July 12, 2022—The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has announced the appointment of four new deans who will take up their posts at the beginning of the upcoming academic year in October 2022.

Prof. Tomer Broude will replace Prof. Daphna Lewinsohn-Zamir as dean of the Faculty of Law, and Prof. Saul Burdman will replace Prof. Benny Chefetz as dean of the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment in Rehovot. The post of dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences will be filled by Prof. Gili Drori, replacing Prof. Tamir Sheafer, who was recently chosen as the new university rector. Finally, Prof. Adam Lefstein was appointed head of the Seymour Fox School of Education and will replace Prof. Moshe Tatar.

Prof. Barak Medina, the outgoing rector of the Hebrew University, congratulated the new deans: “Their appointment will continue to lead the university to excellence in research and teaching, innovation, and driving entrepreneurship. Their academic activity over the years, and their approach to empowering the next generation, will bring a significant contribution to the entire university, and particularly to our students.” Of the Hebrew University’s 10 deans, four are women.

Prof. Tomer Broude joined the Hebrew University as a faculty member in 2004, after completing his doctoral studies at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. He has served as vice dean for student affairs and as academic director of the Minerva Center for Human Rights. His research and teaching focus on international investment law.

Prof. Saul Burdman completed his doctoral studies cum laude at the Hebrew University’s Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment. His research focuses on the basic and applied aspects of plant-bacteria interactions. He has repeatedly featured on the list of outstanding teachers at the faculty and has also been awarded rector’s prizes for excellence in teaching and in research. Previously, he served as vice dean for teaching.

Prof. Gili Drori became a member of faculty at the Hebrew University’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology after 22 years as a faculty member at Stanford University. She currently heads the university’s European Forum, and previously served as president of the Israeli Sociological Society. She has published dozens of books and articles on topics relating to globalization, science, and higher education.

Prof. Adam Lefstein joins the Hebrew University after serving as head of the Department of Education at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. His research focuses, among other subjects, on discourse and engagement in the classroom, implementation of education policy, and educational improvement processes. He is a member of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction and of the International Society of the Learning Sciences.