June 4, 2025 – Two researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have been selected as recipients of the 2025 Krill Prize for Excellence in Scientific Research—one of the most prominent and prestigious awards granted to outstanding faculty members and promising researchers in Israeli academia: 

  • Dr. Gabriel Stanovsky, from HU’s Rachel and Selim Benin School of Computer Science & Engineering
  • Dr. Yiska Weisblum from the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at HU’s Faculty of Medicine

The awards ceremony, held on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, took place in the presence of rectors, deans, and senior faculty representatives from Israel’s higher education institutions.

The Krill Prize has been awarded since 2005 by the Wolf Foundation and the Krill family, in memory and honor of Binyamin and Gittale Krill Mansbach Schlanger, to promising faculty members at Israeli research universities in the fields of exact sciences, life sciences, medicine, engineering, and agriculture. 

The Wolf Foundation’s judging committee selected the ten 2025 prize winners from among dozens of candidates nominated by their universities—based on their determination, initiative, and creativity—qualities that led to significant breakthroughs in scientific research in Israel. 

Dr. Yiska Weisblum’s research focuses on the ongoing evolutionary struggle between viruses and their human hosts. Specifically, her work aims to understand the molecular interactions between respiratory viruses and lung cells to identify viral vulnerabilities that new antiviral strategies could target. She also uses non-pathogenic viral models to study immune defense mechanisms and develop vaccines to prevent future pandemics.

Dr. Gabriel Stanovsky specializes in Natural Language Processing (NLP)—a field in computer science aimed at developing systems that can understand and derive meaning from human language. His research integrates artificial intelligence with other disciplines such as history, law, medicine, and bioinformatics. Among other contributions, he is developing tools to decipher ancient languages like Akkadian, supporting large-scale analysis of legal texts, and helping doctors analyze medical data collected over time to understand how different types of cancer influence treatment outcomes—contributing to the development of personalized cancer therapies. His work demonstrates how technology can enrich diverse fields of knowledge and generate new insights in the humanities, social sciences, and life sciences.

AFHU joins the Hebrew University in congratulating the researchers on their impressive achievements and views this award as a recognition of promising academic staff members who are expected to lead Israeli research and academia into the future—highlighting the University’s continued contribution to the advancement of science in Israel and around the world.