The Rothschild Prize

In 1959 Yad Hanadiv established the Rothschild Prizes to support, encourage and advance the Sciences and Humanities in Israel. Prizes are awarded in recognition of outstanding scientific achievements, breakthroughs or discoveries in the following disciplines: Mathematics, Computer Sciences, Engineering, Life Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, Jewish Studies and Humanities.   

In 2024 up to seven prizes will be awarded in the following categories:

Chemical Sciences

Computer Sciences

Engineering

Environmental Sciences

Life Sciences

Mathematics

Physical Sciences

 

.The winners will be announced by January 2024

Who Can Apply

Candidates must be full-time faculty at Israeli institutions of higher learning.
Emeritus faculty are not eligible to receive the Prize.
Candidates must be permanent residents of Israel.

How to Apply

Nomination forms can be accessed from:

https://rothschildprize.org.il/

Supporting documentation for nominations must include:

  • A summary (up to 1200 words) which describes the main scientific achievement, breakthrough or discovery for which the candidate is being nominated, and its impact on the discipline and beyond
  • The candidate’s CV
  • A list of key publications relating to this achievement
  • Names of scholars from out of Israel who are qualified to evaluate the candidate’s work (optional)

All the material should be submitted in English. Nominations must reach the office of Yad Hanadiv by midnight, 17 May 2023, Israel time

 

Recipients

Gallery Year
2022

Committee Members

The Rothschild Prize
Chair
Professor Joseph Klafter
Leading scholars in the relevant fields will evaluate the candidates.

Updates

11.2022

Winners Receive the 2022 Rothschild Prizes in the Knesset

The Rothschild Prizes 2022 were awarded on 27 November at a ceremony attended by several hundred people at the Knesset. This year’s Prizes were awarded in recognition of outstanding achievement, breakthrough or discovery in the Social Sciences, Jewish Studies and Humanities.

In her speech at the ceremony, chair of the Yad Hanadiv Board of Trustees, The Hon. Hannah Rothschild, emphasized the timely impact of the Prize recipients’ research.

‘There was a sensible tendency during the pandemic years to view science as "an exit strategy” from that crisis. This was certainly true for the pandemic, but it seems to me that it is no less true for the many social, political and other challenges the world faces today. Solutions to these challenges require intense study of all that is human. So, this year’s Rothschild Prizes in the Humanities and the Social Sciences come at an especially opportune moment', she said.

Read the entire speech here.

The winners are:

Nira Liberman – Social Sciences (Psychology, Tel Aviv University)

Nira Liberman developed the highly influential construal level theory, which explores the uniquely human cognitive ability to imagine oneself in the future, in remote locations, with unfamiliar people, and in hypothetical situations. Her theory has had a powerful impact on psychology, neuroscience, behavioral economics, linguistics, philosophy, and public policy. 

David Weisburd – Social Sciences (Criminology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

David Weisburd’s research has been pivotal in developing successful evidence-based crime policies worldwide. He developed a breakthrough in criminology by focusing on the importance of geographic micro-places (“hot spots”) for understanding and prevention of crime. He has shown that crime concentrates in consistent ways within cities as a result of specific social and micro-level factors. 

Ruth HaCohen – Humanities (Musicology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

Ruth Cohen’s study of ‘sound history’ –specifically the definition of Jewish music as ‘noise’ by Christians in early modern Europe – has irreversibly changed the ways and the scope in which we think about and react to music. She has expanded the discipline of musicology in relation to cognitive processes, politics, philosophy, and a wide-ranging, humanistic cultural aesthetics.

Jeremy Cohen – Jewish Studies (Jewish History, Tel Aviv University)

Jeremy Cohen’s wide-ranging and innovative research has uncovered a shared, complex cultural language of Jews and Christians in pre-modern Europe. His work has shown that Jewish-Christian relations must be seen against the background of medieval religion, society, and culture generally and has thus led to a richer, more integrated understanding of the pre-modern era and, specifically, to a deeper understanding of key phases in the experience of the Jews in Europe.

 

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