parents’ commitment to earning and giving, including United Way, the Regent Park School of Music in Toronto, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, where, since 2016, she has served as Chair of the Board.

She joined the Board of Weizmann Canada in 2008, and from 2010 to 2016 served two consecutive terms as its Chair, overseeing a period of extraordinary growth and development. Under her leadership, Weizmann Canada surpassed its fundraising goals, increased engagement, and raised awareness for the Weizmann Institute of Science across the country. Working hand-in-hand with then-Weizmann Institute President Prof. Daniel Zajfman, Weizmann Canada’s Executive Director Susan Stern, and the Committee’s professional team, she helped build and expand the Canadian circle of friends of the Institute to what it is today. Under Cathy’s leadership, the community of Canadian friends of the Institute enlarged exponentially, along with its philanthropic support, mirroring – and even surpassing – the surge of activity during her parents’ leadership a generation before.

The Beck family has had an outsized impact on energy research at the Weizmann Institute, and given scientists the tools to revolutionize the field. They helped establish The Mary and Tom Beck Canadian Center for Alternative Energy Research, part of the Sustainability and Energy Research Initiative (SAERI), which positioned the Institute as a world leader in solar energy research, and brought a great line of Canadian and other donors in its wake.

Tom and Mary Beck always wanted to leave a legacy gift, and that became the eponymous Center for Advanced and Intelligent Materials, headed by Prof. Leeor Kronik. The Center supports groundbreaking research on innovative materials conducted with an eye towards applications in medicine, building materials, and alternative energy – resonating with the Beck family’s historic devotion to alternative energy research.

Cathy was elected to the International Board of the Weizmann Institute in 2007, and has been a member of the Executive Board since 2010. In this capacity, as well as through her membership in various committees of the Board and Weizmann-affiliated entities, she contributes tirelessly to securing the future of the Weizmann Institute of Science.
Sir Marc Feldmann

United Kingdom

Sir Marc Feldmann is a prominent immunologist at the University of Oxford whose superior reputation precedes him worldwide. In 1983, he published a novel hypothesis for the mechanism of induction of autoimmune diseases, highlighting the role of cytokines in this process. He later transformed this insight into the discovery of a powerful treatment, antiTNF – drugs that block the cytokine TNF, thereby improving the quality of life of millions of patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases worldwide.

Sir Marc Feldmann is a prominent immunologist at the University of Oxford whose superior reputation precedes him worldwide. In 1983, he published a novel hypothesis for the mechanism of induction of autoimmune diseases, highlighting the role of cytokines in this process. He later transformed this insight into the discovery of a powerful treatment, antiTNF – drugs that block the cytokine TNF, thereby improving the quality of life of millions of patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases worldwide.

He was born in Lvov in 1944, to a Jewish family who emigrated from France to Australia when Marc was eight. He earned a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree from the University of Melbourne and a PhD in immunology at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, also in Melbourne.

In 1984, he began a fruitful collaboration with Sir Ravinder N. Maini at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology – then in London but now at Oxford University – to study the mechanism underlying rheumatoid arthritis, a common and crippling autoimmune inflammatory disease. They demonstrated that diseased joints have far more pro-inflammatory cytokines than normal, and used novel techniques to identify one of these, Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNFα) as the key rate limiting factor. Sir Marc and Sir Ravinder were pioneers in introducing TNFα inhibitors in clinical trials, paving the way for them to become the standard therapy for rheumatoid arthritis and a host of other autoimmune diseases. He and Sir Ravinder later discovered that the treatment could be significantly improved by adding another drug (e.g. methotrexate).

Sir Marc’s pioneering work with cytokines in clinical surroundings also led to the successful treatment of additional autoimmune diseases, including Crohn’s disease and ankylosing spondylitis – benefitting the lives of the millions around the world who suffer from these debilitating disorders.

He is the recipient of many accolades and awards, including the Crafoord Prize, the European Patent Office’s European Inventor of the Year in the Lifetime Achievement Category, the Albert Lasker Clinical Medical research award, the Canada Gairdner International Award, and the Tang Prize. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Royal Society of London, and the Australian Academy of Science. He is also a Foreign Member of the National Academy of Sciences, USA. He was knighted in 2010, and received the Australian equivalent, Companion of the Order of Australia, in 2014.

Sir Marc has had long-term extensive collaborations with peers on the Weizmann Institute campus, initially with Prof. Edna Mozes (then part of the group of Prof. Michael Sela), and later with Prof. David and Dr. Daniela Novick . He has become an avid supporter of groundbreaking immunological research on campus. In 2014, he and his wife Tania established the Rina Gudinski Career Development Chair, whose current incumbent is Dr. Rony Dahan of the Department of Immunology. Four years later, they established the Sir Marc and Lady Tania Feldmann Professorial Chair in Immunology, held by Prof. Eran Elinav, also of the Department of Immunology. For the past 10 years Sir Marc has been deeply involved in promoting Israel-UK scientific collaboration as a member of the UK-Israel Science Council.

Read More » about Sir Marc Feldmann
Sir Marc Feldmann

United Kingdom

Sir Marc Feldmann is a prominent immunologist at the University of Oxford whose superior reputation precedes him worldwide. In 1983, he published a novel hypothesis for the mechanism of induction of autoimmune diseases, highlighting the role of cytokines in this process. He later transformed this insight into the discovery of a powerful treatment, antiTNF – drugs that block the cytokine TNF, thereby improving the quality of life of millions of patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases worldwide.

He was born in Lvov in 1944, to a Jewish family who emigrated from France to Australia when Marc was eight. He earned a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree from the University of Melbourne and a PhD in immunology at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, also in Melbourne.

In 1984, he began a fruitful collaboration with Sir Ravinder N. Maini at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology – then in London but now at Oxford University – to study the mechanism underlying rheumatoid arthritis, a common and crippling autoimmune inflammatory disease. They demonstrated that diseased joints have far more pro-inflammatory cytokines than normal, and used novel techniques to identify one of these, Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNFα) as the key rate limiting factor. Sir Marc and Sir Ravinder were pioneers in introducing TNFα inhibitors in clinical trials, paving the way for them to become the standard therapy for rheumatoid arthritis and a host of other autoimmune diseases. He and Sir Ravinder later discovered that the treatment could be significantly improved by adding another drug (e.g. methotrexate).

Sir Marc’s pioneering work with cytokines in clinical surroundings also led to the successful treatment of additional autoimmune diseases, including Crohn’s disease and ankylosing spondylitis – benefitting the lives of the millions around the world who suffer from these debilitating disorders.

He is the recipient of many accolades and awards, including the Crafoord Prize, the European Patent Office’s European Inventor of the Year in the Lifetime Achievement Category, the Albert Lasker Clinical Medical research award, the Canada Gairdner International Award, and the Tang Prize. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Royal Society of London, and the Australian Academy of Science. He is also a Foreign Member of the National Academy of Sciences, USA. He was knighted in 2010, and received the Australian equivalent, Companion of the Order of Australia, in 2014.

Sir Marc has had long-term extensive collaborations with peers on the Weizmann Institute campus, initially with Prof. Edna Mozes (then part of the group of Prof. Michael Sela), and later with Prof. David and Dr. Daniela Novick . He has become an avid supporter of groundbreaking immunological research on campus. In 2014, he and his wife Tania established the Rina Gudinski Career Development Chair, whose current incumbent is Dr. Rony Dahan of the Department of Immunology. Four years later, they established the Sir Marc and Lady Tania Feldmann Professorial Chair in Immunology, held by Prof. Eran Elinav, also of the Department of Immunology. For the past 10 years Sir Marc has been deeply involved in promoting Israel-UK scientific collaboration as a member of the UK-Israel Science Council.
Gideon Hamburger

Israel

Gideon Hamburger was born in Tel Aviv to Ernst and Margot Hamburger, who emigrated from Germany in 1935 and founded a small insurance agency in Tel Aviv, Hamishmar Insurance Service. He and his siblings, Yair and Nurit, grew up in the family business, which later became the Israeli insurance giant Harel Insurance and Finance Group. Gideon obtained his high school education at Whittingehame College in Brighton, UK, and later graduated from the Chartered Insurance Institute in London. Gideon managed the family’s insurance agency and rose through the ranks. In recent years, Gideon has served as President of the Harel Insurance and Finance Group, as well as Chair of Harel UK brokerage house in the UK.

Gideon Hamburger was born in Tel Aviv to Ernst and Margot Hamburger, who emigrated from Germany in 1935 and founded a small insurance agency in Tel Aviv, Hamishmar Insurance Service. He and his siblings, Yair and Nurit, grew up in the family business, which later became the Israeli insurance giant Harel Insurance and Finance Group. Gideon obtained his high school education at Whittingehame College in Brighton, UK, and later graduated from the Chartered Insurance Institute in London. Gideon managed the family’s insurance agency and rose through the ranks. In recent years, Gideon has served as President of the Harel Insurance and Finance Group, as well as Chair of Harel UK brokerage house in the UK.

His insightful work in the field, over five decades, has earned him the respect and esteem of the insurance world, in both Israel and overseas. He is a board member of the subsidiaries of Harel in Greece and Turkey, and was recently elected as the first Israeli non-underwriting working member of the Society of Lloyd’s.

In other public roles, he serves as President of the Israel-Switzerland, and Lichtenstein Chamber of Commerce; is an Honorary President and a member of the management of Variety Israel; is a Board member of the Israeli Opera and the Tel Aviv Museum; and is a member of the Board of Governors of Bar-Ilan University.

Gideon and his wife Hana have been active supporters of the Weizmann Institute of Science for many years, through the Israeli Friends of the Weizmann Institute of Science – which Gideon led as Chair from 2000-2006. In 2013, the Hamburger family established a lab for Prof. Yardena Samuels of the Department of Molecular Cell Biology, in loving memory of Gideon’s, Yair’s, and Nurit’s parents. The couple has also supported student scholarships, science education initiatives, and the Center for Experimental Physics.

Gideon has been a Board member of the Weizmann Institute since 1986, and a Life Member of the International Board since 2018. He has been an active member of the Institute’s most senior governing bodies since 1987, primarily as a member of the Executive Council (later, the Executive Board) and a two-term Executive Committee (now the Management Committee) member. In addition, he served on the Institute’s Audit Committee for more than 20 years, both as a member and as Vice Chair.

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Gideon Hamburger

Israel

Gideon Hamburger was born in Tel Aviv to Ernst and Margot Hamburger, who emigrated from Germany in 1935 and founded a small insurance agency in Tel Aviv, Hamishmar Insurance Service. He and his siblings, Yair and Nurit, grew up in the family business, which later became the Israeli insurance giant Harel Insurance and Finance Group. Gideon obtained his high school education at Whittingehame College in Brighton, UK, and later graduated from the Chartered Insurance Institute in London. Gideon managed the family’s insurance agency and rose through the ranks. In recent years, Gideon has served as President of the Harel Insurance and Finance Group, as well as Chair of Harel UK brokerage house in the UK.

His insightful work in the field, over five decades, has earned him the respect and esteem of the insurance world, in both Israel and overseas. He is a board member of the subsidiaries of Harel in Greece and Turkey, and was recently elected as the first Israeli non-underwriting working member of the Society of Lloyd’s.

In other public roles, he serves as President of the Israel-Switzerland, and Lichtenstein Chamber of Commerce; is an Honorary President and a member of the management of Variety Israel; is a Board member of the Israeli Opera and the Tel Aviv Museum; and is a member of the Board of Governors of Bar-Ilan University.

Gideon and his wife Hana have been active supporters of the Weizmann Institute of Science for many years, through the Israeli Friends of the Weizmann Institute of Science – which Gideon led as Chair from 2000-2006. In 2013, the Hamburger family established a lab for Prof. Yardena Samuels of the Department of Molecular Cell Biology, in loving memory of Gideon’s, Yair’s, and Nurit’s parents. The couple has also supported student scholarships, science education initiatives, and the Center for Experimental Physics.

Gideon has been a Board member of the Weizmann Institute since 1986, and a Life Member of the International Board since 2018. He has been an active member of the Institute’s most senior governing bodies since 1987, primarily as a member of the Executive Council (later, the Executive Board) and a two-term Executive Committee (now the Management Committee) member. In addition, he served on the Institute’s Audit Committee for more than 20 years, both as a member and as Vice Chair.
Shirin Natour Hafi

Israel

Shirin Natour Hafi, a courageous visionary and an innovative educational leader, grew up in a Muslim family, attended a Catholic elementary school and a Jewish high school, and later studied at Bar-Ilan University. After earning a BA in Arabic language and Jewish literature, an MA in Arabic language, and a teaching certificate, she became a successful teacher, educator, mentor, and principal in her native city of Lod – a mixed community of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian residents.

Shirin Natour Hafi, a courageous visionary and an innovative educational leader, grew up in a Muslim family, attended a Catholic elementary school and a Jewish high school, and later studied at Bar-Ilan University. After earning a BA in Arabic language and Jewish literature, an MA in Arabic language, and a teaching certificate, she became a successful teacher, educator, mentor, and principal in her native city of Lod – a mixed community of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian residents.

In 2009, at the invitation of the Lod Municipality, Shirin established the city’s first Arab public high school. The school, now part of the ORT network, serves a neighborhood whose youth comes of age in a climate of violence, organized crime, entrenched family feuds, and perceptions of the social sphere as a no-man’s-land, leading to a lack of faith in state authorities and alienation.
Anchored in a deep understanding of the local community and of Israeli society, Shirin’s clear vision, alongside her unwavering persistence, are transforming this reality. She is working to strengthen the identity of youth in her care by addressing their emotional and social needs and the substantial educational gaps they face. And she is working to strengthen their sense of belonging by connecting them with the rich tradition of the Arab culture, as well as rehabilitating their self-esteem and preparing them for a trajectory of higher education and successful participation in the Israeli economy.

Shirin has also founded an extensive volunteering program at the school, recruiting key players in the community and throughout Israel to help students to find their place within Israeli society and engage them in learning. In this framework, students and faculty from the Weizmann Institute have been meeting with small groups of high school students on a weekly basis over the last decade. In this setting, the Weizmann mentors provide them with educational support for the students’ science curriculum. Recently, a group of talented students from the Lod school has started a high-level physics program at the Ruth and Uriel Arnon Science Education Campus at the Weizmann Institute, housing the Schwartz/Reisman Science Education Center – Rehovot.

Shirin’s efforts have contributed to reduced violence and a dramatic growth in the number of Lod youth who are eligible for high school matriculation, and a growing number of alumni who continue on to higher education while giving back to their community through volunteer work. She has been included in The Marker’s list of 40 most promising young adults in Israel and in the Ha'aretz newspaper’s list of the 50 most influential figures in education in 2012.

Read More » about Shirin Natour Hafi
Shirin Natour Hafi

Israel

Shirin Natour Hafi, a courageous visionary and an innovative educational leader, grew up in a Muslim family, attended a Catholic elementary school and a Jewish high school, and later studied at Bar-Ilan University. After earning a BA in Arabic language and Jewish literature, an MA in Arabic language, and a teaching certificate, she became a successful teacher, educator, mentor, and principal in her native city of Lod – a mixed community of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian residents.

In 2009, at the invitation of the Lod Municipality, Shirin established the city’s first Arab public high school. The school, now part of the ORT network, serves a neighborhood whose youth comes of age in a climate of violence, organized crime, entrenched family feuds, and perceptions of the social sphere as a no-man’s-land, leading to a lack of faith in state authorities and alienation.
Anchored in a deep understanding of the local community and of Israeli society, Shirin’s clear vision, alongside her unwavering persistence, are transforming this reality. She is working to strengthen the identity of youth in her care by addressing their emotional and social needs and the substantial educational gaps they face. And she is working to strengthen their sense of belonging by connecting them with the rich tradition of the Arab culture, as well as rehabilitating their self-esteem and preparing them for a trajectory of higher education and successful participation in the Israeli economy.

Shirin has also founded an extensive volunteering program at the school, recruiting key players in the community and throughout Israel to help students to find their place within Israeli society and engage them in learning. In this framework, students and faculty from the Weizmann Institute have been meeting with small groups of high school students on a weekly basis over the last decade. In this setting, the Weizmann mentors provide them with educational support for the students’ science curriculum. Recently, a group of talented students from the Lod school has started a high-level physics program at the Ruth and Uriel Arnon Science Education Campus at the Weizmann Institute, housing the Schwartz/Reisman Science Education Center – Rehovot.

Shirin’s efforts have contributed to reduced violence and a dramatic growth in the number of Lod youth who are eligible for high school matriculation, and a growing number of alumni who continue on to higher education while giving back to their community through volunteer work. She has been included in The Marker’s list of 40 most promising young adults in Israel and in the Ha'aretz newspaper’s list of the 50 most influential figures in education in 2012.
Prof. Dame Carol Robinson

United Kingdom

Prof. Dame Carol Robinson, DBE FRS, is a chemist renowned for pioneering the use of mass spectrometry as an analytical tool in chemical biology research, and for her groundbreaking research in structural biology.

Prof. Dame Carol Robinson, DBE FRS, is a chemist renowned for pioneering the use of mass spectrometry as an analytical tool in chemical biology research, and for her groundbreaking research in structural biology.

She was born in Kent, Britain. At age 16, she left her high school studies to become a lab technician at Pfizer, where she was first exposed to mass spectrometry, then a novel, innovative method. This experience caused her to return to school while she continued working at Pfizer. She completed a BSc in Chemistry and an MSc at Swansea University, and obtained her PhD from the University of Cambridge. She conducted postdoctoral training at Oxford, where she
became a faculty member for six years before being appointed as a Professor at Cambridge in
2001. In 2009, Prof. Robinson returned to Oxford, where she is the Dr Lee's Professor of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, a Professorial Fellow at Exeter College, and a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Designing her own instrumentation, Prof. Robinson recorded the first mass spectra of macromolecules, including dynamic molecular chaperones, viruses, and intact ribosomes, and thus laid the foundations of mass spectrometry in structural biology. Her research has opened a new scientific field (gas-phase structural biology) and provided structural insight into a range of otherwise intractable biological assemblies.

The first female Professor of Chemistry at both the University of Cambridge and the University
of Oxford, Carol serves as a role model for young scientists and an outspoken advocate for women in science. She has personally mentored dozens of students and postdoctoral fellows, the majority of whom are women. She also conducts mentorship programs, endorses awards for young female scholars, and leads work-life balance seminars.

Prof. Robinson’s research achievements have garnered significant international recognition, including the Rosalind Franklin Award (2004), the Anfinsen Award from the Protein Society (2008), and FEBS/EMBO Woman of the Year award (2011). In 2013, she was awarded the title of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to Science and Industry. Further accolades followed, with the L’Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science International
Award (2015), Foreign Membership of the US National Academy of Sciences (2017), the Moore Award of the Protein Society (2019), the Novozymes Prize from the Novo Nordisk Foundation (2019), a Royal Medal from the Royal Society (2019), and the Othmer Gold Medal (2020). She has just completed her two year term as President of the Royal Society of Chemistry, London.

Read More » about Prof. Dame Carol Robinson
Prof. Dame Carol Robinson

United Kingdom

Prof. Dame Carol Robinson, DBE FRS, is a chemist renowned for pioneering the use of mass spectrometry as an analytical tool in chemical biology research, and for her groundbreaking research in structural biology.

She was born in Kent, Britain. At age 16, she left her high school studies to become a lab technician at Pfizer, where she was first exposed to mass spectrometry, then a novel, innovative method. This experience caused her to return to school while she continued working at Pfizer. She completed a BSc in Chemistry and an MSc at Swansea University, and obtained her PhD from the University of Cambridge. She conducted postdoctoral training at Oxford, where she
became a faculty member for six years before being appointed as a Professor at Cambridge in
2001. In 2009, Prof. Robinson returned to Oxford, where she is the Dr Lee's Professor of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, a Professorial Fellow at Exeter College, and a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Designing her own instrumentation, Prof. Robinson recorded the first mass spectra of macromolecules, including dynamic molecular chaperones, viruses, and intact ribosomes, and thus laid the foundations of mass spectrometry in structural biology. Her research has opened a new scientific field (gas-phase structural biology) and provided structural insight into a range of otherwise intractable biological assemblies.

The first female Professor of Chemistry at both the University of Cambridge and the University
of Oxford, Carol serves as a role model for young scientists and an outspoken advocate for women in science. She has personally mentored dozens of students and postdoctoral fellows, the majority of whom are women. She also conducts mentorship programs, endorses awards for young female scholars, and leads work-life balance seminars.

Prof. Robinson’s research achievements have garnered significant international recognition, including the Rosalind Franklin Award (2004), the Anfinsen Award from the Protein Society (2008), and FEBS/EMBO Woman of the Year award (2011). In 2013, she was awarded the title of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to Science and Industry. Further accolades followed, with the L’Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science International
Award (2015), Foreign Membership of the US National Academy of Sciences (2017), the Moore Award of the Protein Society (2019), the Novozymes Prize from the Novo Nordisk Foundation (2019), a Royal Medal from the Royal Society (2019), and the Othmer Gold Medal (2020). She has just completed her two year term as President of the Royal Society of Chemistry, London.
Meir Shalev

Israel

Meir Shalev is an Israeli author and publicist, one of the most preeminent – and popular – writers of modern Hebrew literature, whose unique and influential has greatly affected Israeli culture in recent decades. His oeuvre, which includes works for both children and adults, are saturated with love of man and nature and brings to the forefront the magic of everyday life.

Meir Shalev is an Israeli author and publicist, one of the most preeminent – and popular – writers of modern Hebrew literature, whose unique and influential has greatly affected Israeli culture in recent decades. His oeuvre, which includes works for both children and adults, are saturated with love of man and nature and brings to the forefront the magic of everyday life.

Meir was born on Moshav Nahalal in 1948. He joined the IDF in 1966, taking part in battles of the Six-Day War and the War of Attrition. During his service, he was wounded in a military accident. After his discharge, he studied psychology at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and began a career as a researcher, screenwriter, host, and producer on radio and television, and a contributor to Israel’s leading newspapers. His long-standing column in Yedioth Ahronoth’s weekend supplement applies humor and sarcasm to the critical treatment of government policies, in particular in the areas of education and culture, nature and the environment, and religion and state.

His first published book (in 1982) was a children’s story, Michael and the Monster of Jerusalem. In the following years, he published Bible Now – a personal, modern look at diverse biblical episodes, as well as two more children’s books. His first book for adult readers, The Blue Mountain, was published in 1988 and became an immediate bestseller, and is considered one of the most-read Hebrew books in history. Meir Shalev has since published a large number of novels, essays, and children’s books, many of which have been translated into multiple languages and adapted to the stage.

His novels chronicle the experience of the settlers in the Jezreel Valley in the pre-State era. Fantasy and humor are prevalent in his fiction, which combines imaginative tales with biographical details and his family’s history, together with biblical associations and mythic references. These elements and many more are interwoven into a multi-layered narrative on the backdrop of his childhood landscapes in Jerusalem and the Galilee.

Meir Shalev’s work has been recognized with some of the most prestigious literary awards in Israel and abroad. These include the Bernstein Prize; the Brenner Prize; the Israel Prime Minister’s Prize for Literature; the Entomologist’s Society’s Award (for his insect descriptions in The Blue Mountain); the WIZO Prize in France, Italy and Israel; the Chiavari Prize (Italy); the American National Jewish Book Award; the Pratt Award for Environmental Journalism, in recognition of his contribution to the protection of nature and the environment in his literary writing and essays; and many more. He was also decorated as Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France) and has received honorary doctorates from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Read More » about Meir Shalev
Meir Shalev

Israel

Meir Shalev is an Israeli author and publicist, one of the most preeminent – and popular – writers of modern Hebrew literature, whose unique and influential has greatly affected Israeli culture in recent decades. His oeuvre, which includes works for both children and adults, are saturated with love of man and nature and brings to the forefront the magic of everyday life.

Meir was born on Moshav Nahalal in 1948. He joined the IDF in 1966, taking part in battles of the Six-Day War and the War of Attrition. During his service, he was wounded in a military accident. After his discharge, he studied psychology at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and began a career as a researcher, screenwriter, host, and producer on radio and television, and a contributor to Israel’s leading newspapers. His long-standing column in Yedioth Ahronoth’s weekend supplement applies humor and sarcasm to the critical treatment of government policies, in particular in the areas of education and culture, nature and the environment, and religion and state.

His first published book (in 1982) was a children’s story, Michael and the Monster of Jerusalem. In the following years, he published Bible Now – a personal, modern look at diverse biblical episodes, as well as two more children’s books. His first book for adult readers, The Blue Mountain, was published in 1988 and became an immediate bestseller, and is considered one of the most-read Hebrew books in history. Meir Shalev has since published a large number of novels, essays, and children’s books, many of which have been translated into multiple languages and adapted to the stage.

His novels chronicle the experience of the settlers in the Jezreel Valley in the pre-State era. Fantasy and humor are prevalent in his fiction, which combines imaginative tales with biographical details and his family’s history, together with biblical associations and mythic references. These elements and many more are interwoven into a multi-layered narrative on the backdrop of his childhood landscapes in Jerusalem and the Galilee.

Meir Shalev’s work has been recognized with some of the most prestigious literary awards in Israel and abroad. These include the Bernstein Prize; the Brenner Prize; the Israel Prime Minister’s Prize for Literature; the Entomologist’s Society’s Award (for his insect descriptions in The Blue Mountain); the WIZO Prize in France, Italy and Israel; the Chiavari Prize (Italy); the American National Jewish Book Award; the Pratt Award for Environmental Journalism, in recognition of his contribution to the protection of nature and the environment in his literary writing and essays; and many more. He was also decorated as Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France) and has received honorary doctorates from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.