On Tuesday, June 3, 2025, the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in Israel Science Symposium was held at the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Jerusalem. The symposium was opened by Prof. Michal Rivlin, from the Department of Brain Sciences at the Weizmann Institute of Science, with a fascinating guest lecture titled "Vision in Motion: How the Early Stages of Vision are Aligned to Behavior".
The symposium included presentations by the 2025 Blavatnik Awards laureates: Prof. Yonatan Stelzer, in the category of Life Sciences; Dr. Benjamin Palmer, in the category of Chemical Sciences; and Prof. Chaim Garfinkel, in the category of Physical Sciences and Engineering. During the symposium, the three young researchers presented their groundbreaking work for which they were selected to receive the awards.
Among the participants in the symposium were also students from biology track at Alqasemi High School in Baqa al-Gharbiyye and from the Young Researchers program at the Davidson Institute in Rehovot. The presence of the students added great interest to the event, and the questions they raised during the discussions offered meaningful contributions to the understanding and important of the presented research.
The following evening, a festive award ceremony was held at the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation. The event included a gala dinner and an official ceremony where the prizes were awarded to each of the laureates. The Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in Israel are granted annually to three young researchers from Israeli research institutions in recognition of their exceptional achievements and significant contributions to the advancement of science and research in Israel. The Science Symposium and Award Ceremony celebrate the future of Israeli science and the next generation of Israel’s leaders at the forefront of scientific research.
From the left: Israel Academy President Prof. David Harel, Executive Vice President of Strategic Communications of Access Industries Ms. Lisa Shields, Prof. Chaim Garfinkel, Dr. Benjamin Palmer, Prof. Yonatan Stelzer, Senior Vice President, Scientific Programs and Awards of The New York Academy of Sciences Dr. Sonya Dougal and Executive Vice President and Head of Family Office of Access Industries Mr. Peter Thorén