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The position of Executive Vice President for Research has been divided in two: from now on, there will be an Executive VP for Research and an Executive VP for Innovation and Industry Relations

The Technion’s Council, supported by the Senate, has confirmed the appointments of Prof. Noam Adir to the position of Executive Vice President for Research and Prof. Lihi Zelnik-Manor to the position of Executive Vice President for Innovation and Industry Relations.

The new appointments reflect the Technion’s strategic policy of strengthening the ties between academia and industry – as a result of the intensification of research in industry and the understanding that collaborations between academia and industry are a significant force multiplier for research and development, impacting student education and training. In recent years, as part of the strategy of lowering the barriers separating academia from industry, the Technion’s management has expanded the university’s activities related to implementing research, commercializing new technologies, and founding start-up companies. During the last three years, the number of companies founded by Technion faculty members and graduate students tripled. In fact, one of every 30 new start-up companies in Israel is now founded by a Technion researcher.

As a result of these important changes, the role of Vice President for Research has been divided into two positions. The Vice President for Research will deal with all aspects of research at the Technion, including facilities, foundations, grants, national and international research committees, etc. The Vice President for Innovation and Industry Relations will oversee the transfer of knowledge and technologies developed at the Technion to industry, including identifying the research requirements within industry, collaborative research, and commercializing the knowledge.

Prof. Noam Adir, the incoming Vice President for Research, served as the Dean of the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, as well as Deputy VP for Research and Deputy VP and Director General for Safety. Prof. Adir joined the Technion’s faculty in 1995. His research focuses on physical tools in the chemical research of molecules and biological systems and the development of innovative techniques to harvest solar energy. In his new role, Prof. Adir will also serve as CEO of the Technion Research & Development Foundation Ltd., a subsidiary of the Technion.

Prof. Lihi Zelnik-Manor, the new Vice President for Innovation and Industry Relations, served as Vice Dean of the Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Prof. Zelnik-Manor has been a member of the Technion’s faculty since 2007. Her field is computer vision, and she is deeply involved with industry and innovation. She served as General Manager of the Alibaba R&D Center in Israel for three years. In her new role, she will also serve as Vice CEO of the Technion R&D Foundation Ltd., responsible for T3 (the commercialization unit), the Institute of Metals and the Legal Unit.

Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan congratulated Prof. Noam Adir and Prof. Lihi Zelnik-Manor and wished them success in their new roles. In addition, he thanked the departing Vice President for Research, Prof. Koby Rubinstein, who held the position for four years. During Prof. Rubinstein’s tenure, a great deal of progress was achieved boosting ties between the Technion and industry. The President thanked Prof. Rubinstein for his leadership and dedication during a period that was very challenging for research and development.

Click her

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Captions:

Prof. Lihi Zelnik-Manor
Prof. Noam Adir

Photos: Rami Shelush, Technion spokesperson’s office

For more information: Doron Shaham, Technion Spokesperson, +972-50-3109088

Prof. Ido Kaminer of the Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering won an ERC Consolidator grant from the European Research Council.

ERC Consolidator grants support select scientists who propose pioneering, ground-breaking research ideas. The grant will be used by Prof. Kaminer’s research team to develop a theory and innovative experimental platform for a new field in electron microscopy: Q-in-PINEM. The research will focus on creating new quantum states and identifying unique quantum properties for materials.

“The goal of the project is to research new quantum phenomena that haven’t been observed and access them for the first time thanks to our ability to control the wave properties of free electrons,” Prof. Kaminer explains. “We are planning to produce the first-ever many-electron entangled states and measure the quantum correlations produced on extremely short periods of time, occurring for electrons moving at a big fraction of the speed of light.”

The physics of free electrons is a field that has been studied for many years and has already led to many applications such as microwave ovens, particle accelerators, and free-electron lasers. However, breakthroughs by Prof. Kaminer’s research group prove that even in this old/established field, there is still a great deal to be discovered, and in recent years his team made new discoveries and unprecedented observations involving the interaction of material, light and free electrons.

Prof. Ido Kaminer of the Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering

This month, Prof. Kaminer was also awarded the Lem Prize, named for the science fiction author Stanislav Lem. The Lem Prize is awarded annually to a young researcher whose creative work in science or engineering has the potential to positively impact the future of civilization. Stanislav Lem, who wrote classic novels like Solaris, is considered the Polish writer who is the most famous around the world. The prize in his honor was established two years ago to mark 100 years since his birth, and it is dedicated to the principal aspects of his literary heritage: human beings, science, technology, progress and the future. Prof. Kaminer is the third scientist to win the prize.

Prof. Kaminer pursued all of his academic degrees at the Technion: a double B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering and Physics and a Master’s and PhD at the Department of Physics under the supervision of Distinguished Prof. Moti Segev. He joined the Technion’s Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2018, following a post-doctoral fellowship at MIT, and established the AdQuanta Lab in the Faculty. Prof. Kaminer is a member of the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute (RBNI), the Helen Diller Quantum Center, and the Solid State Institute.

In 2020, Prof. Kaminer made the list of TheMarker’s Most Promising Young People. In 2022, he won the $2.5 million Polymath Prize awarded by the Schmidt Futures Foundation to “outstanding people who are improving the world.” He also won the Lomb Medal, Krill Prize, Blavatnik Award, and other prizes bestowed by the Israeli Physics Society and the American Physical Society.

Israel’s research universities continue to stand strongly with those serving in the army, as well as their partners, and offer them and all Israelis assistance and support through a myriad of local and nationwide initiatives.

In order to support the community of students – which includes army reservists and their partners – as well as residents of the conflict zones who were evacuated from their homes, and families whose loved ones were murdered, kidnapped, or injured, the heads of the research universities have announced that the start of the academic year will be postponed until reservists start to be demobilized, and not earlier than December 24, 2023. The two weeks prior to the start date will be devoted to preparations and assistance with returning to a normal academic routine.

This message applies to the following seven research universities: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University, Bar-Ilan University, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa University, and Ariel University.

Different arrangements apply to the Weizmann Institute of Science and the Open University. Those institutions will communicate any relevant information directly to their students.

Following a request from the Ministry of Health, and in order to ensure continuity in Israel’s healthcare system, special arrangements will be made for medical students engaged in clinical studies.

Our goal is for the academic year to proceed as a complete year, with two full semesters. If necessary, the academic year will spill over into the summer. Specific decisions about the structure of the academic calendar will be made separately by each university.

Israel’s just and unavoidable response to the massacre of October 7^th spawned a wave of anti-Israel and antisemitic protests around the world. These vile reactions are based on denialism and false information about the horrible crimes committed by the Hamas terrorists against babies, children, adults and the elderly.

“Unfortunately,” says Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan, “faculty members from many universities in the West joined this wave, as did student organizations and professional associations. Given the feeble responses of quite a few presidents of leading universities in North America, Europe and Australia, many Jewish and Israeli students and researchers currently face physical and verbal threats that cause them to think twice about everything they do and prevent them from participating in academic activities in those institutions. As a result of this situation and given the Technion’s important role in the history of the Jewish People during the last 100 years, we have announced a program for the rapid integration of students and faculty members from around the world looking for an academic refuge during these difficult times.”

Last week, the Technion published a Call for Proposals inviting faculty and students from around the world to join the Technion and pursue their studies, teaching and research activities on the Technion’s campuses in Haifa.

Faculty members (all ranks) are invited to come to the Technion for a period of teaching and research.
Researchers with a PhD degree are invited to join Technion’s post-doctoral program under the guidance of Technion faculty or joint guidance with a mentor from their home institution.
Students are invited to join research projects in Technion’s labs under the guidance of Technion faculty for a period of two months to a year, by joining the Student Exchange or Study Abroad programs that offer a wide range of courses, mainly for graduate degrees. These courses are taught in English in numerous Technion faculties.
Suitable students are invited to apply for a full research degree (Master’s or PhD) under the guidance of Technion faculty or joint guidance with a mentor from their home institution.

The Technion has already received a number of inquiries from students and faculty interested in this opportunity.

“The Technion will continue to serve as a supportive and safe research university for everyone,” summarizes the President of the Technion, “and I invite undergraduate and graduate students and faculty from all over the world to join us during this difficult time, and to be part of our academic community at the forefront of global research and education.”

Right after the outbreak of the war, a “Give Help, Get Help” was established at the Technion to assist the Technion community and their families, the residents of Israel’s border towns, and the IDF soldiers. Dozens of initiatives now operate under this framework, in addition to a broad range of activities by ASAT volunteers. Here is a sampling of their activities:

Hosting on campus: Dozens of internally displaced people, families and individuals, are staying on campus. On their first Shabat dinner here, Technion President Uri Sivan was there to welcome them.

Taking care of Technion’s children: With schools closed, the Human Resources Department and the workers’ unions opened a daycare on campus for pre-school and primary school-aged children. The daycare was active until schools in Haifa reopened.

Also in Rambam: Students from the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine volunteered at the daycare center for workers’ children in Rambam Health Care Campus.

Everything you need: The Technion’s second-hand shop provides evacuees with everything they need, free of charge.

On the Home Front: Students from the Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering helped clear out bomb shelters in Nesher, as part of the “Shelter City” initiative. Students from the Wolfson Department of Chemical Engineering, led by the faculty dean, cleared shelters in Haifa.

Challah Engineering: Members of the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering rolled up their sleeves, quite literally, and set to baking 300 challahs (so far) for reserve servicemen.

Shabat shalom: Technion staff members baked challahs for the displaced families staying on campus.

Music helps: The Department of Public Affairs organized a musical meeting to offer the families staying on campus a relaxing afternoon.

Part of the blood drive: Students Sivan Schwartz and Nohar Marcus organized a large group of students to assist at blood donation points.

Shave and haircut: Yara Tzachen, the hairdresser at the ASAT hair salon, went out into the field to offer soldiers free haircuts.

Education goes on: Technion Youth Program Centre organized activities for children evacuated from southern border villages, who are now staying at the Dan Panorama hotel in Haifa.

Giving: Students from the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine organized a donation collection center for soldiers and for families from the Gaza Envelope.

Painting hope: children from the Na’amat preschool made large paintings, hung around the campus.

Nurseries needed: Faculty members from the Biotechnology and Food Engineering Faculty helped establish a nursery in Eilat for toddlers evacuated from the Gaza Envelope villages.

Fun Panorama: Technion volunteers organized activities for the displaced children staying at Dan Panorama hotel in Haifa.

Computing a way forward: computers were donated to displaced children.

Packed joy: Technion volunteers made packages of toys, books (donated by the central library), crafting materials, stationery, and more, for displaced families.

Just dance: Amnon Vilinger from the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Sapir, a SAP instructor, gave displaced families a dance lesson.

Bringing in the harvest: as the farming sector lacks working hands, hundreds of volunteers, students, faculty and staff, go out to help farmers bring in the harvest and prepare for new planting.

Packaged with love: many items have been donated, packed and sent to displaced families through ASAT’s donation center.

A room with a view: Technion workers helped clean and order rooms in the Lev Chash Association’s Home for Cancer Patients, to house now the families of the wounded.

Visiting the wounded: gift packages were prepared and given out in the Haifa hospitals.

One heart: various equipment has been collected and sent to soldiers, with the help of “One Heart” organization.

New classroom: thanks to a donation of 30 desks and 60 chairs from the School of Practical Engineering, a classroom was built for the displaced children housed in Dan Panorama hotel.

Comfort food: in the first days of the war, the businesses of the Student Union Building’s food gallery sent packaged meals to the assembly areas in the north and the south.

Laundry’s on us: ASAT provided displaced families staying on campus with cards for free use of all the washing and drying machines in campus dormitories.

Not a dull moment: ASAT organized afternoon activities for displaced children in the Student Union’s building.

Squeaky clean: “Give Help / Get Help” volunteers are doing the laundry for displaced families staying in hotels.

Staying with the children: “Give Help / Get Help” volunteers are also babysitting for reservists’ families.

For our soldiers at the front: a large group of academic reserves at the Technion volunteered to pack field rations, make bulletproof vests, and more.

For the soldiers: Human Resources Department sent gift packages to Technion students, faculty and staff called up for reserve service.

A big thank you to all of you! Your commitment is heartwarming. If we forgot an initiative, please email us and we’ll add it.

Thirty high school students who were forced to evacuate from their homes in northern Israel due to the current war recently arrived at the Technion for a week of academic studies and enrichment activities, and enjoyed a fulfilling experience on campus under full-board conditions. It is the first cycle of the Robophysics program offered by the Atidim NGO that was adapted to the current situation. The participants are 11^th and 12^th graders from schools in Kiryat Shmona, Shlomi and Kibbutz Dafna who were evacuated from their homes as a result of the fighting near the Lebanese border.

Prof. Idit Keidar, Dean of the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, told the participating students: “These are not the ideal conditions for learning, and it’s hard for all of us to concentrate these days, but I hope this program will give you a chance to take a break from the news and to gain important knowledge in an immersive and enriching manner. Graduates of the program receive academic credit points, and of course we would be delighted if you decide to continue your studies here in our Faculty as the result of the program.”

Robophysics is a scientific field that explores the physical principles of how robots move in the real world. The Technion’s program uses this field to teach software, hardware, artificial intelligence, physics, and other related fields, in an experimental and enjoyable way. The program is recognized by the Ministry of Education and Yale University in the U.S.

The Robophysics program was founded a decade ago by the entrepreneur Ofer Danino, who completed two degrees at the Technion (Electric and Computer Engineering, and Education in Science and Technology), and is sponsored by the Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering. When the current war broke out, the program’s management decided to make it accessible to students who were displaced from their homes. The Atidim NGO, which is devoted to maximizing the potential of the human capital in Israel’s geographic and social periphery, agreed to head the project.

According to Meital Shaked, director of the Atidim Youth program, “In just four days, Atidim and the Technion designed an emergency program in response to an urgent need affecting the population with which Atidim has been working for over 20 years. The ultimate goal is for outstanding students from communities that were evacuated to achieve their full potential with regards to their high school matriculation exams and the positions they will have in the army – despite the current crisis and the difficult situation we are all facing these days. The cohort we are currently hosting includes the maximum number of students – 30. In the next few days, we will finalize a second cycle, also consisting of evacuees from the north, and we are working on recruiting additional cycles that will also include students evacuated from communities near the Gaza Strip. The Technion has opened its heart and its campus, enabling the program’s participants to enjoy everything that this excellent institution has to offer, and we greatly appreciate this partnership. I have no doubt that we will continue to collaborate in the future.”

The program includes room and board, and 45 hours of study in classes and hands-on workshops, as well as various enrichment activities. Participants who receive a grade of 85 or above are eligible to receive an academic credit that is valid if they pursue a degree at the Faculty in the future, and will also count as 45% of their Physics matriculation grade. After their week at the Technion, participants receive long-term personal mentoring and a subsidy for the psychometric preparation course, until they matriculate and until they are drafted in the army. The special program takes place at t:hub, the Technion’s entrepreneurship and innovation center, during a period of six full days.

The Public Affairs and Resource Development (PARD) division, in collaboration with Technion Societies worldwide, has launched a vital mission: a fundraising campaign to support our students and staff mobilized for service, their families, and enhance the security infrastructure on our Haifa campuses. We stand proudly with our student soldiers, their families, and all the staff affected by this war, offering our unwavering support.

This assistance goes beyond financial aid; it signifies a collective outpouring of love, compassion, and unity. Your generous contribution to this emergency fund not only supports these exceptional students but also strengthens campus safety, renovates shelters and safe rooms, and provides essential equipment.

We are orchestrating a comprehensive range of support for our students, staff, and the entire Technion community. This includes immediate assistance, such as rent subsidies and food packages, along with counseling services for reservists, their partners, and all members of the Technion’s student body. Additionally, academic tutoring and emotional support are being provided to help everyone cope with the pressures they face. We are also offering essential economic support, through special grants, for students in need. To enhance the safety and security of our campus, we are hiring additional security personnel and supporting on-campus childcare services. Furthermore, we are proactively stocking campus bomb shelters with emergency provisions and allocating funds for immediate renovations of existing shelters.

Support this urgent campaign by making a tax-deductible gift through your local Technion Society:

American Technion Society (ATS)

Israel Friends of Technion

Technion Canada

Technion France

Schweizer Technion Gesellschaft

Technion UK

If your country is not listed here, or if you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly at laurag@technion.ac.il

Message to the Technion Community

The Technion administration has already communicated through every available platform its zero-tolerance policy for expressions of support for terrorism. In light of ongoing discussions on social media, we feel it is necessary to clarify this stance once again.

Immediately following the events of October 7, in response to posts suspected of endorsing terrorism, the Technion management issued a statement emphasizing the gravity with which it views such publications and has unequivocally stated to the campus and the public that it will not tolerate support for terrorism in any form. Simultaneously, it was clarified that the Technion would not conduct cursory trials, and that each complaint received would be rigorously scrutinized.

A special team, appointed by the President of the Technion, diligently reviewed the complaints filed against 46 students. Among these, approximately one-fourth did not pertain to Technion personnel at all, and some even included false allegations. Four complaints were forwarded to the Disciplinary Court for Students for indictments.

On Thursday, October 26, the court issued an interim injunction ordering the temporary suspension and expulsion from the Technion campus of a particular student, pending a final verdict.

While we do not underestimate the severity of the issue, it is important to note that these are isolated cases. The number of such incidents at the Technion is comparable to figures from other universities in Israel.

Regrettably, the repeated posting on social media of the same recycled presentation—lacking any new or verified information—serves ulterior motives. The aim of these publications is to exploit the current pain and anxiety we are all experiencing, thereby deepening societal and campus divisions.

We urge everyone to exercise patience during these challenging times. We encourage you to uphold the values that have guided the Technion for a century and to preserve the harmonious coexistence we share at the Technion, in the city of Haifa, and in the State of Israel.

Technion Administration

Dear Colleagues,

We, the leaders of Israeli universities and research institutions, write to express deep concern over the discourse emanating from academia following the devastating Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 and the inadequate response, in many cases, by academic leadership.

On that darkest of days, in a tragedy unprecedented in Israel’s 75-year history, the Hamas terrorists infiltrated into the country and murdered more than 1,400 people, including infants, children, students, and senior citizens —Jewish, Muslim, and Christian alike. The attack also included the abduction of 240 civilians of all ages into Gaza; additional missing persons have not yet been identified and accounted for. In the aftermath of these horrific events, we find it disturbing that certain narratives from academic institutions misrepresent the situation, or, in the worst cases, actively target Israelis and Jews.

We find ourselves facing a war on two fronts: one against the atrocities of Hamas, and another in the global arena of public opinion. Regrettably, we have noticed an alarming trend in which Israel, despite its right to self-defense, is mischaracterized as an oppressor. This is a false equivalence between the actions of a murderous terrorist organization and a sovereign state’s right to defend its citizens, which unfortunately results in the loss of innocent Palestinian lives. Any attempt to justify or equivocate Hamas’s brutal and grotesque actions is intellectually and morally indefensible.

It’s unsettling to note that many college campuses have become breeding grounds for anti-Israel and anti-Semitic sentiments, largely fueled by a naïve and biased understanding of the conflict. It is ironic that the very halls of enlightenment in America and Europe, ostensibly the bastions of intellectual and progressive thought that are your campuses, have adopted Hamas as the cause célèbre while Israel is demonized. Universities, as hubs of enlightenment and rational discourse, must take responsibility for the views they perpetuate.

There is no moral equivalency here. Let’s be clear: Hamas shares no values with any Western academic institution. Hamas is an organization that has repeatedly pledged to annihilate Israel and its people.

Its ideology is antithetical to the values of human life and the liberal values we hold dear. Hamas funnels international aid into armament rather than to the welfare of its citizens. While Israel uses its weapons to shield its citizens, Hamas uses its citizens as shields for its weapons—which it hides in hospitals, schools, and mosques. It is crucial to distinguish between Hamas’ terrorist objectives and the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for statehood. The conflation of the two only serves to fuel hatred and ignorance.

Academic institutions stand as lighthouses in the intellectual landscape, and we ask you to illuminate them. Your roles as leaders of these institutions confer upon you an extraordinary responsibility: to guide the moral and ethical development of your students, to imbue them with the ability to think critically and to discern the nuances that separate right from wrong. Freedom of speech is a cornerstone of academic freedom, but it should not be manipulated to legitimize hate speech or to justify violence.

We urge you to delineate the boundaries between constructive discourse and destructive propaganda, and promote evidence-based, nuanced thinking that challenges simplistic narratives. Expose the falsity of justifications for acts of terror; expose and condemn disingenuous statements; and reject hypocritical voices that justify murder, rape, and destruction in the name of “resistance”.

Moreover, we expect that Israeli and Jewish students and faculty on university and college campuses will be accorded the same respect and protections as any other minority. The principles of inclusivity and campus safety must unequivocally extend to include Israeli and Jewish members of your academic communities. Just as it would be unthinkable for an academic institution to extend free speech protections to groups targeting other protected classes, so too should demonstrations that call for our destruction and glorify violence against Jews be explicitly prohibited and condemned.

What the world witnessed on October 7 were not methods to help disadvantaged peoples build better futures for themselves. The events of this terrible day should be taken as a wake-up call to all of the dangers of nihilistic organizations like Hamas and ISIS that represent the very opposite of freedom and liberty.

As leaders of Israeli universities, we have been heartened by clear statements of solidary and support for Israel, which are, at their heart, statements in solidary with humanity, enlightenment, and progress. At the same time, we are calling for a sea change in clarity and truth in academia on the matter of Israel’s war against Hamas, so that light will triumph over dark, now and always.

Signed,

Prof. Arie Zaban, President of Bar-Ilan University.

Chairperson of Association of University Heads – VERA

Prof. Daniel A. Chamovitz, President of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Prof. Alon Chen, President of Weizmann Institute of Science

Prof. Asher Cohen, President of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Prof. Leo Corry, President of the Open University of Israel

Prof. Ehud Grossman, President of Ariel University

Prof. Ariel Porat, President of Tel-Aviv University

Prof. Ron Robin, President of University of Haifa

Prof. Uri Sivan, President of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology

The Technion published yesterday an updated outline for rent payment in the dorms. This update aims to make things easier for dormitory residents, and in particular those who have been called up for reserve service. The update includes a full waiver for November rent to students called up for reserve service and their partners. Additionally, Students who have confirmed their residency status by 26.10.23, and do not currently live in the dorms, can return their room/apartment key, evacuate their residence, and will not be charged for November. The empty rooms/apartments will serve for housing families evacuated from the North or South of Israel. Students’ entitlement to the dorms will be kept until the beginning of the academic year. For full benefits list, see >> https://dean.technion.ac.il/en/