HU researcher wins $25,000 neuroscience prize

Sompolinsky was commended for producing a significant cumulative contribution to theoretical models or computational methods in neuroscience.

By JUDY SIEGEL
Prof. Haim Sompolinsky 311 (photo credit: Courtesy Hebrew University)
Prof. Haim Sompolinsky 311
(photo credit: Courtesy Hebrew University)
Prof. Haim Sompolinsky, a leading brain sciences researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was last week awarded the $25,000 Swartz Prize for Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience from the US Society for Neuroscience.
Sompolinsky, of the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, was commended for producing a significant cumulative contribution to theoretical models or computational methods in neuroscience. The award was presented during society’s annual meeting in Washington.
The society 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, the society’s president.
“His work, blending physics and neuroscience, has established innovative methods and set rigorous standards for advancing the field.”
Sompolinsky has worked throughout his career to develop the field of theoretical neuroscience, helping to 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 short-term memory, decision-making, selectivity and receptive fields.
He previously received several prestigious award, 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.