Highest Honor to Prof. Lavie

Prof. Peretz Lavie, former President of the Technion and expert in sleep research, received the highest honor: Commander of the French Order of Academic Palms

Prof. Peretz Lavie, former President of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, was on September 6th bestowed with the highest honor of the French Order of Academic Palms (Ordre des Palmes Académiques). The Order, founded by Napoleon in 1808, is conferred upon prominent figures from academia and the worlds of culture and education for academic excellence and significant contributions to science, education and the academic world.

His Excellency, the French Ambassador to Israel, Eric Danon, conferring the commander necklet upon Prof. Peretz Lavie

His Excellency, the French Ambassador to Israel, Eric Danon, conferring the commander necklet upon Prof. Peretz Lavie

The moving ceremony was held at the Tel Aviv residence of His Excellency, the French ambassador to Israel Eric Danon and his wife Marie-Christine Dupuy-Danon. The ambassador conferred the honor upon Prof. Lavie for his contribution to the spread of scientific knowledge around the world and his involvement in French-Israeli collaborations that influenced the course of the modern history of the two countries.

His Excellency, the French Ambassador to Israel, Eric Danon

His Excellency, the French Ambassador to Israel, Eric Danon

Prof. Lavie, a world-renowned expert in sleep research, is an entrepreneur and one of the founders of Itamar Medical and other biomedical engineering companies. Before his appointment as President of the Technion, he served in other Technion senior positions, including Dean of the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Vice President for Public Relations and Resource Development.

In 2015, while serving as President of the Technion, Prof. Lavie was appointed chairman of the Committee of University Heads. Over the years, he has been a consultant and global expert in the field of sleep and was involved in several significant public decisions, including the cancellation of the early-morning “zero hour” classes in elementary schools, the introduction of Daylight Saving Time, the extension of the minimum sleep time in the Israel Defense Forces and the “Quiet Wave” radio station during the first Gulf War 31 years ago.

Prof. Peretz Lavie

Prof. Peretz Lavie

Prof. Lavie currently serves as chairman of the Israel Friends of the Technion and of the National Council for Civil Research and Development.