2024 Krill Prize

The Wolf Foundation announced the selection of promising researchers in Israeli academia, including the new winners of the 2024 Krill Prize for Excellence in Scientific Research. Among the ten winners of the prize, three are faculty members from the Technion: Dr. Renana Gershoni-Poranne from the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Dr. Hila Peleg from the Henry and Marilyn Taub Faculty of Computer Science, and Dr. Yaniv Romano from the Computer Engineering Center, which is jointly part of the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Taub Faculty of Computer Science.

Prof. Naama Brenner, Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Technion, stated, “Young researchers in Israel will carry science and technology into the coming decades, and it is a proud moment to see three of our young researchers winning this prestigious award. The Krill Prize is awarded to faculty members who ‘have demonstrated significant research breakthroughs and are expected to lead research and academia in Israel in the future,’ researchers who ‘have shown determination, initiative, and creativity and have led to significant breakthroughs in scientific research.’ I congratulate our three researchers – Renana, Hila, and Yaniv – on joining this prestigious club, and wish them challenging, exciting, and fruitful years ahead.”

Dr. Renana Gershoni-Poranne

Dr. Renana Gershoni-Poranne from the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry will receive the prize “for her work in the field of physical-organic chemistry and artificial intelligence for designing new organic molecules to be integrated into organic electronic technologies.” Dr. Gershoni-Poranne completed all her degrees at the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry at the Technion and her post-doctorate at ETH Zurich. Her work focuses on polycyclic aromatic systems (multi-ringed) of different molecules. Her research combines physical-organic chemistry with computational methods and artificial intelligence for the design of new organic molecules to be integrated into carbon-based organic electronic technologies and various applications, including flexible OLED screens, transparent solar cells that can turn glass windows into energy producers, and sensors that can be implanted in biological environments. An additional advantage is that such molecules are abundant in nature and less polluting than the currently prevalent electronic components.

Dr. Hila Peleg

Dr. Hila Peleg from the Taub Faculty of Computer Science will receive the prize “for significant contributions in developing tools that enhance productivity and reliability in code writing by programmers.” Dr. Peleg completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Tel Aviv University, her doctorate at the Technion, and her post-doctorate at the University of California, San Diego. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in literature, and participates in organizing conferences for the Israeli Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy. Her research focuses on programming languages, software engineering, and human-computer interaction, specifically on developing tools and software that enhance productivity and reliability in code writing by programmers. She studies software synthesis and programming tools. Software synthesis allows programmers to focus on the fundamental aspects of their work – problem-solving.

Dr. Yaniv Romano

Dr. Yaniv Romano from the Computer Engineering Center, part of the Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Taub Faculty of Computer Science, will receive the prize “for his groundbreaking contribution to the field of data science, machine learning, and signal processing.” Dr. Romano completed all his degrees at the Technion and then went on to a post-doctorate at Stanford University. At the Technion, he explores possibilities for integrating data collection and machine learning capabilities for various applications, including computer vision for autonomous vehicles, credit fraud detection, and evaluating the effectiveness of medical treatments. His work focuses on developing statistical technology that “wraps around” learning systems and ensures their reliability, accuracy, and stability. The tools Dr. Romano developed for prediction interval estimation were used by The Washington Post for reliable election outcome predictions in the 2020 U.S. elections.

Since 2005, the Krill Prize for Excellence in Scientific Research has been awarded annually by the Wolf Foundation and the Krill family, in memory and honor of Benjamin and Gittela Krill-Mansbach Schlanger. It is given to outstanding academic faculty members and promising researchers from research universities in Israel who have led significant research breakthroughs and are expected to lead research and academia in Israel in the future in the exact sciences, life sciences and medicine, engineering, and agriculture. The prize is funded by the estate of Avraham Hirsch Krill Schlanger, who was born in 1912 in Chemnitz, Germany. A year before the outbreak of World War II, Avraham Krill married Deborah Kertzic and emigrated to South America, where he established a successful textile factory. Avraham Krill was active in the community of Jews from Germany in South America and was an enthusiastic supporter of the State of Israel from its establishment. The prizes awarded in memory and honor of his parents symbolize the Krill family’s connection to Israel and their belief in the close relationship between science and vision.

The prizes will be awarded to the winners at a ceremony to be held in Ramat Hasharon on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, at 19:00.