Rothschild Fellows

Postdoctoral fellowships for young scholars of exceptional academic merit and potential

About the Fellowships

The Rothschild Fellowship programme was established in 1979 to help young scholars of outstanding academic merit and potential to advance in their respective fields. The first Selection Committee was chaired by Sir Isaiah Berlin. More than 800 Fellowships have been awarded to date. The majority of Fellows have pursued academic careers in Israel, with many becoming leading figures in their fields. Numerous Fellows can be found in positions of academic leadership in Israel.

Fellowships are awarded in the Natural, Exact and Life Sciences and Engineering (up to 14 per year), in the Humanities and Social Sciences (up to 6 per year), Brain, Mind and Language (up to 5 per year) and a Fellowship for Physician-Researchers (up to 7 per year), to support research for holders of MD degrees with outstanding research potential and to enable them to advance in their respective fields and establish themselves as leading Physician-Researchers upon their return to Israel.

A triennial Rothschild Fellows Colloquium brings together the most recent cohorts of Rothschild Fellows, who meet to network and present their work to colleagues, committee members and senior academics in Israel.

Application Information

Who Can Apply?

Candidates must be permanent residents of Israel who received a PhD at an accredited institution of higher learning in Israel no more than three years prior to submission of the application. Tenured faculty at Israeli universities are not eligible to apply.

How to Apply for Post-Doctoral Fellowships?

Nominations for 2026-2027 Rothschild Fellowshops are now closed.

Our Fellows

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2026

Erez Yirmiya

Life Sciences: Computational and Systems Biology | Weizmann Institute of Science

Doctoral Dissertation: Systematic Discovery of Viral Anti-Defense Proteins and TIR-Based Immune Signaling Pathways Conserved Across the Tree of Life

University Abroad: Yale University

2026

Rony Hirschhorn

Cognitive Neuroscience | Tel Aviv University

Doctoral Dissertation: Tell Me What You See: Characterizing the Richness of Visual Conscious Experience

University Abroad: University of Sussex

2026

Nitzan Aframian

Microbial Systems Biology | Tel Aviv University

Doctoral Dissertation: Trade-Offs and Decision-Making in the Phage-Bacteria Arms Race

University Abroad: University of Oxford

2026

Ezra Ben-Abu

Mechanical Engineering | Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

Doctoral Dissertation: Leveraging Flow and Multi-stability in Metafluids and Soft Robotics

University Abroad: Columbia University

2026

Lior Matityahu

Biomedical Science | The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Doctoral Dissertation: Nicotinic Control of Striatal Microcircuitry and Monoamine Release by Cholinergic Interneurons

University Abroad: Columbia University

2026

Avishai Maliah

Molecular Biology | Tel Aviv University

Doctoral Dissertation: UVB Effect on the Immune Response to Cancer

University Abroad: Harvard University

2026

Or Hadas

Atmospheric Fluid Dynamics | Weizmann Institute of Science

Doctoral Dissertation: From Individual Storms to Climate: Bridging Lagrangian and Eulerian Perspective on Midlatitude Atmospheric Dynamics.

University Abroad: Princeton University

2026

Noa Matosevich

Neuroscience | Tel Aviv University

Doctoral Dissertation: Diverging Pathways to Sound Evoked Awakening from the Locus Coeruleus

University Abroad: UCSF – University of California San Francisco

2026

Moshe Shenfeld

Theoretical Computer Science | The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Doctoral Dissertation: Privacy, Stability, and Generalization: Separating the Wheat from the Chaff

University Abroad: Boston University

2026

Nitay Alon

Computational Cognitive Science and Computer Science | The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Doctoral Dissertation: The Role of Theory of Mind (ToM) in Partially Observed Mixed-motive Games

University Abroad: MIT – Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2026

Batsheva Frankel Rozman

Life Sciences: mRNA Translation and RNA Modifications | Weizmann Institute of Science

Doctoral Dissertation: Understanding the role of N1-
Methylpseudouridine in Translation Dynamics

University Abroad: To be decided

2026

Matan Uzan

Physics | Weizmann Institute of Science

Doctoral Dissertation: Correlated Electronic States in Multilayer Graphene Heterostructures

University Abroad: MIT – Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2026

Dina Listov

Biochemistry | Weizmann Institute of Science

Doctoral Dissertation: De Novo Enzyme Design: Lessons on Catalysis and Protein Foldability

University Abroad: Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology

2026

Ohad Segal

Electrical and Computer Engineering | Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

Doctoral Dissertation: Photonic Time Crystals and Space-Time Crystals

University Abroad: To be decided

2026

Dana Cohen Gerassi

Regenerative Medicine | Tel Aviv University

Doctoral Dissertation: Electroconductive Nanostructured Scaffold for Fabrication of Smart Skin Graft

University Abroad: Northwestern University

2026

Taya Govreen- Segal

Theoretical Astrophysics | Tel Aviv University

Doctoral Dissertation: Dynamics and Signatures of Various
Shocks in Supernovae and GRBs

University Abroad: Princeton University

2026

Yael Coldham

Neuroscience | Tel Aviv University

Doctoral Dissertation: The Neural Basis of Brain Activity Changes Following Learning

University Abroad: University of Oxford

2026

Ophir Freund

Pulmonary | Tel Aviv Sourasky University Medical Center (Ichilov)

Research Field: Pulmonology and Clinical Epidemiology

Research Centre Abroad: The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

2026

Shira Sagie-Groher

Oncology | Sheba Medical Center

Research Field: Translational Cancer Immunotherapy

Research Centre Abroad: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

2026

Ohad Atia

Hematology and Oncology | Schneider’s Children Medical Center

Research Field: Clinical Epidemiology and Precision Medicine

Research Centre Abroad: Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto

2026

Rami Shinnawi

Cardiology | The Rambam Health Care Campus

Research Field: Translational Cardiac Electrophysiology

Research Centre Abroad: Cleveland Clinic

2026

Tzah Feldman

Pathology | The Rambam Health Care Campus

Research Field: Molecular Pathology and Cancer Genomics

Research Centre Abroad: Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute

2026

Roy Dayan

Neurology | Hadassah Medical Center

Research Field: Neurogenetics of Movement Disorders

Research Centre Abroad: Department of Neurology & Kirby Neurobiology Center Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School

2026

Idan Redenski

Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery | Galilee Medical Center

Research Field: Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

Research Centre Abroad: Donnelly Centre For Cellular + Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto

2026

Barak Hadad

Electrical Engineering | Tel Aviv University

Doctoral Dissertation: Shining a Light on Machine Learning: Investigating the Intersection of Deep Learning and Optics

University Abroad: Imperial College

2026

Avraham Binnenfeld

Astronomy and Astrophysics | Tel Aviv University

Doctoral Dissertation: Novel Approaches to the Analysis of the Gaia Satellite Data

University Abroad: University of Göttingen

2026

Or Rappel-Kroyzer

American History | Tel Aviv University

Doctoral Dissertation: “This Tale Happened Once Upon a Time”: Remembering the Civil War in California, 1865-2020

University Abroad: University of Southern California

2026

Itai Kagan

Bible | The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Doctoral Dissertation: The Dynamics of Formulaic Language in Biblical Psalms

University Abroad: Oxford University

2026

Anat Ovadia-Rosner

Law | Tel Aviv University

Doctoral Dissertation: The Making of Israeli Anti-Discrimination Protection, 1959–2000

University Abroad: Harvard Law School

2026

Guy Ishai

Behavioral and Experimental Economics | The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Doctoral Dissertation: Essays on Belief Elicitation

University Abroad: MIT – Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2026

Nur Kassem

Social Psychology | The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Doctoral Dissertation: Intragroup Empathy Towards Disadvantaged Group Members in Advantaged-Group Dominated Contexts

University Abroad: NYU – New York University

2026

Michal Andelman Gur

Cognitive Neuroscience | Weizmann Institute of Science

Doctoral Dissertation: Nasal Respiration and Olfactory Perception: Behavioural and Neural Mechanisms in Health and Disease

University Abroad: Duke University

2026

Adva Shoham

Cognitive Neuroscience | Tel Aviv University

Doctoral Dissertation: Visual Representations in Perception and Memory and Their Consequential Effect on Recognition

University Abroad: University of Oxford

2025

Nur Givon-Benjio

Political Psychology, University of Haifa

Title of PhD: Preference for Greater Distance in Social Anxiety: Preference or Estimation Bias? An Integrative Examination

University abroad: University of Cambridge

2025

Jad Kiadan

Cognitive Linguistics and Cultural Studies, Tel Aviv University

Title of PhD: Effect of Modality & Register on the Directionality of Metaphors in Arabic

University abroad: TBD

2025

Eldad Keha

Cognitive Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Title of PhD: What Triggers Stimulus-Driven Behaviours? A Neurocognitive Examination of the Conditions in which Stimulus-Driven Behaviours Vary and Emerge

University Abroad: Washington University in St. Louis

2025

Nicole Katzir

Linguistics, Tel Aviv University

Title of PhD: Quantifiers, Discourse Profiles and Mental Representations

University abroad: Radboud University

2025

Dana Ishay-Ronen

Physician-Researcher: Medical Oncology | Sheba Medical Centre

Research Field: Cancer Cell Plasticity

Research Centre Abroad: Max Delbrück Center (MDC)

2025

Elad Horn

Architecture | Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

Title of PhD: Neoliberal Architectural Change in Tel Aviv-Yafo, 1977-1995: A Spatial Humanities Approach to Architectural Historiography

University abroad: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2025

Guy Grinfeld

Social Psychology | Tel Aviv University

Title of PhD: Learning from Own Experience and from Others: Integrating Knowledge from Different Sources

University abroad: Harvard University

2025

Aidai Golan

Cognitive Psychology | Tel Aviv University

Title of PhD: Statistical Learning: A Third Source of Attentional Guidance?

University abroad: University of British Columbia

2025

Hila Glanz

Physics | Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

Title of PhD: Stellar Interactions: Accretion, Migration and Explosions

University Abroad: California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

2025

Yotam Liel

Information Systems Management | Tel Aviv University

Title of PhD: Turning Off Your Better Judgment – Conformity to AI Advice

University abroad: TBD

2025

Nimrod Gavriel

Atmospheric Dynamics, Weizmann Institute of Science

Title of PhD: The Dynamics of Jupiter’s Polar Cyclones

University abroad: UC Berkeley

2025

Dor Elimelech

Applied Mathematics / Electrical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Title of PhD: Generalizations and New Applications of Covering Codes

University abroad: University of Maryland

2025

Gal Chen

Bioengineering, Synthetic Biology, Nanotechnology, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

Title of PhD: Engineering Living-Like Therapeutics to Support Tissue Regeneration and Healing

University abroad: TBD

2025

Amit Benady

Physician-Researcher: Orthopedic Surgery, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Centre (Ichilov)

Research Field: Surgical Innovation and 3D Printing

Research Centre Abroad: University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

2025

Nadav Ben-Assa

Microbiology | Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

Title of PhD: Functional Plasticity Within Bacterial Strains

University Abroad: MIT

2025

Rotem Assouline

Riemannian Geometry and Optimal Transport, Weizmann Institute of Science

Title of PhD: Curvature-Dimension for Autonomous Lagrangians

University Abroad: Institut de mathématiques de Jussieu–Paris Rive Gauche

2025

Alaa Arraf

Physician-Researcher: Fetal Medicine, Rambam Health Care Campus

Research Field: Neuro-Developmental Genetics

Research Centre Abroad: Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School

2025

Avital Angel

Pedestrian Behaviour and Walkability, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

Title of PhD: Pedestrian Behaviour and Walkability

University abroad: TBD

2025

Einat Seidel

Physician-Researcher: Internal Medicine, Hadassah Medical Centre

Research Field: Autoimmunity

Research Centre Abroad: Institut Pasteur

2025

Matan Even Tzur

Physics, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

Title of PhD: Quantum Optical Aspects of High Harmonic Generation and Strong Field Ionization

University abroad: Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter

2025

Yael Sternfeld

Light Matter Interaction, Tel Aviv University

Title of PhD: Superluminal Lasers for Sensing and Precision Metrology

University abroad: TBD

2025

Omri-Nisan Solan

Homogeneous Dynamics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Title of PhD: Quantitative and Qualitative Properties of Homogeneous Dynamics

University Abroad: Princeton University and the Institute for Advanced Study

2025

Dor Shohat

Soft Matter Physics, Tel Aviv University

Title of PhD: Memory and Glassy Dynamics in Driven Complex Mechanical Systems

University abroad: AMOLF and University of Amsterdam

2025

Omer Shlomovitz

Physician-Researcher: Medical Genetics, Sheba Medical Centre

Research Field: Medical Genetics

Research Centre Abroad: Baylor College of Medicine

2025

Omri Shelef

Organic Chemistry, Tel Aviv University

Title of PhD: Design, Synthesis, and Applications of Chemiluminescent Probes for the Detection and Identification of Pathogenic Bacteria and Cancer Cells

University abroad: Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School

2025

Iftach Amir

Cognition and Mental Health, University of Haifa

Title of PhD: Looking in for Answers: Examining the Role of Internal Attention in Internally-Directed Cognition and Mental Health

University Abroad: Washington University in St. Louis

2025

Inbal Schekler

Computational Ecology, University of Haifa

Title of PhD: The Effects of Environmental Conditions on Bird Migration Studied by Radar

University Abroad: The Centre for Advanced Studies, Blanes, Spain

2025

Bruria Samuel

Microbiology, Tel Aviv University

Title of PhD: The Interplay Between Microbial Defense Systems, Anti-Defense Systems, and Horizontal Gene Transfer

University abroad: TBD

2025

Nili Saar-Furer

Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science

Title of PhD: Natural Variation in Human Circulating Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells and their Perturbation with Aging and Disease

University Abroad: Harvard University

2025

Ran Abuhasira

Physician-Researcher: Rheumatology, Soroka Medical Centre

Research Field: Gout Proteomics

Research Centre Abroad: Massachusetts General Hospital

2025

Meir Orbach

Archaeology | University of Haifa

Title of PhD: Human Prey Choice in the Levantine Middle Paleolithic: Insights from Human, Carnivore, and Natural Trap Bone Accumulations

University abroad: TBD

2025

Sarah Ohayon

Marine Ecology, Tel Aviv University

Title of PhD: Spatial Patterns of Fishes Across Marine Protected Areas Borders

University abroad: University of Victoria

2025

Efrat Naaman

Physician-Researcher: Ophthalmology, Rabin Medical Centre

Research Field: Gene Therapy in Retinal Degenerative Diseases

Research Centre Abroad: Department of Genetics and Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School

1985

Prof. Michael Feldman

Life Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science

1983

Prof. Nachman Avigad

Humanities, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

1969

Prof. Zvi Herbert Riesel

Engineering, The Weizmann Institute of Science

1962

Prof. Abraham Halevy Fraenkel

Mathematics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

1961

Prof. Gershom Scholem

Jewish Studies, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Committee Members

Chair Prof. Anthony Grafton (History, Princeton University)
  • Prof. Ran Abramitzky (Economics, Stanford University)
  • Prof. Guy Bar-Oz (Zooarchaeology, University of Haifa)
  • Prof. Niva Elkin-Koren (Law & Technology, Tel Aviv University)*
  • Prof. Ruth Fine (Iberian Studies, The Hebrew University)
  • Prof. Adiel Schremer (Jewish History, Bar-Ilan University

*Replaced in 2026- 2026 cycle by Prof. Leora Bilsky, (Law, Tel Aviv University)

Chair Prof. Naama Friedmann (Psycholinguistics, Tel Aviv University)
  • Prof. Marlene Behrmann (Psychology, University of Pittsburgh)
  • Prof. Tal Eyal (Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev)
  • Prof. Sachiko Kinoshita (Psychology, Macquarie University)
  • Prof. Esther Ruigendijk (Psycholinguistics, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg)
  • Prof. Daphna Shohamy (Psychology, Columbia University)
Chair Prof. Ronit Satchi-Fainaro (Physiology, Tel Aviv University)
  • Prof. Joanna Aizenberg (Chemistry, Harvard University)
  • Prof. Yonit Hochberg (Physics, The Hebrew University)
  • Prof. Howard Stone (Engineering, Princeton University)
  • Prof. Uzi Vishne (Mathematics, Bar-Ilan University)
  • Prof. Michael Wooldridge (Computer Science, University of Oxford)
Chair Prof. Shai Izraeli (Childhood Malignancies and Leukemia, Schneider Children’s Medical Centre)
  • Prof. Yehuda Chowers (Gastroenterology, CytoReason Ltd.)
  • Prof. Talia Golan (Gastrointestinal Cancer, Sheba Medical Center)
  • Prof. Michal Lotem (Oncology, Immunotherapy, Hadassah Cancer Research Institute
  • Prof. Khitam Muhsen (Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Tel Aviv University)
  • Prof. Raul Mostoslavsky (Cancer Genetics and Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School)
  • Prof. Elad Jacoby (Pediatric Hemato-Oncology, Sheba Medical Center)*

*Joining for 2026-2027 cycle