Chilean-born Israeli academic
Ariel Darvasi (; February 17, 1962 – September 28, 2018) was a Professor of Genetics and former Head of Life Sciences Studies and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Sciences at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Biography.
Ariel Darvasi was born in Santiago de Chile. At the age of 10 his family moved to Israel and settled in Jerusalem.
Darvasi obtained his BSc degree (with honors) in Biology and Computer Science in 1988, and his MSc degree (with honors) and his PhD degree (summa cum laude) in Genetics from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, under the supervision of Moshe Soller. Subsequently, he conducted post-doctoral research at The University of Paris.
As a young scientist he won the Landau Prize. in 1999, one of Israel's highest honors for sciences.
Between 2006 and 2009 Darvasi was Head of Genetics Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and then Head of the entire Life Sciences curriculum until 2012. From 2012 to 2016 Darvasi served as Vice Dean of the Faculty of Sciences of The Hebrew University.
Academic career.
Darvasi published over 100 scientific articles. His research can be divided into 5 major themes:
Business career.
Along with teaching and research, Darvasi founded IDgene, a biotechnology company that studied the genetic basis of common diseases (such as diabetes, asthma, cancer, schizophrenia and many others) as a mean to discover novel therapies. In 1999 the company raised over US$15 million from various venture capital firms, including world leaders such as Apax Partners. At its peak, IDgene employed 50 employees in its Jerusalem central facilities.
In 2004 the company ceased formal operations and all intellectual property was transferred to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Over the years, Darvasi also co-founded several other biotechnology companies in Israel and the US.
In March 2017, Darvasi was under investigation by the SEC (Security Exchange Commission) for suspicion of alleged insider trading of Mobileye shares. The case was settled with a fine and no conviction of any wrongdoing
References.
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