The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities established an emergency program to aid outstanding postdoctoral researchers, of all academic disciplines, who have been unable to embark upon or complete their research programs abroad on account of the COVID-19 crisis.
The COVID-19 pandemic raised many challenges for the scientific world in general and for young researchers in particular. In response, the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities established an emergency fellowship program for outstanding Israeli postdoctoral researchers who were unable to complete their postdoctoral research programs abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020 and 2021, the Israel Academy awarded two-year grants for postdoctoral research at Israeli universities to 21 young Israeli researchers in any academic field. The awardees were chosen solely on the basis of scientific excellence by a designated committee of Israel Academy members.
Each of the awarded researchers received an annual grant of NIS 150,000, half of which was funded by the Academy and the other half by the host university. In recognition of the outstanding accomplishments of the awardees, the universities were encouraged to increase their share of the grants significantly beyond the amount of their standard post-doctoral grants.
Following are the names of the Israeli postdoctoral researchers who took part in this fellowship program in, their areas of academic research and their host universities in Israel.
Researchers Awarded Fellowship in 2021:
- Dr. Oren Elishav, for postdoctoral research in chemistry hosted by Dr. Barak Hirshberg at Tel Aviv University
- Dr. Shay Laps, for postdoctoral research in chemistry hosted by Prof. Itamar Willner at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Dr. Gadi Herzlinger, for postdoctoral research in archaeology hosted by Prof. Leore Grosman at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Dr. Maayan Cohen, for postdoctoral research in archaeology hosted by Prof. Oren Tal at Tel Aviv University
- Dr. Nadav Amir, for postdoctoral research in psychology hosted by Prof. Liad Mudrik at Tel Aviv University
- Dr. Eitan-Erez Zahavi, for postdoctoral research in the life sciences hosted by Prof. Mike Fainzilber at the Weizmann Institute of Science
- Dr. Udi Binshtok, for postdoctoral research in the life sciences hosted by Prof. David Shprinzak at Tel Aviv University
- Dr. Rona Aviram, for postdoctoral research in the life sciences hosted by Prof. Nitzan Gonen at Bar-Ilan University
- Dr. Tal Gordon, for postdoctoral research in the life sciences hosted by Dr. Omri Wurtzel at Tel Aviv University
- Dr. Hagai Diamandi, for postdoctoral research in electrical engineering hosted by Prof. Yonina Eldar at the Weizmann Institute of Science
- Dr. Alex Shleyfman, for postdoctoral research in industrial engineering hosted by Dr. Erez Karpas of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology
Researchers Awarded Fellowship
in 2020:
- Dr. Zohar Arnon, for postdoctoral research in biotechnology under the supervision of Prof. Lihi Adler-Abramovich at Tel Aviv University
- Dr. Orit Berhani, for postdoctoral research in the life sciences under the supervision of Prof. Ofer Mandelboim at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Dr. Tzilla Eshel, for postdoctoral research in archaeology under the supervision of Dr. Adi Eliyahu Behar at Ariel University
- Dr. Maor Farid, for postdoctoral research in mechanical engineering under the supervision of Prof. Oleg Gendelman at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
- Dr. Eliane Hadas Yardeni, for postdoctoral research in the life sciences under the supervision of Dr. Moran Shalev-Benami at the Weizmann Institute of Science
- Dr. Shir Hochwald-Liber, for postdoctoral research in physics and engineering under the supervision of Prof. Rachela Popovtzer
- Dr. Ori Katz, for postdoctoral research in law under the supervision of Professors Ilana Ritov and Doron Teichman at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Dr. Tom Levy, for postdoctoral research in the life sciences under the supervision of Prof. Amir Sagi at Ben Gurion University of the Negev
- Dr. Hadas Shalit Peleg, for postdoctoral research in chemistry under the supervision of Prof. Anat Milo at Ben Gurion University of the Negev
- Dr. Netanel Shpiegel, for postdoctoral research in chemical sciences under the supervision of Prof. Doron Aurbach at Bar-Ilan University