Professor Daniel Chamovitz assumed the presidency of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev on January 1, 2019, replacing outgoing Ben-Gurion University President Prof. Rivka Carmi, who has stepped down following 12 years as head of the University. Chamovitz will become BGU's 7th President.

Prof. Chamovitz, a native of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, studied at both Columbia University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he received his Ph.D. in Genetics. Most recently, he served as Dean of the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences at Tel Aviv University, where he was awarded the prestigious Alon Fellowship for outstanding young researchers. 

While at Tel Aviv University, Chamovitz founded its Manna Center Program for Food Safety and Security. He has published more than 50 academic articles and book chapters, and serves on the editorial boards for several leading academic journals in his field. Prof. Chamovitz's critically-acclaimed “What a Plant Knows" (2012) has been translated into 18 languages. 

“Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has a different mandate from any other university in Israel," Prof. Chamovitz says. “Of course, BGU must aim for research excellence – that is the essence of academia. At the same time, however, we must take care not to detract from our ability to impact the wider community, in Beer-Sheva and throughout the Negev region. 

“We have a tremendous advantage: Our students. They certainly have keen eyes to identify the human and environmental capital that give this region so much potential, and I'm looking forward to working together with them to maximize it. 

Prof. Chamovitz stresses that Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is uniquely positioned to take a leading role on the national and international stage to become a global university with a local impact. 

“For a long time, the University has offered a wide range of academic subjects in the exact sciences, engineering, social sciences and humanities, as well as professional programs, and successfully attracted excellent researchers who choose to begin their academic careers here. Our modern campus, which will expand with the North Campus, as well as the Advanced Technologies Park, present opportunities for entrepreneurship and interaction with the private sector that we could only have dreamt about in the past. 

“So we will strive for excellence in the three main areas that define BGU, and which are implied in the very name: Research, academia and social outreach," he said.