TAU prof. receives rare, unrestricted grant of $2.5 mil
"The Polymaths Award is different. They tell you: 'Here are the resources. Do something completely new, take risks. Investigate wild ideas.'"
By TOBIAS SIEGALProf. Oded Rechavi. (photo credit: COURTESY TAU/YEHONATAN ZUR.)Tel Aviv University Professor Oded Rechavi has been selected as one of only two scientists to receive the first Polymaths Award of $2.5 mil for "researchers exhibiting rare interdisciplinarity."The prestigious award, defined as "an experiment in extreme curiosity-driven innovation," was given by Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic initiative founded by Eric and Wendy Schmidt with the purpose of "betting early on exceptional people making the world better," according to the organization's website. "Instead of focusing on specific research ideas, the goal for the program is to bet on people, their special talents, and their teams," a press release read. The other scientist chosen to receive the award is Prof. Jeff Gore from MIT. Each of the two scientists will be given an annual grant of $500,000 for five years, to pursue any direction of research they choose.Prof. Rechavi expressed his gratitude for being chosen and explained why the award is unusual and different from other scientific grants."I am proud to have been chosen and excited about the opportunity to open new fields of research," he said. "Typically scientists receive funds for research projects that are already underway. The Polymaths Award is different. They tell you: 'Here are the resources. Do something completely new, take risks. Investigate wild ideas you never would have dreamed of proposing to other research foundations.'"Prof. Rechavi is considered an expert in interdisciplinary research, having had studied a very vast range of topics and achieving scientific breakthroughs in fields that are not necessarily connected to one another.For example, Rechavi discovered a mechanism enabling transgenerational inheritance of parental responses, showing for the first time that small RNAs are inherited alongside DNA, and deciphering the laws of epigenetic heredity.In another study, Rechavi and his team assisted in decoding the Dead Sea Scrolls through the DNA of the parchments on which they were written, shedding more light on the history of the late Second Temple period.Schmidt Futures intends to establish a prestigious network of the award's laureates, when more are chosen, and to further promote interdisciplinarity and scientific cooperation.
