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1
SERIES of
mysterious green
lettersand
red numbers cover the whiteboard in Dr.
Ido Amit's officeat the Weizmann Institute
of Science.The scribbleson the board are
breakthrough
thatcould leadto leukemia
cure, he tellsThe Jerusalem
Report.
His research into
mapping
the
regions
in
the
genome
that
produce
blood cellsit illbe
published
soon in
prestigious
scientific
journal, says
Am it,who envisions future
inwhich
physicians
willtailor individualized
treatments fordiseasesbased on
person's
genetic makeup.
"We think we have solved
bigpiece
of
the
puzzle
of the
development process
of
bloodcells," the
soft-spoken
scientist
says
in
matter-of-fact tone.
Amit is
among
small but
growing
cadre
of
young
Israeliscientistswho are
returning
home after their
post-doctoral training
at
prestigious
institutions abroad,
signaling
measure of success of
government
efforts
to reverse the braindrain.Over 000,1 have
returned in the
past
three
years. Many
more would liketo return, but there are not
FOR ALL THE GOODWILL
AND EFFORTS TO BRING
BACK YOUNG SCIENTISTS,
ISRAELI ACADEMIA IS
TOO SMALL
enoughpositions,
Itissaidthatthereisnot labat Harvard and
the Massachusetts Instituteof
Technology
thatdoesn'thave an Israeli researcher
working
in it.When scientists heralded "whole new
era" in
physics
in March with the detection
of
"primordial gravitational
waves" the
firsttremors (ifthe
bigbang,
Israeli Channel
10 television
evening
news had no trouble
fi
nding
an
expert
scientist to interview.
They
calledthe chairman of Harvard's
astronomydepartment,
Dr. Abraham Loeb,
who
happens
to be Israeli and could
explain
the
complicated
sciencein
plain
Hebrew.
Israeliscientists who leftforthe US decades
ago
are not
likely
to return,butthe
government
is
hoping
to lureback
young
scientists who
are
just
now
completing
their
post-doctoral
studiesintheUS.
"The trendshave
changed
from the
past
decade and we see an
amazingflourishing
of
young
scientists who want to return and
great
science
being
done
by
those who have
recently
returned."Dr. Liat Maoz, director
of the Unit for
Projects
in
Planning
and
Budgeting
attheCouncil
ofHigher
Education
(CHE)
relatesto The
Report.
She herself
completed
herdoctoratein
physics
at Harvard
Tin
University
and chose to return to Israel
very optimistic
that lotof
bright
new
people
willcome intothe
system.
In variousfields
Israelis
becoming majorglobal
academic
researchcenter."
Maoz coordinatesthe IsraeliCenters for
Research Excellence
(I-CORE),
founded
by
CHE in 2010 with total
budget
of NIS
675 million
591$( million)
for five
years.
I-CORE funds 16 researchcenters across
scientific
disciplines
in universities,
colleges.
hospitals
and research institutes. Each new
2
recruit receives
start-up grant
and an annual
research
grant
forfive
years.
These centers
have
alre.idy
assisted58
returning
scientists,
ineludingAmit.
"Theselaresmallnumbers. I-CORE isnot
supposed!
to
bring
the masses" Maoz
says.
"The
map
object
isto buildconditionsthat
the best Israeli researchersfrom around the
world can come back and continue to do
world-classresearchwithout
compromising."
After
completingpost-doc,
Amit didn't
bother to
apply
for
positions
in the US even
though
he could have
easily
secured
post
at one of the
top
universities. His work
has
already
attractedattention. In ,9002
scientific|journal
calledhis researchon new
regulator^
circuitsthatcontrolthe immune
system
scientific
breakthrough.
"My wife
said,'No
way, forget
it.Afterfour
years
want to
go
back.'Itdidn'tcross
my
mind to
dtay
inAmerica even
thoughyou
can
get
mudi more
money,
fame and
glory,"
he
says.
"Itwasn't real
option."
His
parents
live
on kibbutzand hiswife'sfatheris
high-
ranking
ffficer
intheIsraelAir Force
He
says
that had he
stayed
in the US,
he would have had betterconditionsand
resources, butasks,"Would have
enjoyed
it
more? doubt it."
There was no infrastructure at Weizmann's
ImmunologyDepartment
for the kind of
research he conductsand he had to
apply
for
grants
to set
up
hisstate-of-the-art S5 million
lab.Justone
piece
of
equipment
thathe needs
costs 1$million.But thereare
advantages
to
being
inIsrael.
"Here we have
very bright
studentswho
think outsidethe box" he
says.
"Just last
week, we had
publication
in one of the
top
threescience
journals."
AMIT DID his
four-year post-doc
at the
prestigiotis
Broad Instittite in
Cambridge.
Massachusetts, biomedical and
genomic
research center affiliatedwith MIT and
Harvard.The directorof the Broad likesto
joke
that
English
isthesecond most
prevalent
language
in the corridorsof the hallowed
11stitution, Hebrew
being
thefirst.
The not so
funnypunch
lineisthatabout 29
Dr.lianaKolodkin-Gal
(left and
above),
an I-CORE recruit at Weizmann, has made
major
discoveriesin two areas of
microbiology
percent
of Israeli scientists do theirresearchin
theUS and in
liurope.
the
highest
rate of brain
draininthe West, and one the
government
is
strtiggling
to reverse. This isan increaseover
the
figuresjust
four
years ago
when therewere
25 Israeliacademics
working
in the United
Statesfor
every
100 in Israel.
according
to
reportrecently published by
the Taub Center
forSocial
Policy
Studies in Israel.
Israelis have no
problemgetting positions
Israelishave

at
top
universitiesin the US
fantastic
reputation. They
are considered
among
the best studentsand are much in
demand,"
says
Israeli Prof.Nahum
Sonenberg,
who heads researchlabat McGill
University
in Montreal,where he discovered
important
mechanisms that control the
development
of
proteins
in human cells.In ,9791 after
3
completing
his
post-doctoral
work in the US.
he and hiswife
purchased
220-voItelectrical
appliances
in
preparation
fortheirreturn to
Israel,but his alma mater, the Weizmann
Institute.didn't offer him tenure track
position.
The
couple
headed to Montreal
forwhat
theyhoped
would be
temporary
sojourn.
"You think to
stayonly year
or two and do
some
good
scienceand
get
better
position
in
Israel. but inertia takesover,"he
says.
Sonenberg.
.76 will return to Israelthis
May
to receive the
prestigious
Wolf Prize.
About one out ofthreeWolfPrize laureatesin
chemistry. physics
and medicine have
gone
on
to /Vlc/ic iiic \oivl
don't think there is lab at MIT or

Harvard
$1ST$Harvard$1ST$
$2ND$Harvard$2ND$ that doesn't have an Israeli,"
says
Shmuel Hess. co-founder of BioAbroad,
private. non-profit organization
that aims
to connect the
expatriate
Israeliscientific
community
with
industry.
academia and
the healthcare
system
in Israel. With 001,1
members and 18
regional
centers in the US,
BioAbroad
organizes holiday
activities for
homesick
expatriates.
conferences. and
employment
fairs. and offerstravel
grants
for
job
interviews,
SCHRAGA SCHWARTZ, ,23 is one of the
Israelisat the Broad Institutenow in the
last
year
of his
four-year post-doctoral
in
molecular
biology. Havingjustpublished
paper
in
prestigious
scientific
journal,
he is
optimistic
thathe willbe ableto
get
tenure-
track
position
at an Israeli
university
and
lab of his own to continue his research in
chemical modificationinRNA.
Ev
ery
two weeks, he attends forum
of about 20 Israeli
biologypost-docs
at
Harv ard and MIT. who discusstheirresearch.
Recently.
he flew,all
expenses paid,
to
large
scientific conference in Eilat.His
flight.
as
well as the
transportation expenses
of 45
other Israeli
post-docs.
was
paid
for
by
the
Israel
Academy
of Sciences and Humanities
(LASH).
one of the
organizations trying
to
bring
Israeliscientistsback home. Besides
attending
lectures,the
post-docs
networked
and met with
presidents
of Israeliuniversities.
"Itwas
greatopportunity
to form tiesfor
when
apply
for
job
in Israeland I'll
apply
allover the
place."
he
says.
For allthe
good
will and effortsto
bring
back its
young
scientists, Israeliacademia is
too small."We don'thave room for
everyone,"
says
Prof. Israel
Bar-Joseph,
vice
president
of resource
development
at the Weizmann
Institute."At the end of the
day.
more
go
abroad than can return."
One of the
lucky
ones is Lilac Amirav.
who did her
post-doctoral
work at
Berkeley.
She has her own lab at the Technion-Israel
Instituteof
Technology
as
part
of l-CORH's
Solar Fuel Consortium. where she is
using
nanotechnology
to research
ways
to create
new. renew able fuel.
YOUNG ISRAELI
SCIENTISTS GET 10
TIMES MORE GRANTS
FROM THE EUROPEAN
RESEARCH COUNCIL
THAN THEIR EUROPEAN
COUNTERPARTS
Of thescientists who have returnedto Israel
in recent
years,
about 100 are in the fieldof
nanotechnology, according
to the Israel
National
Nanotechnology
Initiative, which
held itsfourthannual international conference
inTelAviv.inlateMarch.
Amirav and herhusband.also scientist, felt
that
they
had
stayed
in the US
any longer.
itwould have become
permanent.
"After
certaintime
yoti
want to establishroots,"
she
says.
"What
changed
forus was when
gotpregnant
and our firstson was born. We
knew we want to raisehim in Israelwith his
grandparents.
unclesand inour culture.have
many
friends who are
struggling
with the
same situation.
Theyreally
ant to
go
back to
Israel but
they
also
really
want to do research"
There is listof 006.2 Israeliscientists
working
abroad interestedin
returning.
who
have
registered
online at the IASH Contact
Center. The Center. establishedin .7002
collects
up-to-date
informationon available
positions
to send
by
e-mail to researchersin
the relevant
professional
fields.
Other countriessufferbrain drain.btittor
Israelitcan be an existential threat.witness
the
importance
of scientific
breakthrough
in missiledefense
technology,
such as Iron
Dome. which has been
protecting
citizens
from missileslaunched from Gaza.
Israeli academicians have
long
been
warning
thattheseriousattrition coulderode
the intellectual and creativeculturethathas
catapulted
the
country
to the
cutting edge
of hi-techand science.
They
claim thatthe
success of Israeli scientists. who have won six
Nobel Prizesin the lastdecade.is testament
to the
strong
education of the
earlyyears
when Israelbuilt
top-notch
universities that
competed
with the world'sfinest.
There istalkof lostdecade
up
until ,0102
in which the number of
colleges
and students
increased
dramatically.
but
budgets
decreased
inabsoluteterms and
retiring professors
were
not
replaced.
The
country's top
universities
have fewer senior
faculty positions today
than
they
did fotirdecades
ago. according
to the
Taub Center
report.
Since ,3791 thenumber of
students
per professor
has more thandoubled,
and universities hav
increasingly
outsourced
the
teaching
to non-research. external
lecturers.
But
things
are not all
gloom
and doom, at
leastnot
according
to Prof.
Bar-Joseph.
"When we talkabout braindrain,
you
hear
tone of
despair
and sadness.We hear in
the news about the
good
old
days
when Ada
Yonath and other Nobel Prize winners did
theirscience and that those
days
are over,
and we are doomed to
mediocrity,"
he tells
The
Report
inan interviewinhisofficeat the
Weizmann Institute's
camptis
in Rehovot
The bottom lineisthatan
amazingthing
is
'
happening
inIsrael. There is new
generation
'/0 scientists who are excellent, better
exposed
to state-of-the art science,and come from the
best
places equipped
with skillsand know-
how. Ifllook at the
young generation
thathave
entered the
gates
of the Weizmann Institute.
they
are
amazing.
We have
outstanding
people
and theresults willcome."
One '10 those
outstanding young
scientists
is Dr. liana Kolodkin-(ial.The assistant
professor
is
busy
at her
computerapplying
for
yet
another research
grant
when
interrupted
by reporter.Young
Israeliscientists
get
10 times more
grants
from the
European
Research Council than their
European
counterparts.
While the
European
success
rate issix out of 100 who
applv.
the Israeli
success rate is60
percent.
Israelisthe third
country
in the number of
grants
in absolute
numbers.
Only
Great Britainand
Germany
receivemore.
KOLODKIN-GAL, .33 also new I-CORE
recruit, has
already
made
major
discoveries
in two areas of
microbiology. identifying
key
factors in the
process
of
programmed
cell death that can cause bacteria to self-
destruct. Her studies have shown that
bacteria
appear
to exhibit
previously
unsuspected
levels of
group
behavior.
"something
like kibbutz." and she has
four
patents
to her name.
She did her
post-doc
at Harvard.
During
4
Kolodkin-Gal is
researching key
factorsin the
process
of
programmed
celldeath, which can cause bacteriato self-destruct
her last
year.
she received an offer from
Rockefeller
University
in New York
without even
applying
and asked her
professor
to
politely
decline in her name.
Staying
in the US was not an
option.
"I was committed to Israel. feel that
science is mission if it'sdone in Israel
where can raise future
generations
of
young
scientists. In the US, itwould not
mean as much to me," she
says.
The Weizmann Institutehas recruited
80
young
scientistsin the
past
seven
years, virtually replacing
third of the
250-member academic staff.
"Each of those
people
who have
joined
us
had
competing
offerfrom
leading places:
I'm
talking
Harvard, MIT, Cal Tech,"
says
Bar-Joseph.
"The world is
becoming
flat
and the
competition
for talent is intense.
Those
people
did not choose us as last
resort. The
party
is not over. We are
building
an even nicer
party
with
great
scientists who are bettertrainedand better
equipped.
At the Weizmann Institute,we
try
to
pick
the bestand the
brightest."
It doesn't
always
work and Weizmann
officialsare the firstto admit that
they
made mistakes inthe
past.
When Prime Minister
Benjamin
Netanyahu
wanted to calllastOctober to
congratulate
the two Israeliwinners of
the 2013 Nobel Prizein
chemistry,
he had
to dial
long
distance.The two
professors,
Michael Levitt and Arieh Warshel, had
done their
groundbreaking
research at the
Weizmann Institutebut had
long
since
departed
fortheUS. Warshel wasn't offered
position
some 40
years ago.
"Itwas
wrong
decision, failureof the
system," says Bar-Joseph.
"He didn't
get
tenure, and he had to leave.But let'slook
at the
good
news. The work forwhich
they
got
the Nobel Prize iswork
they
did here.
Since no scientific
discovery
is done in
vacuum,
they
worked under theirmentor
and others.We are
doing
Nobel Prize
quality
researchhere."
Warshel and his co-winner. Michael
Levitt, visited Israel
togetherrecently
and
appeared
before Knesset Education
Committee.
"Science is international,"Warshel told
members of the committee. "You can't do
thingsanymore
the
way things
were done
in the kibbutz when those who leftto
study
had to commit to
returning
two
years
for
every year
of education."
Levitt,who left tenured
position
at the
Weizmann Instituteto teach at Stanford
University, agreed.
"Israelis bit like
small childwho wants to do
things
his
way,"
he said."It'sabout time thatwe understand
that we are
part
of the world and we can
see Israel's
presence
in the whole world as
something positive."
That
may
be the case, but
undoubtedly
\c:.;!:\ //;//. uouid pivkt his next
congratulatory
call to an IsraeliNobel
laureateto be localcall
5