May 2023: Prof. Pavel Pevzner: Honorary Doctorate to a bioinformatics leader

Prof. Pavel A. Pevzner, one of the world leaders in bioinformatics, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (DOCTOR PHILOSOPHIAE HONORIS CAUSA) from TAU on a ceremony held on May 18 2023 at the university.

The award was given in recognition of Prof. Pevzner's standing as a world authority in computational biology and bioinformatics. His distinctive research approach that combines theoretical insights with the development of tools and practical applications for tackling real-world biological questions, his exceptional contribution to computational methods for sequencing of DNA, antibodies and antibiotics, which has had far-reaching implications for fields ranging from personalized medicine to evolutionary science, his immense academic impact as a pioneer of new fields and as a committed educator,  his influential scientific articles and textbooks that have garnered him diverse accolades and broad admiration from the global scientific community, and his valued warm ties with the Israeli scientific community, and particularly with researchers at Tel Aviv University.

Prof. Pevzner is the Ronald R. Taylor Professor of Computer Science and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor at the University of California at San Diego. He has investigated computational molecular biology for the past 35 years. Between the years 2008 and 2021 he was the director of the NIH National Center for Computational Mass Spectrometry at UCSD. He has served as a member of multiple scientific advisory boards and committees around the globe. He has authored four books and received numerous distinctions, including the Senior Scientist Award from the International Society for Computational Biology, elected member of the American Association for Advancement of Science, and the Kanellakis Theory and Practice Award from the Association for Computing Machinery. Prof. Pevzner serves on several editorial boards and is Executive Editor of the Journal of Computational Biology.

We were also honored to host Prof. Pevzner at the Edmond J. Safra Center during his visit. He gave a talk titled "Bioinformatics challenges in complete genomics and metagenomics" in the Center's Distinguished Speaker series, and met senior researchers in bioinformatics.

In the picture Prof. Pavel Pevzner together with Prof. Ron Shamir, the former head of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Bioinformatics.

For pictures from the event click here.