Among this year's prize winners: researchers who have developed new treatment strategies for cancer, Alzheimer's and autism spectrum disorders; A researcher examining the formation of bacteria in babies and their health effects; and researchers whose discoveries are applied in the field of cryptocurrencies
The Krill Award for excellence in scientific research was awarded this week (Tuesday, 26.4.2022) to ten brilliant young Israeli researchers for their unique contributions in their fields of research. The award is given to researchers who have shown determination, initiative and creativity and have demonstrated significant research breakthroughs in the fields of exact sciences, life sciences, medicine, agriculture and engineering.
The Krill Prizes were awarded in the presence of senior academics in Israel: Prof. Barak Medina, Rector of the Hebrew University; Prof. Ziv Reich, Vice President of the Weizmann Institute of Science; Prof. Shimon Marom, Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Technion; Prof. Mark Steiff, Rector of Tel Aviv University; Prof. Haim Haims, Rector of Ben Gurion University in the Negev; and the acting chairman of the Wolf Foundation, Prof. Dan Shechtman, Nobel laureate and Wolf Prize winner. Deans, heads of departments and leading researchers were also present at the ceremony.
The awards are intended for outstanding academic faculty members from research universities in Israel, who have not yet received tenure. The foundation's judging committee selects the winners from dozens of candidates submitted by the universities. The choice is based on considerations of excellence, the research topic and its importance.
The candidates for the Krill Prize, and in particular the winners, are considered promising researchers in Israel who are expected to lead research and academia in Israel in the future. The aspiration to win the prize is a milestone in the academic development path.
The Wolf Foundation and the Krill family have been giving the award every year, since 2005, in memory and honor of the late Benjamin and Gitla Krill Mansbach Schlanger. The awarding of the awards symbolizes the Kril family's attachment to the State of Israel and its belief in the close connection between science and vision.
CEO of the Wolf Foundation, Reut Yanon Berman: "Each and every one of the nominees for the award deserves enormous appreciation. Their nomination is a tremendous expression of recognition and trust because the universities see them as the leaders of the next generation of Israeli academia. Winning the award is a particularly important milestone in academic personal development. Indeed, many young researchers who have won the prize over the years later became involved in key positions in scientific research in Israel and around the world. We are proud of the 2022 Krill Prize winners for their extraordinary achievements and their selection for the Israel Academy's team of promising researchers."
The winners for 2022:
Dr. Vaytam Amal From the Drug Research Institute, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem: Dr. Amal receives the award for his contribution to the deciphering of molecular mechanisms in the brain and the development of new drugs and therapeutic strategies for autism spectrum disorders and Alzheimer's disease. His important discovery revealed that autism and Alzheimer's have a common molecular mechanism that can lead to neurological disorders.
Dr. Yonatan Rochman From the Physics Department at Bar Ilan University: Dr. Rochman wins the award for his original work in explaining quantum phenomena in solid matter that have important implications in the topics of superconductors and quantum entanglement in multi-particle systems. His contribution to the understanding of these processes could be useful, among other things, to improve quantum calculations that are carried out in a noisy environment that impairs the accuracy of the calculation.
Dr. Gili Bisker From the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering at Tel Aviv University: Dr. Bisker receives the award for her contribution to the development of optical sensors and to understanding the physics of complex systems out of equilibrium. In her research, she demonstrated that even in a complex environment such as blood and cell cultures, it is possible to identify and quantify important biological markers - including proteins, enzymes, microRNA and metabolites - and monitor their activity in real time.
Dr. Moran Yas'or From the Faculty of Medicine, the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem: Dr. Yassur receives the award for her research on bacterial populations in babies and their impact on child health. In her laboratory, they study the trillions of bacteria in the human body, the causes of their formation in infancy and the effect of their composition on the child's health.
Dr. Uri Ben-David From the Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University: Dr. Ben-David receives an award for his contribution to the understanding of the cellular and molecular basis of aneuploidy in cancer, i.e. the phenomenon of the change in the number of chromosomes in the cancer cell. In his laboratory, they are working to find ways to selectively damage cancer cells without damaging healthy cells. Future applications of the research include the development of new cancer drugs and personalized cancer medicine.
Dr. Yehondav Beckenstein From the Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering at the Technion: Dr. Bekenstein receives the award for his groundbreaking research into the development of self-repairing hallide perovskite materials, which are necessary to deal with the rapid wear and tear in electronic equipment. The discovery in his research is essential for technologies that require a long life span such as electronic components in space devices and the human body as well as for applications such as solar energy production and improving quantum communication.
Dr. Sion Rafaeli Abramson From the Faculty of Chemistry and Materials Science at the Weizmann Institute of Science: Dr. Rafaeli Abramson is awarded the prize for her contribution to understanding states that light induces in solid matter. She deals with quantum calculations of materials
Having a complex structure to examine the interaction between light and matter. Her research group participates in formulating basic rules for designing materials, for more efficient uses of renewable energy, and for new ways of storing quantum information.
Dr. Ron Rothblum From the Faculty of Computer Science at the Technion: Dr. Rotblum receives an award for his research in cryptography and the development and analysis of effective proof systems for verifying the correctness of calculation results. Such proof systems, which grew out of work in computer science theory, are attracting increasing interest outside the academic field, especially in the contexts of cryptocurrencies and blockchain applications.
Dr. Itay Eyal From the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Technion: Dr. Eyal receives an award for his research in the fields of security and performance of distributed systems. It focuses on the principles underlying these systems, which are rapidly evolving in light of the proliferation of cryptocurrencies and smart contract platforms. The results of his work are applied in industry and the open source community to develop safer and more efficient distributed systems.
Dr. Aili Kovac From the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Physics at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev: Dr. Kovacs is awarded the prize for his contributions in the field of theoretical cosmology and their integration with modern astronomical survey data. His work examines from a phenomenological-theoretical angle unsolved questions in the study of the evolution of the universe. He develops state-of-the-art models and has published important works concerning the cosmic background radiation and the nature of dark matter.
