The award was given to Sompolinski for his pioneering contribution to theoretical and computational neuroscience. This is the first time that the prize is awarded to an Israeli scientist
The Gruber Prize in Neuroscience, on behalf of the Gruber Foundation of Yale University in the USA, was awarded this week (May 17.5) to Prof. Haim Sompolinsky, one of the founders of the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Neuroscience and a researcher at the Rakeh Institute of Physics at the Hebrew University. The Grover Prize, worth $500,000, is one of the most prestigious international prizes awarded annually to leading scientists in the fields of neuroscience research. Among the past winners of the award, you can find Prof. Jeffrey C. Hall and Prof. John O'Keefe, both of whom later won the Nobel Prize for their research work. This award joins Sompolinsky's previous awards for his contribution to brain research, including the A.M.T. in 2016.
Prof. Haim Sompolinski is one of the four recipients of the award for 2022 for their pioneering contribution to the fields of computational and theoretical neuroscience. The other winners of the prestigious award are Larry Abbott of Columbia University, Emery Brown of MIT University and Terrence Sainowski of the Selleck Institute for Biological Studies. The award will be formally presented during the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience on November 13.
The committee of experts, which chooses the winners every year, explained the choice: "The four amazing scientists applied their expertise in mathematical and statistical analysis, physics, and machine learning to create theories, mathematical models, and tools that greatly advanced the learning and understanding of the brain."
"Professor Sompolinski's pioneering research", wrote the committee members, "provided a deep understanding of attraction network models that describe the collective behavior and information processing of large and complex neural circuits in the brain. Furthermore, he described how a combination of neural excitation and suppression leads to chaotic, controllable patterns of activity in the brain - findings that had a profound impact on knowledge in the field. By demonstrating that physics and mathematics can make a huge contribution to neuroscience, Prof. Sompolinski is an inspiration to an entire generation of physicists and quantitative scientists."
The president of the Hebrew University, Prof. Asher Cohen, congratulated the winner: "The Hebrew University community is very proud of Prof. Sompolinski's scientific achievements. His groundbreaking research and insights not only changed the way neuroscientists conduct their research, but also point to new ways to provide quality clinical care."
The Grover Prize in Neuroscience has been awarded since 2004 to leading scientists in the research fields of neuroscience. The Foundation's other international awards are the Grover Prize in Cosmology established in 2000 and the Gruber Prize in Genetics established in 2001.
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