Weizmann Institute of Science

Overview

Based in Rehovot, Israel, the Weizmann Institute of Science is a public research university established even before the existence of the State of Israel. The university is unique among Israeli universities for offering only graduate and postgraduate programs in the natural and exact sciences.

Today, the Institute’s programs are spread across five main faculties—Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Mathematics and Computer Science, and Physics— and 18 departments. Meanwhile, the Institute's Feinberg Graduate School offers MSc and PhD degrees in five major fields of study: Physics, Chemistry, Life Sciences, Mathematics and Computer Science, and Education.

Founded in 1934, the Institute was named after Dr. Chaim Weizmann, a well-known chemist and the first president of the State of Israel. The Institute has had a long history of innovation and discovery, especially in the fields of chemistry and computer science. Aside from being the first institution to teach computer science in Israel, researchers at the institute built Israel’s first computer, WEIZAC, in 1954.

The institute is also known as a pioneer of cancer research in Israel. Thus far, the Institute has also produced one Nobel laureate (Ada Yonath, Nobel Prize in Chemistry) and three recipients of the Turing Award (Shafi Goldwasser, Adi Shamir, and Amir Pnueli).

The Weizmann Institute of Science has consistently ranked as a top research university worldwide, gaining second in Nature Index's 2019 global ranking for research quality among institutions. The Institute is currently home to 250 labs and 280 experimental and theoretical research groups, who collaborate with US and German institutions and receive $100 million in research grants each year. The Institute has a thousand active research grants at any given time. According to the European Research Council's 2020 report, the Institute also ranked seventh among European universities in obtaining research grants.

Aside from research, the Institute also places great importance on advancing science education in schools and in the public. In 1999, the Institute established the Davidson Institute of Science Education. Today, Davidson Institute operates more than 70 programs that serve underprivileged students, underachievers, and outstanding students. Since its first run, the Institute’s PERACH Tutorial Project has also seen participation from 1 million children and mentors.

The Institute currently serves over 1,380 students of graduate and postdoctoral studies, with over 340 scientists and students living on campus. It also contributes to the furthering of science education through the Clore Garden of Science, the world’s first interactive outdoor museum devoted to science.