Sergey N. Semenov, Uri Ben-David, and Paz Beniamini will each be awarded US$100,000 for their groundbreaking scientific research taking place in Israel
Jerusalem, May 5, 2026 – The Blavatnik Family Foundation, the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities and The New York Academy of Sciences announced today the Laureates of the 2024 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in Israel. Each Laureate will receive US$100,000 in prize money. The three 2026 Laureates are:
Chemical Sciences Laureate
Sergey N. Semenov, PhD, a chemist at the Weizmann Institute of Science, studies how simple chemicals can be designed to create complex, life-like behavior, generating rhythms, patterns, and materials that change shape on their own. By uncovering new ways to “program” matter to organize itself, his research is advancing smarter, adaptive materials and deepening our understanding of how complexity emerges in nature.
Life Sciences Laureate
Uri Ben-David, PhD, a cancer biologist at Tel Aviv University, investigates how cancer cells survive despite having abnormal numbers of chromosomes, a condition known as aneuploidy. Using advanced tools to model cancer, his work reveals how these changes drive tumor growth and drug resistance. He has also identified key vulnerabilities, such as the KIF18A gene, which is now being targeted in clinical trials, potentially laying the foundation for more precise cancer treatments.
Physical Sciences & Engineering Laureate
Paz Beniamini, PhD, an astrophysicist at the Open University of Israel, studies extreme cosmic events like stellar explosions, collisions, and radiation bursts. Combining theoretical models with innovative observations, his work explains astrophysical phenomena including gravitational waves, cosmic merges, and how jets of materials move through space. His research is advancing our understanding of the universe’s most energetic events. He is the first Blavatnik Awards Laureate from the Open University.
The Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in Israel are the largest unrestricted prizes available to scientists across Israel aged 42 or younger. Now in their ninth year in Israel, the Blavatnik Awards recognize research with the potential to transform lives, advance scientific understanding, and address global challenges across disciplines. The 2026 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in Israel will be conferred at a ceremony held at the Peres Center for Peace & Innovation in Tel Aviv-Jaffa in June 2026.
“Israel’s leadership in scientific discovery and technological innovation has never been more evident or important,” said Len Blavatnik, Founder of Access Industries and Head of the Blavatnik Family Foundation. “These remarkable young scientists embody the brilliance, creativity, and ingenuity essential for both the advancement of science and Israel’s continued prosperity and strength. We are proud to recognize their achievements and future promise.”
Professor Nicholas B. Dirks, President and CEO of The New York Academy of Sciences, said, “The 2026 Blavatnik Awards in Israel Laureates are an impressive group of scientific pioneers in chemistry, cancer biology, and cosmology. We are especially excited to welcome our first Laureate from the Open University in Israel, who also happens to be the first astrophysicist to be honored by the Blavatnik Awards in Israel. Congratulations to these young scientists who are advancing science and improving lives through their research.”
Professor David Harel, President of The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, said, “Today we honor the exceptional achievements of Israel’s very best young scientists. This is especially important at the present time, with Israel still being in one of its worst periods, exacerbated by unprecedented obstacles for science, both here in Israel and in the US. In this light, we are even more grateful to the Blavatnik Family Foundation and The New York Academy of Sciences for our continued partnership in this endeavor. Maintaining Israel’s position at the forefront of global science, which is crucial for its security and economic stability, relies upon supporting and encouraging its scientists. We are proud to honor this year’s Blavatnik Awards Laureates, and we celebrate their innovative breakthroughs with confidence in the far-reaching, positive impact of their achievements on society at large.”
An independent jury of leading expert scientists selected the 2026 Laureates from a pool of 33 nominees from six universities across Israel. Past Laureates and members of the Awards’ Scientific Advisory Council, which includes Nobel Laureates Professors Aaron Ciechanover, David Gross, and Sir Richard Roberts, along with former Chairman of the Israel Space Agency, Professor Isaac Ben-Israel, were also invited to submit nominations.
Since the launch of the Blavatnik Awards in Israel in 2017, 27 Laureates in Israel have received nearly US$2.7 million in prize funding, providing critical, flexible support for high-risk, high-reward research. The Blavatnik Awards in Israel sit alongside the Blavatnik National Awards and Regional Awards in the United States, as well as the Blavatnik Awards in the United Kingdom. By the close of 2026, the Blavatnik Awards will have awarded more than US$20 million to over 500 scientists and engineers worldwide.
Blavatnik scholars are driving global economic growth by pursuing high-risk, high-reward research. To date, Blavatnik Awards honorees have founded over 50 companies after receiving the award, six of which are publicly traded and collectively valued at over $10 billion.
About the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists
The Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, established by the Blavatnik Family Foundation in 2007 and independently administered by The New York Academy of Sciences, began by identifying outstanding scientific talent in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. In 2014, the Blavatnik National Awards were created to recognize faculty-rank scientists throughout the United States. In 2017, the Awards were further expanded to honor faculty-rank scientists in the UK and Israel. For updates about the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, please visit www.blavatnikawards.org or follow us on X and Facebook @BlavatnikAwards.
About the Blavatnik Family Foundation
The Blavatnik Family Foundation provides many of the world’s best researchers, scientists, and future leaders with the support and funding needed to solve humankind’s greatest challenges. Led by Len Blavatnik, founder of Access Industries, the Foundation advances and promotes innovation, discovery, and creativity to benefit the whole of society. Over the past decade, the Foundation has contributed over US$1.3 billion to more than 250 organizations. See more at www.blavatnikfoundation.org.
About The New York Academy of Sciences
The New York Academy of Sciences is an independent, not-for-profit organization that, since 1817, has been committed to advancing science for the benefit of society. With more than 16,000 members in 100 countries, the Academy advances scientific and technical knowledge, addresses global challenges with science-based solutions, and sponsors a wide variety of educational initiatives at all levels for STEM and STEM-related fields. The Academy hosts programs and publishes content in the areas of life and physical sciences, the social sciences, artificial intelligence, computer science, and sustainability. The Academy also provides professional and educational resources for researchers across all phases of their careers. Please visit us online at www.nyas.org.
About The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities
The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities is Israel’s flagship scientific institution. It was established by law in 1961 and acts as a national focal point for Israeli scholarship in all branches of the sciences, social sciences and humanities. The Academy’s membership comprises 155 of Israel’s most distinguished scientists and scholars in its two divisions – the Natural Sciences Division and the Social Sciences and Humanities Division. It is tasked with promoting Israeli scientific excellence, advising the government on scientific matters of national interest, publishing scholarly research of lasting merit and maintaining active contact with the broader international scientific and scholarly community. For more information about The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, please visit www.academy.ac.il.
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Kamala Murthy, The New York Academy of Sciences, Kmurthy@nyas.org +1-212-298-3740