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The Faculty Program will provide vital resources necessary to enable the best Israeli talent to make their academic homes at the top Israeli institutions and to enable them to participate in other programs to share ideas with Zuckerman scholars at other universities.
The Zuckerman Faculty Scholars program funds leading researchers and supports the purchase and construction of laboratories and specialized equipment. The program thus provides vital resources to Israeli universities, allowing them to compete with top North American institutions for the most promising candidates.
The program attracts Israeli researchers who have completed postdoctoral STEM studies in the US and Canada to accept faculty positions at research universities in Israel.
Since establishing the Zuckerman Faculty Scholars Program in 2016, the Zuckerman Israel Institute has supported the return of 43 scientists to Israel and funded new state-of-the-art labs.
The following universities are participating at the 2024-2025 Faculty Program:
Ariel University, Bar-Ilan University, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Haifa University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Tel Aviv University, and the Weizmann Institute of Science.
Zuckerman Faculty Scholars demonstrate leadership in their respective fields with innovative research, groundbreaking scientific papers and outstanding achievements.
Watch the Zuckerman Scholars at their newly established labs.
Read the individual interviews of each of the faculty discussing their research.
To be eligible for the Faculty Program, scholars must have either:
Or
The candidate must hold Israeli citizenship or be eligible to receive Israeli citizenship within 12 months of beginning his/her position at the hosting Israeli university.
To be eligible for the Faculty Program, candidates must complete their STEM postdoctoral studies in the US or Canada.
In 2024-2025, the Zuckerman STEM Program with the Council for higher Education allots up to $500,000 per Zuckerman Faculty Scholar, as long as this amount is matched at the same time by the host university.
This support will be used to partially cover expenses such as the purchase of special equipment, construction, or renovation of labs, and providing fellowships to graduate or postdoctoral students who will be supervised by the Faculty Scholar.
Research funds: Each Zuckerman Faculty Scholar will be entitled to a fixed annual amount of research funding for a total of four years, directly controlled by the scholarship recipient:
For a $500,000 scholarship, each Faculty Scholar will be allocated $7,500 per year to use for
academic research needs.
For a $350,000 scholarship, each Faculty Scholar will be allocated $5,000 per year to use for
academic research needs.
Faculty Scholars will be expected to account in the usual academic manner for the funds they use, as per the requirements of each hosting university.
Research funds can be used by the scholar throughout a maximum of seven years from the day of returning to Israel ad accepting the position at the Israeli University.
Faculty Scholars will be identified as “Zuckerman Faculty Scholars”. Faculty Scholars must identify themselves as members of the Zuckerman Faculty Scholars Program as follows:
The Mortimer B. Zuckerman foundation advocates and encourages a public access policy including open scientific communication. The foundation expects significant findings from research it awards to be promptly presented for publication, with authorship that accurately reflects the involvement of those included.
A significant financial interest could create a conflict of interest for a Scholar if it directly and significantly affects the design, conduct, or reporting of the Program funded research activity. A Scholar may thus have a conflict of interest when he or she has the potential to receive significant personal benefit, in addition to his or her customary and normal funding, because of their participation in the Program.
To circumvent a conflict of interest each Scholar shall disclose at the beginning of his or her scholarship period to his or her host University all significant conflicting financial interests: (i) that could reasonably relate to or be affected by the research proposed during the scholarship; or (ii) in entities whose financial interests could reasonably relate to or be affected by such activities.
Changes in Research Activity Direction or Management: The scope or objectives of the
research activity shall not be altered without the Zuckerman family foundation prior written approval.
Significant changes in methods or procedures should also be reported immediately to the
foundation. Equally, Scholars should promptly report to the University, who will promptly
report to the foundation, any problems, delays or adverse conditions that will materially
impact the ability to attain the objectives of the research activity or to meet such time
schedules as may have been proposed.
Changes in Recipient or Person-Months Devoted to the Research Activity: If the Scholar determines that there is a need for the addition of a new co-Principle Investigator (PI), or the current PI or co-PI plans to, or becomes aware that he or she will: (i) dedicate considerably less labor to the research activity than anticipated in the approved proposal; (ii) undo his or her connection with the host University; (iii) otherwise relinquish active
direction of the research activity; (iv) be disengaged from the research activity for a period greater than three months (e.g. sabbatical leave) but intends to return; or (v) plan to receive or receive dual funding for their Program research activity, he or she shall directly and promptly advise the foundation, notwithstanding his or her obligation to adequately advise the host University officials.
Sub-awarding or Transferring Part of a Program Award (Sub-award): No part of a Program award may be sub-awarded or transferred to another organization or scholar without prior authorization of the foundation (This excludes the acquisition of articles such as commercially available supplies, equipment, or general support services allowable under the award). The intent to enter such arrangements shall be fully disclosed in the award proposal.
Zuckerman Faculty Scholars are required to participate in sponsored events and activities during the academic year. These events include, but are not limited to:
A Zuckerman Israel Institute scientific seminar with media coverage that will be open to the public, where selected Faculty Scholars from the participating universities in the Zuckerman STEM Leadership Program will present their research.
Faculty Scholars will be invited to social activities and sightseeing trips. They will be exposed to Israeli culture, meet with various sectors and ethnic groups, and visit science parks and high-tech incubators in Israel.
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