The award was given to Prof. Friedman for his contributions to the analysis of complex biological systems
The Sir Zalman Cohen University Foundation Award for Discovery in Medical Research for 2007 will be awarded to Prof. Nir Friedman from the School of Engineering and Computer Science at the Hebrew University for his contributions to the analysis of complex biological systems. The prize, for scientists up to the age of 40, is given for discoveries that have contributed to the understanding of a disease. Prof. Friedman was chosen to receive the award for his work in developing a computational basis for the analysis of large bodies of data that appear in the field of genomics. These techniques allow clinicians and researchers, for example, to scan the patient's genome and identify his susceptibility or resistance to the disease. Prof. Friedman's discoveries contribute to the computational basis of a new and dynamic field of "systems biology". Cohen is a private foundation based in Sydney, Australia, which contributes to medical research and scholarships at the University of Sydney and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, alternately, and works to promote cooperation between the two universities. Prof. Friedman will receive the award, as part of the 70th session of the Board of Trustees of the Hebrew University on Wednesday, June 6, from the Trustee of the Foundation and a member of the Board of Trustees of the University, Michael Dankel.
