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Ph.D. Honorees

Dr. Mark A. Alexander

United States

A physician by training, Dr. Mark Alexander built a successful career in medicine and related business activities, and is an active philanthropist and staunch supporter of the Weizmann Institute of Science.

After studying at New York Medical College and completing his training in internal medicine at Brown University, he worked professionally in private practice and as Vice President and Medical Director for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. Dr. Alexander has also served as a Director on the boards of Sequa Corporation and Chock Full o’Nuts Corporation.

A physician by training, Dr. Mark Alexander built a successful career in medicine and related business activities, and is an active philanthropist and staunch supporter of the Weizmann Institute of Science.

After studying at New York Medical College and completing his training in internal medicine at Brown University, he worked professionally in private practice and as Vice President and Medical Director for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. Dr. Alexander has also served as a Director on the boards of Sequa Corporation and Chock Full o’Nuts Corporation.

Currently, he is Vice Chair of the Board at Ampacet Corporation, a privately owned international plastic manufacturing enterprise based in New York, which his late father, Norman E. Alexander, built into a global manufacturing corporation. Dr. Alexander also serves in various family trustee and philanthropic positions, through which he facilitates his generous support for science and the arts, two of his life passions. In addition to supporting various causes, such as the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC, Dr. Alexander served as a volunteer in the Jewish Guild for the Blind and has been a member of the Rockefeller University Council since 1994.

Dr. Alexander is a supporter of the Weizmann Institute and a member of the Institute’s International Board and of the National Board of Directors of the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science. His other charitable interests in Israel have included contributions to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra as well as support for the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.

The enthusiasm, acuity, and curiosity demonstrated throughout Dr. Alexander’s successful career in medicine mirror his connection with and impact upon the Weizmann Institute. Through the Norman E. Alexander Family M Foundation, he has undertaken a philanthropic commitment to a field of great interest to him – space discovery – as a major supporter of the ULTRASAT mission, a key component of the Institute’s Frontiers of the Universe flagship project. Frontiers will fund research by Weizmann astrophysicists and particle physicists to elucidate the nature of space, time, and life itself – from the tiniest subatomic particles to the largest galaxies.

The Norman E. Alexander Family M Foundation also supports other innovative research endeavors at the Weizmann Institute, including the sponsorship of a wing in the new André Deloro Building for Advanced and Intelligent Materials, the Weizmann Space Program Office, the Coronavirus Response Fund, and many more avenues of research.
Prof. Mary-Claire King

United States

Prof. Mary-Claire King is a human geneticist who has made a lasting impact on the genetics of cancer. Over three decades of research and advocacy, she has ventured fearlessly into uncharted territories, demonstrating a deep commitment to human rights and providing a role model for scientists the world over.

She holds a BA cum laude in mathematics from Carleton College in Minnesota (1967) and a PhD in genetics from the University of California, Berkeley (1973). Her dissertation revealed that DNA sequences of humans and chimpanzees are 99% identical. She was next a postdoc at UC San Francisco, then a professor at UC Berkeley from 1976-1995. Since 1995, Prof. King has been the American Cancer Society Professor at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Prof. Mary-Claire King is a human geneticist who has made a lasting impact on the genetics of cancer. Over three decades of research and advocacy, she has ventured fearlessly into uncharted territories, demonstrating a deep commitment to human rights and providing a role model for scientists the world over.

She holds a BA cum laude in mathematics from Carleton College in Minnesota (1967) and a PhD in genetics from the University of California, Berkeley (1973). Her dissertation revealed that DNA sequences of humans and chimpanzees are 99% identical. She was next a postdoc at UC San Francisco, then a professor at UC Berkeley from 1976-1995. Since 1995, Prof. King has been the American Cancer Society Professor at the University of Washington in Seattle.

In 1990, after years of painstaking research, Prof. King proved that breast cancer is inherited in some families, as the result of mutations in a single gene, which she named BRCA1. This revolutionary finding transformed accepted conventions regarding not only the genetics of cancer, but of many other complex common diseases as well. Prof. King’s work has also led to lifesaving treatments for countless women around the world.

In addition to cancer, Dr. King’s research interests span the genetic bases of hearing loss (with Prof. Karen Avraham of Tel Aviv University and Prof. Moien Kanaan of Bethlehem University), of Mendelian disorders (with Prof. Ephrat Levy-Lahad of Shaare Zedek Medical Center), of severe mental illness, and of human diversity and evolution.

Prof. King pioneered the use of DNA sequencing for human rights investigations, developing the approach of sequencing mitochondrial DNA preserved in human remains and applying this method to the identification of kidnapped children in Argentina. Her work with human rights organizations has also identified missing persons in Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Croatia, Serbia, and the Philippines, and she has assisted the United Nation’s war crimes tribunals on multiple investigations.

Prof. Mary-Claire King is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences and has received numerous accolades, including the US National Medal of Science (2016); the Lasker-Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science (2014); the Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine (2018); the Canada International Gairdner Award (2021); the Weizmann Institute Award for Women and Science (2006); and 19 honorary degrees from institutions across the globe.
Prof. Philip Pincus

United States

Prof. Philip (Fyl) Pincus is a founding father of the interdisciplinary research area of soft matter physics, and today is among the preeminent physicists in this field. His efforts in mentoring a generation of scientists in the 1980s has enabled soft matter physics (and its related field of biological physics) to emerge as a discipline in its own right.

Born in New York in 1936, Prof. Pincus earned his BS from the University of California, Berkeley, and went on to complete his PhD there in 1961, working on problems in magnetism. Shortly after obtaining his PhD, he accepted a faculty position at UCLA, where he worked from 1962-1982, during which he also headed the University’s Physics Department. He then spent three years at Exxon Research and Engineering, mentoring a cohort of (then) novice soft matter scientists. Since 1985, he has been at UC Santa Barbara, where he chaired Biomolecular Science and Engineering Program and the physics department. He is currently a Distinguished Professor of Physics and Materials.

Prof. Philip (Fyl) Pincus is a founding father of the interdisciplinary research area of soft matter physics, and today is among the preeminent physicists in this field. His efforts in mentoring a generation of scientists in the 1980s has enabled soft matter physics (and its related field of biological physics) to emerge as a discipline in its own right.

Born in New York in 1936, Prof. Pincus earned his BS from the University of California, Berkeley, and went on to complete his PhD there in 1961, working on problems in magnetism. Shortly after obtaining his PhD, he accepted a faculty position at UCLA, where he worked from 1962-1982, during which he also headed the University’s Physics Department. He then spent three years at Exxon Research and Engineering, mentoring a cohort of (then) novice soft matter scientists. Since 1985, he has been at UC Santa Barbara, where he chaired Biomolecular Science and Engineering Program and the physics department. He is currently a Distinguished Professor of Physics and Materials.

During a long and prolific career, Prof. Pincus has made several pioneering breakthroughs in the field of condensed matter physics. Starting with fundamental contributions to magnetism and superconductivity, Prof. Pincus turned his attention to polymers. Since then, his research has cut across conventional categories and disciplines, and has resulted in seminal contributions to the understanding of the properties of charged colloids, polymers, membranes, and DNA. Prof. Pincus’ insights into the unique behavior of charged soft matter extended the understanding of neutral systems uncovered by Nobel Laureates Flory and de Gennes, and has dramatically changed the way we think about a variety of systems such as charged and magnetic colloids, polyelectrolytes, and charged membranes.

Since the 1980s, Prof. Pincus has collaborated with numerous Weizmann Institute research groups, contributing his expertise for the benefit of younger scientists. In 2000, he was elected to the Institute’s Board of Governors and became a member of its Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee (SAAC), an office he held until 2012. He was elected as a Life Member of the Weizmann Institute’s International Board in November 2020.

Prof. Pincus is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the American Physical Society, and the recipient of the 1992 High Polymer Physics Prize of the American Physical Society, among other honors.
Sir András Schiff

United Kingdom

Sir András Schiff is celebrated both as a great musician and as a musical educator, and is considered one of the most treasured classical pianists and conductors of our time. During the course of his career, spanning over 45 years, he has enthralled audiences the world over through the masterful and intellectual approach he brings to each composition.

Born in Budapest in 1953, András Schiff was the only child of two Holocaust survivors. He started taking piano lessons at age five, continued his musical education at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Hungary, and went on to study in London. He was a finalist in the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1974 and won third prize in the Leeds International Piano Competition a year later.

Sir András Schiff is celebrated both as a great musician and as a musical educator, and is considered one of the most treasured classical pianists and conductors of our time. During the course of his career, spanning over 45 years, he has enthralled audiences the world over through the masterful and intellectual approach he brings to each composition.

Born in Budapest in 1953, András Schiff was the only child of two Holocaust survivors. He started taking piano lessons at age five, continued his musical education at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Hungary, and went on to study in London. He was a finalist in the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1974 and won third prize in the Leeds International Piano Competition a year later.

Sir András founded the chamber orchestra Cappella Andrea Barca in 1999, and enjoys a close relationship with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Budapest Festival Orchestra, and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Having collaborated with the world’s leading ensembles and conductors, he now focuses primarily on solo recitals, directing plays, and conducting. He is also the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra's first Artist in Residence.

His many recordings include much of the keyboard music of Bach, the complete piano sonatas of Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert, and the complete piano concertos of Mendelssohn and Bartók.
Sir András continues to support new talent, primarily through his “Building Bridges” series, which provides promising young artists with performance opportunities. He is also a visiting professor at the Barenboim-Said and Kronberg academies, both in Germany, and gives frequent lectures and masterclasses. His book “Music Comes Out of Silence: A Memoir” was published in 2017.

Sir András Schiff has been awarded numerous international honors, including a Grammy and Gramophone awards (1990); the International Mozarteum Foundation’s Golden Mozart Medal (2012), Germany’s Great Cross of Merit with Star (2012), the Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal (2013), a Knighthood for Services to Music (2014), and a Doctorate from the Royal College of Music (2018).
Dr. John L. Schwartz

United States

John L. Schwartz, MD, is a psychiatrist, an entrepreneur, and a philanthropist – and a cherished friend of the Weizmann Institute of Science.

He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduated from Columbia College of Columbia University. After earning his MD at New York University on an honors scholarship, Dr. Schwartz was a psychiatric resident at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. He completed a fellowship in child psychiatry at the University of California, Irvine, and was Board Certified in psychiatry in 1975.
Dr. Schwartz made the transition from medical practitioner to businessman in the 1980s. To start, he founded Continuing Medical Education, Inc. (CME), which grew under his leadership into the largest proprietary provider of clinical information for medical practitioners in the United States – hosting continuing education meetings and trade shows, and publishing medical newspapers and journals, including the Psychiatric Times, which he had founded.

John L. Schwartz, MD, is a psychiatrist, an entrepreneur, and a philanthropist – and a cherished friend of the Weizmann Institute of Science.

He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduated from Columbia College of Columbia University. After earning his MD at New York University on an honors scholarship, Dr. Schwartz was a psychiatric resident at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. He completed a fellowship in child psychiatry at the University of California, Irvine, and was Board Certified in psychiatry in 1975.
Dr. Schwartz made the transition from medical practitioner to businessman in the 1980s. To start, he founded Continuing Medical Education, Inc. (CME), which grew under his leadership into the largest proprietary provider of clinical information for medical practitioners in the United States – hosting continuing education meetings and trade shows, and publishing medical newspapers and journals, including the Psychiatric Times, which he had founded.

After selling CME, Dr. Schwartz pivoted to the world of finance. With one of his financial managers, he established the Value Investing Congress, which provided cutting edge information for investors in the way that CME had served physicians. The Congress attracted hedge fund managers and high-net-worth investors from around the world.

Since his retirement in late 2014, Dr. Schwartz has focused his attention on family and philanthropy. Vera and John have three adult children and eight grandchildren, who range in age from 14 months to 17 years.

A Life Member of the Weizmann Institute’s International Board, Dr. John Schwartz and his wife, PhD honoris causa recipient Vera Schwartz, are esteemed members of the President’s Circle. Together, they have championed scientific research at the Institute, most recently, committing to support the Frontiers of the Universe flagship project in the field of astrophysics and space exploration. In addition, they established professorial and research fellow chairs, created the Vera and John Schwartz Family Center for Metabolic Biology, and provided generous support to various other research and educational endeavors. Vera and John Schwartz are enthusiastic Weizmann ambassadors, spreading their own love for the Institute and its mission of “science for the benefit of humanity” among their wide community of friends.
Vera Schwartz

United States

Mrs. Vera Schwartz has undertaken a magnanimous commitment for the benefit of Israeli science, forming a close association with the Weizmann Institute and many of its researchers, alongside her husband and PhD honoris causa recipient, Dr. John L. Schwartz.

She worked in the acquisition and administration of medical research grants at UCLA for 23 years, and for the next 20 years, served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Veteran Affairs’ (VA) Health Services Research Center in Los Angeles. At the VA – the largest integrated health care system in the U.S., providing healthcare for veterans – she oversaw a staff of 200 professionals. Under her leadership, the organization conducted a comprehensive study of female veterans’ health needs, which led to the establishment of hundreds of specialized VA health clinics for women across the country.

Mrs. Vera Schwartz has undertaken a magnanimous commitment for the benefit of Israeli science, forming a close association with the Weizmann Institute and many of its researchers, alongside her husband and PhD honoris causa recipient, Dr. John L. Schwartz.

She worked in the acquisition and administration of medical research grants at UCLA for 23 years, and for the next 20 years, served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Veteran Affairs’ (VA) Health Services Research Center in Los Angeles. At the VA – the largest integrated health care system in the U.S., providing healthcare for veterans – she oversaw a staff of 200 professionals. Under her leadership, the organization conducted a comprehensive study of female veterans’ health needs, which led to the establishment of hundreds of specialized VA health clinics for women across the country.

Mrs. Schwartz has a personal passion and keen interest in scientific research and is a devoted supporter of the Weizmann Institute and its American Committee. She has worked to promote the Weizmann Institute among her many friends and associates in the U.S. In 2017, she and her husband established the Vera and John Schwartz Family Center for Metabolic Biology, which strives to advance diagnosis, therapy, and new strategies for disease prevention by providing Weizmann Institute scientists with the tools needed to explore the biochemical building blocks of metabolism.

The couple also founded the Vera and John Schwartz Professorial Chair in Neurobiology, whose incumbent is Weizmann Institute President Prof. Alon Chen, and the Vera Rosenberg Schwartz Research Fellow Chair, whose incumbent is Dr. Hagit Shapiro, a Staff Scientist in Prof. Eran Elinav’s lab in the Department of Immunology. Other Weizmann endeavors she and her husband have supported include the Frontiers of the Universe flagship project, the Coronavirus Response Fund, gallium arsenide research at the Braun Center for Submicron Research, the ACWIS 70th Anniversary Lab headed by Dr. Noam Stern-Ginossar in the Department of Molecular Genetics, and the Davidson Institute of Science Education.

Mrs. Vera Schwartz is a member of the Institute’s International Board. She and her husband were inducted into the President’s Circle, an elite honor bestowed upon the Weizmann Institute’s most generous and visionary donors, in 2007.
Prof. Otmar D. Wiestler

Germany

Prof. Otmar D. Wiestler represents a rare combination of top-notch researcher, scientific leader, and mentor, and an outspoken supporter of Israeli science and the Weizmann Institute.

He studied medicine at the University of Freiburg, Germany, in his native city, graduating in 1981. He then conducted research and received clinical training as a neuropathology resident at the University of Freiburg’s Medical Center. Upon completion of his postdoctoral research at the University of California, San Diego, Prof. Wiestler moved to the University Hospital of Zürich, and later returned to Germany where he accepted a position as professor of neuropathology at the University of Bonn. For the next 10 years, he headed the University’s Institute of Neuropathology, leading it to become a major center for molecular investigations of brain tumors.

Prof. Otmar D. Wiestler represents a rare combination of top-notch researcher, scientific leader, and mentor, and an outspoken supporter of Israeli science and the Weizmann Institute.

He studied medicine at the University of Freiburg, Germany, in his native city, graduating in 1981. He then conducted research and received clinical training as a neuropathology resident at the University of Freiburg’s Medical Center. Upon completion of his postdoctoral research at the University of California, San Diego, Prof. Wiestler moved to the University Hospital of Zürich, and later returned to Germany where he accepted a position as professor of neuropathology at the University of Bonn. For the next 10 years, he headed the University’s Institute of Neuropathology, leading it to become a major center for molecular investigations of brain tumors.

Prof. Wiestler’s research is focused on the neuropathology of central nervous system tumors, the genetic basis of tumor development in the nervous system, neural stem cells, and reconstructive neurobiology. His work has yielded significant contributions to basic and clinical research in tumor genetics and stem cell-based cancer therapy, as well as the molecular neuropathology of focal epilepsies.

As Prof. Wiestler rose to become a prominent leader of the German and international scientific community, he continued his efforts to bridge and apply basic research in the clinic. In 2004, he was appointed as Chair of the Board and Scientific Director of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg, one of the world’s leading institutions in cancer research. Some 11 years later, Prof. Wiestler became President of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers, a union of 18 scientific-technical and biological-medical research centers, a position he still holds today.

Throughout his career, Prof. Wiestler has demonstrated true commitment to cultivating scientific ties between Germany and Israel, and particularly with the Weizmann Institute of Science. As director of DKFZ, he pushed for the establishment of an exchange program for Israeli and German students in cancer research, initiated a joint program in personalized medicine between Helmholtz and Israeli partners, and helped launch the German-Israeli Helmholtz International Research School in Cancer Biology, a joint PhD program between the DKFZ and the Feinberg Graduate School of the Weizmann Institute. As President of the Helmholtz Association, he has advocated for several unique collaborations with the Weizmann Institute, including on the ULTRASAT initiative – a main component of the Institute’s Frontiers of the Universe flagship project.

Recognizing his immense contribution to scientific research in Germany and beyond, Prof. Wiestler was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2005 and the German Cancer Award in 2004. He has been a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina since 2001.