THE EDMOND AND LILY SAFRA CENTER FOR BRAIN SCIENCES (ELSC)

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem's ELSC (pronounced colloquially as ‘el-seck’ to its friends), was founded with the generous support of the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation and the European Friends of The Hebrew University.

ELSC is globally one of the leading institutes in neuroscience. Since its inception, it has been driven by a powerful interdisciplinary approach that brings together world-renowned scientists pursuing brain research from the different perspectives of theory, biology, and cognitive science. ELSC is not only home to talented faculty members but also to outstanding doctoral students, many of whom study in its prestigious international PhD program. Bringing such scholars together within cutting-edge laboratories in a single research institute has already enabled many significant breakthroughs, including furthering our understanding of brain function, improving the treatment of brain diseases, and expounding upon the theoretical principles underpinning brain-inspired machines. At ELSC we study the brain from various perspectives. Our theoretical neuroscientists develop theories of brain function that provide frameworks for understanding and later testing the computational role of neural circuits. Our cognitive research groups work on human behavior. They study the mysteries of vision, perception, and consciousness. Other research groups study the actual cells and molecules of the brain; from basic functions of single cells to how different brain regions are coordinated during sensation, perception and action. Our researchers study both healthy and diseased brains.