Michael Feldman

Professor Feldman graduated from the Hebrew University in Zoology and trained with noted embryologist and philosopher of science Conrad Hal Waddington at the Institute of Animal Genetics in Edinburgh. Michael joined the Weizmann Institute in 1955, was promoted to full professor in 1961, and at the same year founded the Department of Cell Biology, which he headed until his official retirement in 1990.
As a professor Emeritus he joined the department of immunology when departments were rearranged. In the intervening years he also served for varying periods of time as Dean of the Faculty of Biology and of the Feinberg Graduate School, Chairman of the Weizmann Institute Scientific Council, visiting professor at Stanford University and at the Memorial Sloan Kettering cancer Institute, New York, and also served as Fogarty Scholar in Residence at the NIH. In 1977 he was elected Member of the Israel Academy, and in the following years received a number of national and international awards, including the Rothschild Prize, Honorary Doctorate of Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Honorary Fellowship of the Open University of Israel, Membership of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences and the San Marino Prize for Medicine. His activities in scientific and other areas in Israel and worldwide are too many to mention.
Professor Feldman’s research interests were primarily immunology and cancer research with special focus on metastasis. He also contributed seminaly to other fields like macrophage biology and transplantation. He published over 350 papers and book chapters. Michael was one of the rare scientists who could traverse comfortably the fields of both science and art. His many friends and admirers included not only with scientists in Israel and elsewhere, but also writers, painters and politicians.