HU Celebrates Another Season of Outstanding Achievements in Science, Scholarship, and Innovation

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) marked a significant year of global recognition, groundbreaking research, distinguished awards, and entrepreneurial success as faculty, alumni, and affiliated innovators earned various prestigious honors.

Nobel Prize for HU Alumnus Joel Mokyr

In October, Hebrew University proudly congratulated alumnus Prof. Joel Mokyr on winning the 2025 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Prof. Mokyr, an American-Israeli economic historian and HU graduate who completed his B.A. with honors in Economics and History, was recognized “for having identified the prerequisites for sustained growth through technological progress.” He shared the award with Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt, whose collective work has deepened global understanding of the mechanisms driving innovation and long-term economic growth. HU President Prof. Tamir Sheafer noted that this achievement reinforces the University’s legacy of academic excellence and its historic role in nurturing leading thinkers in the social sciences.

European Research Council (ERC) Honors HU Researchers Across Disciplines

Continuing its strong tradition of excellence in research, Hebrew University researchers secured several competitive ERC grants in 2025:

Dr. Anat Arzi and Dr. Ariel Goldstein received ERC Starting Grants for pioneering work in brain and language sciences. Dr. Arzi’s project examines the dynamics of brain activity that underlie responsiveness across varying states of consciousness, while Dr. Goldstein investigates how the human brain plans speech, selects words, and generates meaningful communication during conversation.

Professors Ori Katz and Devorah Manekin were awarded ERC Consolidator Grants to support the establishment of independent research programs. Prof. Katz’s innovative imaging research has implications for biomedical and remote sensing technologies, and Prof. Manekin’s social science project examines the effects of political polarization on nonviolent resistance and democratic movements.