Technion Professors Elected to Israel Academy

The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the foremost body in Israel’s scientific community, elected eight new members yesterday, including two Technion researchers: Prof. Ashraf Brik from the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry and Prof. Michael (Miki) Elad from the Taub Faculty of Computer Science. They will join the Academy during a festive ceremony in December 2024. With the addition of Prof. Brik and Prof. Elad, the Academy will have 154 members.

Prof. Ashraf Brik

Prof. Brik specializes in biological chemistry and develops innovative methods for the synthesis of proteins with unique characteristics, such as those that have undergone post-translational modifications. These proteins are used in structural, biochemical, biophysical, and functional analyses and in understanding their roles in various diseases, as well as in developing innovative treatments for these diseases. Prof. Brik has received many awards, including the Humboldt Prize (Germany), the Hirata Award (Japan), the Tetrahedron Young Investigator Award, and an ERC Advanced Grant. In June, he will receive the Rappaport Prize for Excellence in Biomedical Research for 2024 in the Senior Researcher category.

Prof. Miki Elad

Prof. Elad specializes in signal and image processing and computational learning, continuously bridging deep theoretical and mathematical analysis with practical applications. His research has revolutionized digital information processing through the development of groundbreaking tools and algorithms based on sparse representations and advanced artificial intelligence techniques. He has received numerous accolades, including the Weizmann Prize for Exact Sciences, the Henry Taub Prize for Academic Excellence, the Yanai Prize for Excellence in Academic Education, and an ERC Advanced Grant amounting to approximately 2.5 million euros, awarded to leading researchers with unprecedented achievements in the past decade. He is a fellow of the international societies the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM). In September, he will receive the 2024 Rothschild Prize from Yad Hanadiv.

The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities was established in 1961 to bring together Israel’s top scientists for the purpose of fostering and promoting science in the country. To fulfill its mission, the Academy advises the government on actions related to research and scientific planning of national importance, publishes works that advance science, and maintains active connections with the international scientific community. The Academy is divided into two divisions: the Division of Natural Sciences and the Division of Humanities.