Printing version
Mission
The mission of the Institute for Advanced Studies is to serve as a catalyst for high quality, innovative research in diverse fields. By providing an opportunity for scholars of the highest caliber to focus on their studies, the Institute enables scholars to delve into their research while also engaging in a cross-fertilization of ideas.
Two principles govern the activities of the Institute: sponsoring outstanding research and endorsing unrestricted academic enquiry. The Institute hosts world-class scholars dedicated to the advancement of scholarship. Research is encouraged from all disciplines. Research proposals may be submitted by any scholar from any country on any topic from a broad range of fields. Academic flexibility, creativity and innovation are encouraged in a receptive and open environment.
The Institute utilizes a variety of pedagogic models to promote interaction at the highest level. Each Collaborative Research Group invites experts from around the world to focus on a shared topic, with scholars offering their particular expertise in small group settings. Advanced Schools select a subject matter and probe it in both depth and breadth, enabling researchers to be mentored by eminent scholars in their field. In Workshops, specialists in a given field gather to hypothesize, analyze results or test working assumptions. Finally, Conferences are designed to share knowledge with the broader academic community as well as the public at large.
History
The Institute for Advance Studies in Jerusalem was founded in 1975 by Professor Aryeh Dvoretzky, winner of the Israel Prize for Mathematics, 1973. Professor Dvoretzky's visit to the Princeton IAS inspired him to establish an IAS in Jerusalem.
In March, 1976 Professor Dvoretzky wrote:
The Institute is similar in concept to several existing Institutes of Advanced Study, notably the Princeton Institute. An IAS in Israel will fulfill a long-acknowledged need for an appropriate setting to encourage scientific and academic leadership, along with promoting the highest standard of research. The proliferation of universities in Israel, along with the overall trend toward mass higher education, has heightened the need for an IAS here in Israel. The inspiration and achievement of these Institutes are essential to strengthening and advancing Israel’s scientific and academic landscape.
In 1982, Yuval Ne’eman, Professor of Physics and Minister of Science, established the first School in Theoretical Physics at the Institute for Advanced Studies. Professor Steven Weinberg, Nobel laureate in Physics, 1979, was asked to become the director of the School, and he filled this prestigious post admirably for twelve years. Four additional Schools were established, based on the same model, in the following fields: Economics, Life Sciences, Jewish Studies and Comparative Religion, and Mathematics. Each School is headed by a preeminent scholar in his or her field.