About Us
Founded in 1944, the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science develops philanthropic support for the Weizmann Institute in Israel, and advances its mission of science for the future of humanity.
From the earth beneath our feet to the stars we wish upon, the physical world around us is still a mystery – and the Weizmann Institute’s curiosity-driven scientists are working to understand it. In a world’s first, our archaeologists discovered a way to precisely identify and analyze prehistoric ashes, and found a highly pure, well-preserved source of DNA in fossilized bone. Our materials scientists and structural biologists found that bone and shell actually form in similar ways. Our astrophysicists actually watched – for the first time – as a massive star, later estimated at a mass of perhaps 200 suns, went supernova and became a black hole. Our hydrologists created a model of groundwater movement that can aid development of sound environmental policy, such as after an oil spill. From learning about the past to shaping the future, the Weizmann Institute of Science is exploring new frontiers to reveal how the world works.
Our astrophysicists developed a new theory of how the moon was formed: after running 800 simulations, they showed that it most likely grew from multiple small impacts that produced “moonlets,” which coalesced over time into our single satellite.
Using NASA satellites, a Weizmann scientist found that over half of the mineral dust carried by air currents each year from Africa to the Amazon comes from a single small valley in the Sahara. This dust provides the nutrients necessary for the rich biology of the rainforest.
Scientists believe that most of the universe is made of dark matter, yet it has never been detected. Part of a global cohort at Italy’s Gran Sasso lab, a Weizmann team is leading investigations at the XENON experiment–the world’s most sensitive search for dark matter–in order to quantify the missing material.
©2025 American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science
