From the Liveblog of
Monday, August 10, 2026
Israeli professor wins prestigious international physics award
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Prof. Haim Sompolinsky, one of the world’s leading theoretical physicists and neuroscientists, has been awarded the prestigious Dirac Medal and Prize by the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy, the Hebrew University in Jerusalem announces.
Sompolinsky, 76, is professor emeritus at the university’s Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC) and Racah Institute of Physics, and professor of molecular and cellular biology and of physics in residence at Harvard University.
Sompolinsky was awarded the prize for his contribution to understanding the connection between the principles of physics and the study of the brain and artificial intelligence. In a statement, the university says his research has helped establish the groundbreaking field of theoretical neuroscience, explaining how neural networks perform learning and use memory, both in the biological brain and in computerized systems.
“This remarkable honor recognizes Professor Sompolinsky’s extraordinary scientific vision and his ability to reshape entire fields of research,” says Prof. Tamir Sheafer, president of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “By forging deep connections between physics, neuroscience and artificial intelligence, Haim has fundamentally changed the way we understand intelligence, both natural and artificial.”
Established in 1985 in honor of Nobel laureate Paul A.M. Dirac, the Dirac Medal is among the world’s most distinguished awards in theoretical physics. It recognizes scientists whose groundbreaking work has fundamentally advanced the field. Sompolinsky shares the award with Prof. Deepak Dhar of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Prof. Bernard Derrida of the Collège de France and Prof. Marc Mézard of Bocconi University, Italy.
Sompolinsky, who was born in Denmark, is the son of the late Prof. David Sompolinsky, a prominent microbiologist who helped rescue hundreds of Jews in Denmark during the Holocaust.
The Times of Israel Community.