The Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS) was founded in 1975 by Professor Aryeh Dvoretzky. Since its inception the IAS has played a significant role in the expansion of Israeli academia, helping to launch new fields and changing the directions of others. It has enhanced scholarly and scientific research, benefitting countless scholars and students, both from Israel and from abroad.
In 2012 the Institute’s name was changed to the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies (IIAS), reflecting its role at the national level. The primary mission of the IIAS is to maintain and promote excellence. Distinguished scholars and scientists are invited to pursue their own research without the demands and distractions of university obligations. They are also available to interact with and mentor the younger generation of scholars.
The IIAS is the only Institute for Advanced Study in Israel. It plays a pivotal role in promoting academic collaboration among all the universities in Israel, as well as serving as a bridge between academic research in Israel and abroad.
The IIAS plays an important role on the world stage. It draws distinguished faculty and outstanding students to Israel, bringing Israel, its scholars and the frontiers of knowledge they explore, to the attention of the international scholarly and scientific community. The IIAS is an active member of NetIAS (Network of European Institutes for Advanced Study) and SIAS (Some Institutes for Advanced Study Consortium), and played a central role in the founding of the UBIAS (University – Based Institutes for Advanced Study) network.
The IIAS, since opening its doors, has to date hosted more than one hundred and forty Research Groups, with close to 1,200 fellows and visiting scholars, spanning a broad spectrum of topics. Past fellows of the IIAS have acknowledged the positive impact of their time spent at the Institute.
During my two appointments as a fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies, I was able to find both the quiet solitude so necessary to my research, as well as a group of distinguished colleagues willing to engage in serious discussion of their work and mine. These colleagues were both challenging and supportive. What more could I ask for?
John Gager, Princeton University (IIAS Fellow 2001)
I enjoy my visits to Jerusalem's Institute for Advanced Studies very much. It is a high quality and lively research environment. The IAS in Jerusalem is a wonderful place to discuss and investigate the latest developments in theoretical physics.
Juan Maldacena, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton (IIAS Fellow 1999)
More than one hundred Advanced Schools, beginning with the first School for Theoretical Physics in 1982, have provided young Israeli researchers and graduate students with local access to leading figures in their fields, while at the same time showcasing Israeli scholarship for foreign participants. The many conferences hosted over the years at the IIAS have provided a forum for outstanding scholars to present their ground-breaking research and mentor the next generation of researchers.
From its inception, the Advanced School for Theoretical Physics has earned a reputation for excellence. Its students are among the very best in their fields of physics, and the list of lecturers could serve as a template for "Who's Who" in physics internationally. What the School does, year in and year out, is bring together these superb students and teachers to participate in an exceptional opportunity for intense intellectual interaction whose worth is of the highest order.
David Gross, Nobel laureate, Physics, 2004
Director of the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, UC Santa Barbara
All three of the Institute's core activities – Research Groups, Advanced Schools and Conferences – have conferred a unique status on the Institute, distinguishing it among its peers. At a time when universities are moving toward greater specialization in research and scholarship, the IIAS provides the interactive academic space necessary to stimulate and broaden scholarship and research.
The IIAS seeks to foster a broadened sense of community by hosting a Film Club, and encouraging outreach to Hebrew University faculty and graduate members.