International Office

At 50, I embarked on a transformative two-and-a-half-month journey through the Erasmus+ program at the University of Bonn as part of my master’s in science education at the Feinberg Graduate School, Weizmann Institute. With support from my professors and the ERASMUS office, the transition to Germany was seamless.
At Bonn, I was impressed by the organized structure, innovative curriculum, and exposure to advanced technologies and teaching methodologies, which enhanced my skills. Beyond academics, immersing in a different scientific culture and connecting with diverse individuals enriched my worldview and personal growth.
The Erasmus+ program was an invaluable academic and cultural experience, and I highly recommend it to anyone seeking to broaden their horizons.

I discovered the Erasmus+ program while searching for a way to initiate scientific collaboration with Prof. Patrik Schmuki at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. The program is well-organized and has minimal bureaucracy, which encourages collaborative work. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the laboratory in Erlangen, both from a scientific perspective and on a personal level. It allowed me to start smoothly a new experimental direction of research. Furthermore, the scientific exchange was very productive, and we have already published a paper based on the results obtained during my visit. I hope to continue using the program for future collaborative work.

During May 2023, I had the privilege of participating in the Erasmus+ Mobility Staff program, which allowed me to visit Humboldt University in Berlin. The primary purpose of my visit was to engage with the chemistry education group at Humboldt University, where I had the opportunity to exchange knowledge, gather new ideas, and deliver a seminar and workshop. Additionally, I had the chance to get to know two biology education groups, one from Humboldt University and another at Freie University. Throughout the week, I had fruitful interactions with various researchers, including professors and graduate students, and gained valuable insights into Germany's education system. This visit also paved the way for potential future collaborations. As a post-doctoral fellow, I am grateful to the Erasmus+ Mobility Staff team at the Weizmann Institute and Humboldt University for facilitating this research visit. I eagerly look forward to participating in more Erasmus+ programs in the future.

The Erasmus+ program allowed me to not only strengthen my collaboration with my European partner but also to experience a teaching and working environment quite unlike the one in my home institution. This "change of atmosphere" is healthy from time to time and allows you to appreciate the differences in culture and mentality so that your own group dynamics at the end benefit greatly from it. A reciprocal visit in our home institution from my collaborator's group enabled "shadow working" and beautifully complemented the visit in the host university. In addition, the welcome package I received when arriving at the host university was without a doubt informative (with maps and brochures) and generous (with chocolate!). We will definitely try to repeat this next year and hopefully, every year as long as there is a signed agreement between the host and home universities.

The Erasmus+ program provided me with an excellent opportunity to visit colleagues at Humboldt University in Berlin and strengthen my connections with them. Two PhD students from there spent 3 months visiting Weizmann and working in my research group, and a PI from there also spent a short time at Weizmann, so I was looking for a chance to learn more about the work being done there and to investigate whether it made sense to consider joint projects. My time at Humboldt was divided between meeting with several PIs and their students, working on a research proposal, providing feedback on a poster gallery walk, giving a seminar, and just hanging out together. I made several friends. Here’s a photo from an evening in a Biergarten. In summary, it was an excellent experience!

I enjoyed my stay in the Steffen Jung Lab very much! The assistance in all organization matters before and during my stay abroad was great, e.g. with my visa, the Erasmus+ scholarship, and student housing on the campus. The application process for Erasmus+ was well organized, and both my German university and the International Office at Weizmann were very supportive and helped me with all forms. Thanks to this encouragement, I already felt in good hands before my arrival. The Weizmann Institute of Science is one of the world's leading research institutions. I was lucky to attend several guest talks from internationally renowned speakers and even participate in mini-symposia. Such events have always been a great opportunity to meet new people from the field and exchange thoughts. During my daily work in the lab, I was able to extend my scientific knowledge and gain hands-on experience. I received all the trust and support to even start my own project. I really appreciate this cooperative environment!  Altogether, my stay abroad helped me to build an international network, to grow personally, and to expand my scientific skills.

The level of support we receive at Weizmann is unparalleled and something we can't expect anywhere else in the world. The personalized support you offer creates a strong sense of connection and results in cherished memories that will last a lifetime.

"I want to thank you - the whole team of the international office, for your endless help and efforts. You are making a huge difference for internationals in Israel and it really made my life there a lot easier and better - from meeting new people at the Holi Party when I just arrived to the workshop about cultural differences and countless events, trips, and helpful advice - you all did an amazing job and I always felt like I have a place to go to for any question. Thank you!"

I had a great time these last 2 months as a visiting PhD student. Living in dorms on campus together with other students is a nice opportunity to meet new friends. My whole stay was well organized by the international office and I never had any problems. During my weekends, I traveled around the country that everyone visiting Weizmann should do, as it is a really fascinating and beautiful country! I hope to come back someday and encourage everyone to come here!

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to you, the Weizmann International Office, and the entire team. You guys have been nothing but compassionate and kind.
You have been of tremendous help and have made everything run smoothly for our family. You have cushioned the impact of being away from family.
I appreciate your kind heart, empathy, and willingness to go above and beyond to assist and ensure everything goes smoothly for us.
Everyone I have met keeps saying the same thing about the International Office! Sincere thanks to you and the team for your labor of love. I am eternally grateful.

I greatly appreciate and thank you all for the support heartily. I have learned a lot here. I was also amazed to see how an Institute can work to ease the stay of International students. Thank you again.

My quarantine at Samy Cohn ended on Monday, and I just wanted to send you just a few words of gratitude. You do an excellent job of making the lives of internationals at the Institute much easier. Thank you very much!

We reached home safely. I want to thank you for all your help, starting from before joining WIS, all the way until we left Israel. We have enjoyed all the activities organised by you and had a good time at WIS. Thank you!

Despite your overloaded schedule, your timely action saved Ankita a highly uncertain trip to India in these challenging times. Thank you and IO team from the bottom of our hearts for all the efforts you put for making our lives comfortable.

More power to you!!

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, for all of your efforts which go far beyond what anyone can expect from any normal scientific institute to their (visiting) scientists, to get me back into Israel. I'm happy to write this email to you safely and very happily from (bidud in) my apartment in Tel Aviv.

Last week, after a painful few days cancelling my dissertation event, and everything surrounding it, I wasn't able to enter Israel and got sent on a plane back to the Netherlands after flying to Israel upon hearing that the Consulate in the Netherlands had to close. Your help writing me a last minute letter and calling the border police at the time didn't get me in, but now, a week later I was able to get Consular approval greatly based on your help and am so happy to be back in the place that I call home.

Thank you, so much. I'm so grateful to you and to Weizmann, and feel very lucky to be connected to the Institute.

As the coronavirus swept in my hometown, Hubei, life there has been changed dramatically. This horrible situation will last longer, and no one knows when is the end. I cannot imagine to let my mother going back to China under such conditions, not even for a second.

I understand that it is tough to extend a tourist visa, not only because it is beyond the responsibility of anyone in the Institute, but also because of the national policies. I am grateful that the management team of the institute, the international office, and my department colleagues helped me without hesitation. My family appreciates the efforts of the institute. We are so grateful for this amazing end.

I have to say I am so lucky to join the Weizmann Institute of Science as a postdoc. I am proud to be part of it. This will become a wonderful experience in my life beyond research.

I would like to express my thank you to the entire International Office (IO) team for their efforts and hard work that goes into the periodic arrangements of such events. It really let us take a break from our hectic and busy study schedule and relax a bit. Parallelly, it also offers us a chance to learn more and more about Jewish culture and traditions.

I am writing to thank you for the wonderful experience with the bikes. We borrowed the bikes from Weizmann last weekend and we had a great healthy and pleasant experience biking in Rehovot. We think that the Bike Share Program is a useful and attractive initiative from which a lot of students will benefit.

I truly appreciate all your help from the beginning till the end. As I mentioned this to Rachel the other day, I’ve been to a couple of international offices in my life, but yours is the world best! You and your team treated my issues like they are actually yours, not like your task.  Once again, thank you so much for everything and I really hope to visit again!

I wish you and your family all the best.

Hope you guys recovered from the pool party, just wanted to say it rocked! The drumming thing was really a brilliant idea, kids loved it. This year the party was bitter-sweet for us because it marks the end of our stay. But next year it will mark the beginning of a fun summer at Weizmann. Thanks for organizing!

I am completing a two month stay as Visiting Professor here at the Weizmann Institute.  During this time, the Visiting Scientists Office under Ms. Dana Dvash has been enormously helpful with numerous issues that have arisen.  

I have been a frequent visitor to the Institute over the past 40 years, and, from my perspective, the Visiting Scientists office does an outstanding job of making our stay pleasant and productive.

Here is a big problem with yesterday’s trip:  YOU KEEP RAISING THE BAR!!!  I don’t know how you manage to keep organizing such wonderful excursions.  Yesterday was fascinating.  I had no idea that 60% of Negev agriculture is irrigated by Shafdan water. And filtration through the sand - what a terrific idea!  Great trip!

I can’t wait for Avshalom Cave. (I’ve never been to a cave)!

Thanks a lot for everything you have assisted. We had a very great time over here, enjoyed a lot with great events - thanks a lot for that (especially Aileen), with science - I found the Weizmann one of the great scientific campus. I am hoping that I will get more chances to come again and again to this place.