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.

 

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

 

To create a young science community, Adams Fellows and alumni are provided with the opportunity to create friendships among themselves, at meetings, lectures by world-renowned scientists, and annual conferences and seminars, all of which take place at the Israel Academy. They also participate in field trips and in Science Communication Workshops that prepare them to present their research at international conferences.

 

In the Spring of 2020 the Adams Seminar was postponed, due to the Corona Pandemic. In September 2020, since the pandemic had lessened, a daylong field trip to Ancient Acre was held, with the participation of the active fellows and some alumni. The tour was conducted according to the Ministry of Health's instructions, and despite the high temperatures that day, the participants wore masks and ate both breakfast and lunch outside. The tour was guided by Dr. Eliezer Stern, the Research Authority's official archaeologist for the region of Acre and the Western Galilee, who in person conducted the digs and made the amazing discoveries of Ancient Acre.

 

At the end of January 2021, the Adams Fellows participated in three Science Communications Workshops, in order to help them present their research effectively at international science conferences and job interviews. The workshops took place in zoom for three days, under the guidance of Inbar Amir, a specialist at presenting to audiences. The Fellows were divided into groups of seven, with each group "meeting" for an intensive day to learn how to "translate" in-depth, complicated research, with many layers and nuances, into an effective story to captivate the audience. Their study was not only theoretic but included lots of practice. All those participating agreed that the experience was very exhausting but very positive!

 

The Adams Conference for 2022 took place on May 9, 2022. Academy President Prof. David Harel greeted the group which consisted of the current Adams Fellows and eight alumna, Prof. Moshe Oren chaired the daylong event. The conference included four fascinating lectures on a variety of topics, all delivered by prominent women researchers, three of whom are alumnae of the Israel Young Academy: Prof. Yael Hanein, professor of electrical engineering at Tel Aviv University lectured on “Electrical Recording of Emotions”; Dr. Meital Oren-Suissa, a senior scientist of brain sciences and molecular neuroscience at the Weizmann Institute lectured on “Sexually-Dimorphic Circuits: From Molecular Mechanisms to Synapses and Behavior”; Prof. Michal Feldman, professor of computer science at Tel Aviv University lectured on “On Markets, Computation and Games”; and Prof. Liat Kozma, ,professor of the history of the middle east at The Hebrew University lectured on “Networks of Medical Doctors in the Middle East, 1880-1940.” At the end of the day, three prizes were granted for best poster awards of the poster competition.

 

- Adams Fellowship Guidelines (in Hebrew)

- Adams Application Form (in Hebrew)

- Travel Abroad Guidelines (in Hebrew)

- Travel Expenses Claim Form 

 

For further information, please contact Ms. Batsheva Shor, batsheva@academy.ac.il