News Release
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The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
‫האוניברסיטה העברית בירושלים‬
Hebrew University brain sciences researcher receives
Swartz Prize in US from Society for Neuroscience
Jerusalem, Dec. 4, 2011 — The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) has awarded the Swartz
Prize for Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience to Prof. Haim Sompolinsky of the
Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC).
Supported by The Swartz Foundation, the $25,000 prize recognizes an individual who has
produced a significant cumulative contribution to theoretical models or computational
methods in neuroscience.
The award was presented during SfN’s annual meeting in the US. The Washington, D.C.,
based SfN comprises more than 41,000 researchers and clinicians who study the brain and
nervous system.
“The society is pleased to recognize the exceptional contributions of Dr. Sompolinsky to the
field of theoretical neuroscience,” said Dr. Susan G. Amara, president of SfN. “His work,
blending physics and neuroscience, has established innovative methods and set rigorous
standards for advancing the field.”
Sompolinsky has worked to develop the field of theoretical neuroscience throughout his
career. His research helped shape system-level brain theory using principles and methods of
statistical physics and dynamical systems. Sompolinsky’s “ring” model has served as a key
paradigm for modeling neural circuits and has been the basis of countless studies of shortterm memory, decision-making, selectivity and receptive fields.
Sompolinsky, who is the incumbent of the William N. Skirball Chair in Neurophysics, has
won previous awards, including the Landau Prize for Brain Science and the Hebrew
University President’s Award for Outstanding Research. He is a foreign honorary member of
the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
(Photo of Prof. Sompolinsky available via e-mail upon request)
For further information: Jerry Barach, Dept. of Media Relations, the Hebrew University,
Tel: 02-588-2904.
Orit Sulitzeanu, Hebrew University spokesperson, Tel: 054-8820016.