The Weizmann Institute of Science awards honorary doctorates (Doctor Honoris Causa) every year in a festive ceremony held as part of the Annual General Meeting of the International Board in November. Recipients of the degree are nominated by the Steering Committee according to proposals of the members of the council and are approved by both the assembly of the scientific council and the Honors Committee of the Board.
Honorary doctorates are usually awarded according to the following criteria:
- Eminent Scientists with broad international recognition who, by accepting this degree, honor the institute and its work and contribute to the advancement of Israeli science.
- Excellent and prominent scientists, with close ties to the institute or its researchers, who have made significant contributions to the institute's scientific activities.
- Active supporters of the Institute, in Israel or abroad, who have made important and unique contributions to the institute's promotion and scientific mission, including philanthropists who have made significant financial contributions to the Institute’s development or have supported scientific research. The Institute’s management usually nominate candidates from this group.
- Public figures active in various fields such as health, law, education, industry, etc., who have made unique contributions to the Israeli Society.
- Intellectuals and artists from the fields of culture, music, literature and theater, with notable achievements and influence that goes beyond their areas of artistic practice.
- People who have made significant contributions to society in the areas such as education, social inequality, economy, social mobility and human rights.
2024
- Dr. Ilana Dayan-Orbach, Israel
- Renée Drake, The Netherlands
- Elie Horn, Brazil
- Roberto Kaminitz, Brazil
- Martha Darling, United States
- Dr. Gilbert Omenn, United States
- Danny Sanderson, Israel
- Prof. Avi Wigderson, United States / Israel
2023
2022
- Gary M. Abramson
- Prof. Steven Chu
- Sandor (Sandy) Frenkel
- Shalom Hanoch
- Prof. Nancy Hopkins
- Dr. Ellen Knell
- Harvey Knell
- Keren Leibovitch
- Dr. Jessica Meir
2021
- Dr. Mark Alexander
- Prof. Mary-Claire King
- Prof. Philip Pincus
- Sir András Schiff
- Dr. John Schwartz
- Vera Schwartz
- Prof. Otmar D. Wiestler
2020
- Dr. Uriel Arnon
- Cathy Beck
- Prof. Sir Marc Feldmann
- Shirin Natour Hafi
- Gideon Hamburger
- Prof. Dame Carol V. Robinson
- Meir Shalev
2019
- Rebecca Boukhris
- Prof. Jonathan Dorfan
- Mario Fleck
- Alex Levac
- Prof. Raphael Mechoulam
- Prof. Martha C. Nussbaum
- President Reuven Rivlin
- Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
2018
- Ido Dissentshik
- Dr. Fabiola Gianotti
- Ellen Merlo
- Sir Paul Nurse
- Eric Stupp
- Prof. Marc Van Montagu
2017
- Peter Jenni
- Milvia Perinot
- Yoni Rechter
- Heather Reisman
- Gerald W. Schwartz
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman
2016
- Jean-Pierre Changeux
- Stephen Grand
- Agi Mishol
- Michael O. Rabin
- Sami Sagol
- Laura Wolfson Townsley
2015
- Shlomo Bar
- Miel de Botton
- Claude Cohen-Tanoudji
- Serge Haroche
- Pascal Olivier Mantoux
- Lord Winston
2014
- Marvin Cohen
- Stanley Fischer
- Lia Koenig
- Jesse Roth
- Simon Schama
- Herbert Winter
2013
- David Azrieli
- Daniel Barenboim
- Harry B. Gray
- Bertrand J. Halperin
- David Lopatie
- Helga Nowotny
- Luis Stillmann
2012
- Justice Dorit Beinisch
- René Braginsky
- Ronald Daniel
- Shimshon Harel
- George Klein
2011
- Chava Alberstein
- Klaus von Klitzing
- Martin D. Paisner
- Murray Perahia
- Alexander Pines
- Baroness Ariane de Rothschild
2010
- Pennie Abramson
- Shlomo Avineri
- Patricia Gruber
- Yossie Hollander
- Hannah Kehat
- Abraham B. Yehoshua
2009
- Gila Almagor
- Abraham Ben-Naftali
- Solo Dwek
- Michael E. Fisher
- David Grossman
- Hilda Lewis
- Shimon Peres
- Stef Wertheimer
2008
- Dvora Ben Dror
- Aaron Ciechanover
- Ernst Cramer
- Robert Drake
- Peter Goldreich
- Rabbi David Hartmen
- Donald Kirk
- Lorry I. Lokey
- Helmut Schwarz
- Joshua (Yehoshua) Sobol
- Elie Wiesel
2007
- Arie Lova Eliav
- Avram Hershko
- Eric R. Kandel
- Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard
- Jehuda Reinharz
2006
- Yevgeny Arye
- Joseph Gurwin
- Prof. Herbert Jäckle
- Morris Kahn
- Jeanne Nissim
- Amos Oz
2005
- L. Yehuda Bronicki
- Prof. Charles A. Dinarello, MD
- Sir Harry Djanogly, CBE
- Justice Dalia Dorner
- Prof. Joshua Jortner
2004
- Robert A. Belfer
- Justice Miriam Ben-Porat
- Stanley Chais
- Prof. Sir Alan R. Fersht, FRS
- Prof. Richard M. Karp
- Senator Mitch McConnell
- Ohad Naharin
2003
- Eli Amir
- Prof. Allen J. Bard
- Prof. Sir Michael V. Berry
- Prof. Mildred S. Dresselhaus
- Alan Fischer
- Prof. Albert J. Libchaber
2002
- Dr. Rita R. Colwell
- Abraham M. Goldwasser
- Dani Karavan
- Joshua Maor
- Hubert S. Markl
- Theodore H. Teplow
2001
- Robert H. Asher
- Lawrence S. Blumberg
- William M. Davidson
- Sidney D. Drell
- Maurizio M. Dwek
- Rabbi Abraham E. Firer
- Arnold J. Levine
- Maxime Schwartz
- Alice Shalvi
- Evelyn Tenenbaum
2000
- Yehuda Amichai
- Erica Drake Mayer
- Lea Nikel
- Raoul de Picciotto
- Wolf Bernhard Servatius
1999
- Shulamit Aloni
- Akito Arima
- Nella Benoziyo
- Maks Birnbach
- Stuart Eizenstat
- Helmut Kohl
- Riccardo Muti
- Bert Sakmann
- Leon Schidlow
- Naomi Shemer
1998
- David D. Baltimore
- Edith Cresson
- Jean-Marie Lehn
- Manfred D. Moross
- Alexandra Poljakoff-Mayber
- Albert Willner
1997
- Josef Burg
- Shoshana Damari
- Martin S. Kimmel
- Walter Kohn
- Sara Mayer
- Robert Neter
1996
- Ted Arison
- Berthold Beitz
- Sir Aaron Klug
- Orna Porat
- Hans Zacher
1995
- Gershon Kekst
- Melvin Schwartz S.
- Maxine Singer
- Donald Sussman
1994
- Y. Leon Benoziyo
- Samy Cohn
- Eli Hurvitz
- Simone Mallah
- Rowland Schaefer
- Ezer Weizman
- Alejandro Zaffaroni
1993
- George S. Hammond
- James Heineman
- Ilse Katz
- Charles Mérieux
- Shalom Rosenfeld
- The Hon. David Sieff
1992
- Norman D. Cohen
- Jack D. Dunitz
- Martha Laub
- Alexander Rich
- Harry Zvi Tabor
- The Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven
1991
- Azaria Alon
- H. Thomas Beck
- Hurbert Curien
- Jean Dausset
- Uzia Galil
- Lilian Hertzberg
- Dan Mayer
- Hans A. Weidenmüller
1990
- Lester Crown
- Adolf Ebner
- Henny Gestetner
- Abraham Ginzburg
- Maurice Goldschleger
- N. Avrion Mitchison
- Sir David C. Phillips
- Yizhar Smilanski
1989
- Aharon Barak
- John Polyani
- Baruj Benacerraf
- Heinz F. Riesenhuber
- Robert W. Kasten
1988
- Mildred Cohn
- Israel Pollak
- Pierre-Gilles de Gennes
- Earl R. Stadman
- Chaim Gvati
- Lord Wolfson
- Francois Mitterand
1987
- Victor Brailovsky
- Sir James Lighthill
- Ilona Feher
- George P. Schultz
- Martin D. Kamen
- Meir Shamgar
- Helen Kimmelman (Kimmel)
- Frank H. Westheimer
1986
- Teddy Kollek
- Moshe Porath
- Leo Picard
- Bernard Pullman
1985
- Ayala Zacks Abramov
- Samuel W. Lewis
- Vivien Clore Duffield
- Charles Lubin
- Francois Gros
- Benjamin Mazar
- Hans Hilger Haunschild
- Vladimir Prelog
- Chaim Herzog
- Ronald Reagan
- Niels K. Jerne
- Steven Weinberg
- James F. Kay
- Richard von Weizsacker
1984
- Abraham Harman
- Frank Press
- Ludwig Jesselson
- John Ross
- Daniel Koshland
- Heinz Staab
- Yitzhak Navon
- Lewis Thomas
1983
- Mordecai Ardon
- Zubin Mehta
- Raymond Aron
- Francis H. Ruddle
- Ezra Danin
- Andrei Dimitrievich Sakharov
- Ernest I. Japhet
1982
- Yehuda Assia
- Elvin A. Kabat
- Haim Cohen
- Alfred Kastler
- Regina Feigl
- Severo Ochoa
- Francois Jacob
- Shmuel Sambursky
1981
- Angel Faivovich
1980
- Rudolf M. Bloch
- Ephraim Urbach
- Jimmy Carter
- Veit Wyler
- Morris L. Levinson
1979
- Sir Derek Barton
- Derrick Kleeman
- Menachem Begin
- Hermann Mayer
- Josef Cohn
- Joseph Meyerhoff
- Aryeh Dvoretzky
- Sol Spiegelman
- Sir Bernard Katz
1978
- Hans A. Bethe
- Rita Levi-Montalcini
- Aage Bohr
- Abraham Levin
- Adolpho Bloch
- Marshall W. Nirenberg
1977
- Marc Chagall
- Harold Wilson
- Henry Kissinger
1976
- Maurice Boukstein
- Murray B. Koffler
- Paul J. Flory
- Artur Rubinstein
- Gerhard Herzberg
- Ada Sereni
- Ephraim Katzir
- Simone Veil
1975
- Arnold R. Meyer
1973
- Willy Brandt
1964
- Meyer W. Weisgal