The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is proud to announce that Dr. Chaim Garfinkel, Professor in the Institute of Earth Sciences, has been named a 2025 Laureate of the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in Israel, one of the country’s most prestigious honors for early-career researchers.

The Blavatnik Family Foundation, the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and The New York Academy of Sciences announced today the Laureates of the prestigious 2025 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in Israel.  This year’s Laureates, who will each receive US$100,000, are:

Yonatan Stelzer, PhD (Life Sciences) – Weizmann Institute of Science – Recognized for breakthroughs in modeling the intricate process of mammalian embryonic development and for advancing our understanding of epigenetics, holding significant promise for regenerative and therapeutic medicine.

Benjamin Palmer, PhD (Chemical Sciences) – Ben-Gurion University of the Negev – Recognized for pioneering research on how organisms create crystals, revealing the biological processes underlying their formation and the unique ways they interact with light, leading to the emerging field of organic biomineralization and inspiring sustainable optical materials.

Chaim Garfinkel, PhD (Physical Sciences & Engineering) – The Hebrew University of Jerusalem – Recognized for advancing our ability to predict climate change on timescales from months to decades, improving weather forecast systems and providing critical insights for climate policy and adaptation strategies.

Copper is an economic and strategic metal consumed and produced in many nations. Previous studies of future copper demand and supply have revealed some deficiencies at the macro level. To minimize these gaps, we present here a comprehensive recycling scenario to examine the future copper sustainability for more than 50 countries by 2100. End-of-life metal recycling optimization can be a transparent, flexible and broadly applicable solution, coupled with circular economy strategies to reduce the supply of such metals and related environmental risks. Substantial recycling (estimated at 40 to 65 percent) would be more conducive to reducing primary demand in regions with large populations and rapid industrial growth. Although Latin America and Caribbean, Africa and Oceania can be identified as regions with low demand and recycling intentions by 2100, carbon emissions in Latin America will peak at 70 million tons by 2050 owing to concentrated primary copper production. In order to fully realize recycling targets, more efforts should be made to formulate policies and regulations for the copper industry, systematically scrap collection, and innovate effective technologies.