The prestigious Adams Fellowships are designated for outstanding Israeli doctoral students in the exact sciences, mathematics and computer science and engineering. Thus far, they have been awarded to 155 promising young researchers in eighteen cycles.
Prof. Moshe Oren, Academy Member and Professor of Molecular Biology at the Weizmann Institute, is the current chairperson of the program’s Steering and Approval Committee.
Adams Fellowships are granted each year to about seven doctoral students in the second year of their doctoral studies, for periods of up to four consecutive academic years. Candidates are submitted by the academic institutions from among their students. Fellowship recipients are exempted by their institutions from tuition.
Today each fellowship is in the amount of NIS 100,000 per year. In addition, the Adams Fellowship Program allots each fellow up to $US 3,000 per year of the fellowship for active participation in international scientific conferences and workshops, research collaboration or travel to interview for postdoctoral positions abroad, when their travel will contribute meaningfully to furthering their professional careers.
Application is made solely through the rectors of Israel’s research universities. The careful screening processes conducted by the universities and the Academy's professional committee for the program ensure that the grantees represent the elite of Israel's future scientists in their fields. The 155 fellows to date – 110 men and 45 women – include 37 in the fields of medicine and the life sciences, 42 in mathematics and computer science, 28 in physics, 20 in electrical engineering, 16 in chemistry, 2 in nano-science, 3 in mechanical engineering, 3 in earth and environmental sciences and one each in evolution, solar energy, civic engineering and aerodynamics/space.
The Adams Fellows, a cadre of Israel's most outstanding young researchers, boast impressive achievements in research and publications in the most prominent professional journals, such as Science, PNAS and Cell. They have been accepted for postdoctoral training in the world’s most prestigious institutions, such as Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Yale and the Broad Institute, and they are sought out to fill faculty positions in Israel and abroad.
As of June 2022, the program had 127 graduates, 62 of whom have returned to faculty positions in Israel. 11 hold faculty positions abroad, 25 are in the high-tech/bio-tech industries in Israel, 3 are in industry abroad, 2 are MD/PhD researchers at Beilenson Hospital – Rabin Medical Center, 1 is in a postdoctoral position in Israel, and 22 are still in postdoctoral positions abroad. One graduate postponed her postdoctoral position because of a traffic accident and one is completing her MD.
The following doctoral students were awarded Adams Fellowships for 2022-2023:
Mr. Nitzan Aframian, Tel Aviv University, Life Sciences
Mr. Amir Burshtein, Tel Aviv University, Physics
Ms. Shir Cohen, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Computer Science
Mr. Matan Eilat, Weizmann Institute of Science, Mathematics
Mr. Omer Granek, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Physics
Ms. Eliana Steinberg, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Pharmacy
The following doctoral students were awarded Adams Fellowships for 2021–2022:
Mr. Yonatan Hamo, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Chemistry
Ms. Noam Harel, Tel Aviv University, Life Sciences
Ms. Noy Nehmad, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Chemistry
Ms. Efrat Pahima, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Chemistry
Ms. Inbal Weisbord, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Chemical Engineering
Mr. Eyal Weiss, Bar-Ilan University, Computer Science
Mr. Yoav Zigdon, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Physics