The prestigious Adams Fellowships are designated for outstanding Israeli doctoral students in the exact sciences, life sciences, mathematics, computer science, information science and engineering. Thus far, they have been awarded to 163 promising young researchers in nineteen 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 163 fellows to date – 116 men and 47 women – include 40 in the fields of medicine and the life sciences, 42 in mathematics and computer science, 29 in physics, 21 in electrical engineering, 17 in chemistry, 2 in nano-science, 4 in mechanical engineering, 3 in earth and environmental sciences and one each in evolution, solar energy, civic engineering, materials engineering and aerodynamics and 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 130 graduates, 62 had returned to faculty positions in Israel. 11 held faculty positions abroad, 25 were in the high-tech/bio-tech industries in Israel, 3 were in industry abroad, 2 were MD/PhD researchers at Beilenson Hospital – Rabin Medical Center, 1 was in a postdoctoral position in Israel, and 22 were in postdoctoral positions abroad. One graduate postponed her postdoctoral position because of a traffic accident, and one was completing her MD.
The following doctoral students were awarded Adams Fellowships for 2023-2024:
Ms. Shira Gaviely, Tel Aviv University, Materials Engineering
Mr. Gal Keshet, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Genetics, Life Sciences
Mr. Majd Machour, The Technion, Bio-Medical Engineering
Mr. Omri Matania, Ben-Gurion University, Mechanical Engineering
Ms. Avishag Mytlis, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Cancer Research, Medicine
Mr. Ron Ruimy, The Technion, Electrical Engineering
Mr. Omri Shelef, Tel Aviv University, Chemistry
Mr. Evgenii Zheltonozhskii, The Technion, Physics
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
The following doctoral students were awarded Adams Fellowships for 2020–2021:
Ms. Dalya Baron, Tel Aviv University, Astrophysics
Mr. Yonadav Barry Ginat, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Physics
Mr. Gil Bashan, Bar-Ilan University, Electrical Engineering
Ms. Dana Binyamin, Bar-Ilan University, Medicine
Mr. Naom Lifshitz, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mathematics
Mr. Dan Liraz, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Nano-Electronics
Mr. Naom Shahar, Tel Aviv University, Plant Sciences and Food Security
The program’s bilingual (English/Hebrew) website contains information on the fellows of previous cycles and the personal pages of all current fellows and alumni. It also displays general information, Calls for Applications and detailed reports on the program's activities, including videos of the lectures at program-sponsored seminars and photographs taken at seminars, conferences, and field trips.
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.
The Adams Seminar for 2002 took place on July 28, 2022, with the participation of Sylvan Adams, Linda Adams-Troy and Dr. Julian Adams. Israel Academy President
Prof. David Harel greeted the audience, and Adams Committee Chair Prof. Moshe Oren delivered the opening address. The guest speaker was Prof. Noam Sobel, of the Department of Neurobiology at the Weizmann Institute, who spoke about “Blood Sweat and Tears: Human Social Chemosignaling in Health and Disease”. Fellowships were granted to six new winners. At the awarding ceremony, Dr. Julian Adams greeted the grantees on behalf of the Adams Family.
The Adams Conference for 2023 took place on February 27, 2023. Academy President
Prof. David Harel spoke about “Computational Prosody: How to Understand the “Music” of Speech". Adams Alumni Dr. Efrat Shema and Prof. Guy Ron, spoke on “Multi-Disciplinary Science Collaboration Among Adams Alumni”. Former Academy President Prof. Nili Cohen, professor of law at Tel Aviv University Spoke on “Substance and Ceremony in Law and Literature”. Prof. Yossi Loya, Academy Member and Professor Emeritus of Marine Ecology at Tel Aviv University spoke on “The Impact of Global Climate Change on the Biodiversity of Coral Reefs." Each of the six new fellows gave a presentation on his/her research. The conference was moderated by Prof. Moshe Oren, Chair of the Academy’s Adams Fellowships Committee.
On April 27, 2023, the Adams Fellowships Committee chose the eight new grantees for the approaching academic year of 2023-2024.
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