Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science

05/06/2026

The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences is pleased to announce our next EPS departmental Seminar!
🎙 Speaker: Dr. Liran Goren, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
🗓 Sunday, June 7, 2026
🕚 11:00
Weizmann Chemistry

02/06/2026

📣A new study from the group of Prof. Yohai Kaspi and Prof. Itay Halevy, led by Gideon Yoffe from the EPS Department Weizmann Institute of Science, with collaborators from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of California, proposes a new way to search for extraterrestrial life.

Rather than focusing on specific molecules, the researchers examine the statistical organization of molecular assemblages. Analysis of amino acids and fatty acids from biological, abiotic, and extraterrestrial samples shows that living systems leave a distinctive signature in the diversity and distribution of the molecules they produce.

Because the approach relies only on relative molecular abundances, it can be applied to data collected by current and future planetary missions searching for life on worlds such as Mars, Europa, and Enceladus.

The study introduces a promising new framework for identifying biosignatures and expanding the search for life beyond Earth.

👉Read the full article published in Nature Astronomy https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-026-02864-z

28/05/2026

The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences is pleased to announce our next EPS departmental Seminar!
🎙 Speaker: Prof. Yuval Reuveni, Ariel University
🗓 Sunday, May 31, 2026
🕚 11:00
Weizmann Chemistry

28/05/2026

22/05/2026

📣A new publication from the group of Prof. Dan Yakir from the EPS department at the Weizmann Institute of Science, in a collaboration with José M. Grünzweig (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem) and Hongyan Liu (Peking University, China), led by Postdoc Chongyang Xu (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem), reveals that the recent increase in terrestrial carbon uptake is driven less by thermal acclimation than previously assumed.

🌳Using global eddy-covariance measurements and satellite observations from 2000 to 2019, the study shows that while maximum ecosystem photosynthesis increased globally, the optimal temperature for photosynthesis remained largely unchanged despite rising temperatures. Instead, stomatal regulation and canopy development emerged as the dominant drivers of increased carbon uptake, particularly under drought conditions.

The findings show how ecosystems respond to climate change and suggest that future climate models must account for water regulation and structural changes in vegetation, not only for temperature responses.

👉Read the full article published in One Earth: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2026.101703

21/05/2026

The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences is pleased to announce our next EPS AI Seminar!
🎙 Speaker: Dr. Gideon Yoffe, Weizmann Institute of Science
🗓 Tuesday, May 26, 2026 🕚 11:30

Weizmann Chemistry

21/05/2026

The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences is pleased to announce our next EPS departmental Seminar!
🎙 Speaker: Dr. Netta Shalev, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
🗓 Sunday, May 24, 2026
🕚 11:00
Weizmann Chemistry

19/05/2026

Postdoctoral Position: The Geometry of Persistence Galili Group · Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences · Weizmann Institute of Science

Does the facet structure of iron oxide surfaces decide which organic carbon survives in soils for centuries? We're hiring a postdoctoral researcher to answer it.

The project replaces the heterogeneous humic acid probes that have muddied the existing facet/sorption literature with a single molecule carboxylate ladder on facet engineered iron oxides. Oxalate serves as the anchoring ligand, citrate as a multidentate comparator. The aim is a mechanistic account of ligand exchange chemistry that explains why some organic carbon resists mineralization while chemically similar molecules do not, and what that implies for soil carbon sequestration.

What you'll do
Synthesize and characterize facet engineered iron oxides with controlled crystal habits
Run sorption, ligand exchange, aging, and stress experiments across the carboxylate ladder
Apply BET, XRD, FTIR, XAS, electron microscopy, and mass spectrometry to resolve binding geometry, surface speciation, and ligand fate
Lead the resulting manuscripts

Who we're looking for
A PhD in geochemistry, physical or surface chemistry, mineralogy, materials science, or a closely related field
Experience with at least one of: mineral synthesis, surface spectroscopy, sorption thermodynamics, or analytical crystallography
Interest in the mechanistic question, and the experimental discipline to carry a multistage program from synthesis through interpretation

Position details
One year appointment, normally extended for a second and third year subject to progress
Start date flexible from June 2026
Weizmann postdoctoral stipend; relocation support available
Based in Rehovot, Israel


To apply Send a CV, a one page cover letter describing your research and what draws you to this project, and contact details for three academic referees to [email protected].
Review of applications begins 15 June 2026 and continues until the position is filled.

Weizmann Chemistry Weizmann Institute of Science

11/05/2026

The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences is pleased to announce our next EPS departmental Seminar!
🎙 Speaker: Dr. Anton Lokshin, Ben Gurion University of the Negev
🗓 Sunday, May 17, 2026
🕚 11:00
Weizmann Chemistry

05/05/2026

🙌לאחר שבע שנות מחקר והיערכות משותפת של פרופ' אילן קורן מהמחלקה למדעי כדור הארץ וכוכבי הלכת במכון ויצמן למדע, פרופ' יואב שכנר (הטכניון - מכון טכנולוגי לישראל | Technion), ופרופ' קלאוס שילינג (Center for Telematics, גרמניה), לוויין הננו CloudCT ישוגר ביוני, במטרה לאפשר מיפוי תלת־ממדי מבוסס בינה מלאכותית של מיקרופיזיקת עננים ולהפחית אי־ודאויות מרכזיות במודלי אקלים.

After seven years of joint research and preparation by Prof. Ilan🙌
Koren from the EPS department at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Prof. Yoav Schechner (הטכניון - מכון טכנולוגי לישראל | Technion), and Prof. Klaus Schilling (Center for Telematics, Germany), the CloudCT nano-satellite is set for launch in June to enable AI-based 3D mapping of cloud microphysics and reduce key uncertainties in climate models.

https://www.ynet.co.il/environment-science/article/hjgtxdecbg?utm_source=ynet.app.ios&utm_term=hjgtxdecbg&utm_campaign=general_share&utm_medium=social&utm_content=Header?utm_source=

Weizmann Chemistry

הלוויין CloudCT, ששוקל כ-4 ק"ג בלבד, תוכנן ונבנה במסגרת מחקר בין-לאומי הנתמך על ידי מענק ERC Synergy של האיחוד האירופי. במחקר שותפים מכון ויצמן למדע, הטכניון והמרכז לטלמטיקה בג....