Yitzhak Apeloig (יצחק אפלויג; born 1 September 1944 in

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...

) is a pioneer in the

computational chemistry Computational chemistry is a branch of chemistry that uses computer simulation to assist in solving chemical problems. It uses methods of theoretical chemistry, incorporated into computer programs, to calculate the structures and properties of m ...

field of the

Ab initio quantum chemistry methods ''Ab initio'' quantum chemistry methods are computational chemistry methods based on quantum chemistry. The term was first used in quantum chemistry by Robert Parr and coworkers, including David Craig in a semiempirical study on the excite ...

for predicting and preparing the physical and chemical properties of materials. He was the president of the Technion from 2001 until 2009 where the position was handed off to

Peretz Lavie use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = ...

. Distinguished Prof. Apeloig currently holds the Joseph Israel Freund Chair in Chemistry and is the co-director of the Lise Meitner Minerva Center for Computational Quantum Chemistry at the Technion. He served as dean of the Faculty of Chemistry from 1995 to 1999, where he was named Teacher of the Year at three occasions. During his Technion presidency, Apeloig recruited more than 150 elite scholars and scientists worldwide to the Technion. He also established a number of interdisciplinary research centers such as the

Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute The Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute (RBNI) was established in January 2005 as a joint endeavour of the Russell Berrie Foundation, the government of Israel and the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. It is one of the largest acade ...

. He also established the Lorry I. Lokey Interdisciplinary Center for Life Sciences and Engineering. In 2010 was inducted to the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

. The same year he also became a recipient of the Frederic Stanley Kipping Award in Silicon Chemistry.

Biography

Apeloig was born in

Bukhara Bukhara (Uzbek language, Uzbek: /, ; tg, Бухоро, ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan, with a population of 280,187 , and the capital of Bukhara Region. People have inhabited the region around Bukhara ...

after his family fled from the Nazis after the

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...

in September 1939. In 1947, when he was three years old, the family immigrated to

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. He served in the Nahal Brigade and the

paratroopers A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during Worl ...

between 1962 and 1964. He studied chemistry and physics at the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

, and completed his undergraduate (receiving his BA in physics and chemistry in 1967, and his masters in 1969) and graduate education there, including a Ph.D. in chemistry in 1974. He conducted postdoctoral research at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

with Paul v. R. Schleyer and collaborated with Nobel Laureate John A. Pople. Apeloig joined the faculty of the Technion in 1976 and in 1983 he was appointed professor. He became the dean of the Faculty of Chemistry in 1995 until 2001 when he became the president of the Technion, replacing Amos Lapidot. In 2009 he was followed as President by

Awards

* 2011 – Received the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...

(First Degree) of the

Federal Republic of Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between ...

from Bundespräsident Christian Wulff * 2010 – Honorary Foreign Member of the

* 2010 –

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all d ...

Fredric Stanely Kipping Award in Silicon Chemistry * 2010 –

Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, p ...

–

Lise Meitner Elise Meitner ( , ; 7 November 1878 – 27 October 1968) was an Austrian-Swedish physicist who was one of those responsible for the discovery of the element protactinium and nuclear fission. While working at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute on rad ...

Senior Research Award * 2009 – Fellow,

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

* 2008 – Honorary Member,

Mexican Academy of Sciences The Mexican Academy of Sciences ''(Academia Mexicana de Ciencias)'' is a non-profit organization comprising over 1800 distinguished Mexican scientists, attached to various institutions in the country, as well as a number of eminent foreign colle ...

* 2007 – Wacker Silicone Award * 2006 – Honorary Doctorate of Science from the

Technische Universität Berlin The Technical University of Berlin (official name both in English and german: link=no, Technische Universität Berlin, also known as TU Berlin and Berlin Institute of Technology) is a public research university located in Berlin, Germany. It was ...

, Germany * 2002 – C. A Coulson Lecturer,

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

, Athens, USA * 2002 – The Israel Chemical Society Prize * 1997 – Distinguished Teacher Award by the Technion Student Association * 1996 – Granted a Minerva Center in Computational Quantum Chemistry * 1994–1999 – Alexander von Humboldt – Lise Meitner Senior Research Award * 1993 – Distinguished Teacher Award by the Technion Student Association * 1993 – Senior Scientist Exchange Fellow, Israel-Italy National Council for Research and Development * 1991, 1993 – Henri Gutwirth Prize for Excellence in Research by the Technion * 1991, 1999, 2010 –

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science The is an Independent Administrative Institution in Japan, established for the purpose of contributing to the advancement of science in all fields of the natural and social sciences and the humanities.JSPSweb page History The Japan Society for ...

(JSPS), Senior Visiting Professor Award * 1988 – Technion Award for Academic Excellence, Technion (The New England Prize) * 1986 – Distinguished Teacher Award by the Technion Student Association * 1986 – Louis Klein Visiting Professorship in Australian Universities * 1985, 1991 –

Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst The German Academic Exchange Service, or DAAD (german: Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst), was founded in 1925 and is the largest German support organisation in the field of international academic co-operation. Organisation ''DAAD'' is a ...

(DAAD) Visiting Professor * 1979 –

(DAAD) Fellowship * 1977–1978 – Bat-Sheba de Rothschild Fellow * 1974 – Yashinski Prize for Distinguished Ph.D. Thesis * 1971 – Prize for Distinguished Student of the Dean of the Faculty of Sciences,

Hebrew University The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

* 1965–1967 – Annual Prize for Distinction in Chemistry Studies,

Publication

References

External links

Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
{{DEFAULTSORT:Apeloig, Yitzhak Living people 1944 births People from Bukhara Soviet emigrants to Mandatory Palestine Uzbekistani emigrants to Israel Technion – Israel Institute of Technology Technion – Israel Institute of Technology faculty Technion – Israel Institute of Technology presidents Israeli chemists Computational chemists Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Princeton University alumni Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Schrödinger Medal recipients Israeli people of Polish-Jewish descent