Wolf Prize, 39, Hama´apilim Street, Herzliya (2026)

07/09/2026

Wolf Prize Laureates meet the next generation:
Great discoveries don't end with the people who make them.
They inspire the people who come next.
During their visit last June, Wolf Prize Laureates met with students and young scientists across fields including mathematics, physics, chemistry, and more.
These encounters brought together some of the world's most accomplished researchers with a generation just beginning to ask its own big questions. They shared ideas, discussed their work, and offered students a rare opportunity to engage directly with scientists whose discoveries have helped shape their fields.

For the Wolf Prize, celebrating excellence is also about what that excellence can inspire.

Because today's students, researchers, and curious minds may well be the ones behind tomorrow's breakthroughs.

02/09/2026

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝗳𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗫 𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗫-𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀?
In 1961, Dr. Mary Frances Lyon proposed a simple yet revolutionary answer. She discovered that in every female mammal, one of the two X chromosomes is randomly switched off in each cell during early development. Some cells keep the mother's X chromosome active, while others keep the father's. This process, now known as X-chromosome inactivation or Lyonization, ensures that males and females produce similar amounts of proteins from X-linked genes.
What began as a one-page scientific paper soon became one of the fundamental principles of modern genetics. Today, Lyon's discovery helps scientists understand why certain genetic diseases affect people differently, explains unique traits such as the patchwork coat colors of calico cats, and continues to shape research in genetics, developmental biology, and medicine.
Dr. Mary Frances Lyon was awarded the Wolf Prize for a discovery that changed our understanding of how genes are regulated and expressed in every cell of the body

31/08/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆?
In 1995, Didier Queloz and Michel Mayor discovered 51 Pegasi b, the first known planet orbiting a Sun-like star beyond our Solar System.

And it was nothing like scientists expected.

51 Pegasi b is a giant planet comparable in scale to Jupiter, but while Jupiter takes almost 12 years to orbit the Sun, this distant world races around its star in just 4.2 days.
Its existence challenged established ideas about how planetary systems form and evolve. More importantly, the discovery proved that planets around other Sun-like stars could actually be detected, opening an entirely new field of astronomical exploration.
Since then, thousands of exoplanets have been discovered, revealing an astonishing variety of worlds and planetary systems very different from our own.
Every new one brings us a little closer to answering some of astronomy's biggest questions: How common are planetary systems? How unusual is our own? And what else might be out there?
For the first discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star, Didier Queloz and Michel Mayor were awarded the Wolf Prize in Physics.

24/08/2026

𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱’𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗴𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿?
Towering over museum entrances in cities such as Bilbao, London, and Ottawa, Louise Bourgeois’ monumental spider sculptures have become some of the most recognizable works of contemporary art.
Although they may appear intimidating, Bourgeois saw the spider as a symbol of intelligence, protection, and care.
It was also deeply personal: the sculptures paid tribute to her mother, who worked as a tapestry restorer and whom Bourgeois associated with the patience and skill of a weaver.
Throughout a career that spanned nearly seven decades, Bourgeois continually reinvented sculpture, drawing, printmaking, and installation.
Her deeply personal works explored universal themes of family, identity, memory, and emotion, influencing generations of artists around the world.
For her groundbreaking contribution to contemporary art, Louise Bourgeois was awarded the 2002/2003 Wolf Prize in Arts.

17/08/2026

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱?
Some of the fastest events in nature happen inside atoms, where electrons move so quickly that they were once thought to be impossible to observe in real time.
Anne L’Huillier helped change that.
Her pioneering research laid the foundation for attosecond physics, a field that uses extremely short laser pulses to observe the motion of electrons. An attosecond is one quintillionth of a second (0.000000000000000001 seconds), making these the shortest light pulses ever created.
L’Huillier was among the first scientists to demonstrate the process that generates these ultrafast pulses and played a key role in explaining how they work. Her discoveries opened the door to watching electrons move in real time, giving scientists an entirely new way to explore the building blocks of matter.
For these groundbreaking contributions to ultrafast laser science and attosecond physics, Anne L’Huillier was awarded the 2022 Wolf Prize in Physics.

13/08/2026

Looking back at the unforgettable moments from this past June's Wolf Prize Ceremony!
The achievements of this remarkable group of Wolf Prize laureates remind us that curiosity, creativity, and perseverance can shape the future and improve lives around the world.
Congratulations to all the laureates, we are proud to celebrate your remarkable achievements and lasting impact.

10/08/2026

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁?
Protecting crops from pests is essential for feeding the world, but doing it safely requires understanding exactly how pesticides work.
For decades, John E. Casida uncovered how insecticides interact with insects at the molecular level, revealing why some compounds are effective, how resistance develops, and how new pesticides can be designed to target pests more precisely while reducing unnecessary risks.
His discoveries became the scientific foundation for developing safer and more effective crop protection products. Beyond agriculture, his research also deepened our understanding of how nerves and muscles function in insects, influencing fields ranging from toxicology to biochemistry.
With more than 500 scientific publications and 26 patents, Casida's work has shaped
modern pesticide science and continues to guide researchers around the world.
For pioneering studies on the mode of action of insecticides, the development of safer pesticides, and advancing our understanding of insect nerve and muscle function, John E. Casida was awarded the 1993 Wolf Prize in Agriculture.

03/08/2026

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹, 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟭𝟵𝟲𝟬𝘀, 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗻𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀.

Using X-ray crystallography, scientist and chemist David M. Blow solved the three-dimensional structure of chymotrypsin, one of the first enzymes ever mapped in atomic detail. His work showed how enzymes bind to molecules and speed up chemical reactions, providing scientists with an entirely new understanding of how they function.

Beyond this breakthrough, Blow pioneered techniques that became the foundation of modern protein crystallography, helping researchers determine the structures of countless proteins that are essential to biology and medicine.

For these groundbreaking contributions to protein X-ray crystallography and to understanding how enzymes work, David M. Blow was awarded the 1987 Wolf Prize in Chemistry, together with David Phillips.

27/07/2026

Long before computers could simulate hurricanes or predict ocean currents, Jean Leray was developing the mathematics that made it possible.

Awarded the 1979 Wolf Prize in Mathematics, Leray transformed the way mathematicians study motion, change, and complex systems.

His pioneering work on the mathematics of fluid mechanics laid the foundation for understanding how liquids and gases behave. Today, the same principles help scientists model everything from weather patterns and ocean currents to aircraft design and blood flow through the human body.

But Leray's influence didn't stop there. He developed entirely new mathematical tools that reshaped fields such as algebraic topology and differential equations, giving generations of researchers new ways to tackle problems once thought impossible.

Rather than solving a single question, Jean Leray changed the language of mathematics itself—creating ideas that continue to drive discoveries across science and engineering decades later.

20/07/2026

𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.
That simple idea shaped the work of Fumihiko Maki, Wolf Prize Laureate in Architecture (1988), and made him one of Japan's most influential architects.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium is a perfect example. Rather than designing an iconic building that demands attention, Maki created a space that feels naturally connected to the city around it. Its sweeping steel roof appears to float above the arena, while its elegant curves and open public spaces invite people in instead of overwhelming them.

Throughout his career, Maki believed great architecture should enrich everyday life. His buildings don't shout—they quietly transform the way people experience a city.

More than three decades after its completion, the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium remains a landmark not because it's the loudest building in Tokyo, but because it proves that timeless architecture is built on clarity, balance, and a deep understanding of the people who use it.
Fumihiko Maki - Wolf Prize Laureate in Architecture, 1988

Wolf Prize

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