2011 Honorary Doctorate Recipients

Ruth Arnon

Ruth Arnon is the Paul Ehrlich Professor of Immunology at the Weizmann Institute of Science and President of the Israel National Academy of Sciences and Humanities. A 2001 Israel Prize laureate in Medicine for research in the use of synthetic molecules for studying the immune system, she is a co-developer of the multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone and the founder of BiondVax Pharmaceuticals, which is developing a universal vaccine against the flu virus. Arnon gained her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She joined the Weizmann Institute of Science in 1963, holding senior positions in the administration, including as Dean of the Faculty of Biology and as Vice President. She has been a visiting professor at numerous institutions and is the recipient of several awards including the Wolf Prize for Medicine, the Rothschild Prize in Biology and the Knight of the Legion of Honor, France.

Tarun Das

Tarun Das is one of India’s most prominent business leaders. He has dedicated his professional career to the promotion of Indian industry, culminating in his service as the head of CII, the Confederation of Indian Industry, from 1974 to 2004. Under Das’s leadership CII has become the largest organization of its kind in the world. Serving in a broad range of public roles including as president of the Aspen India Institute, as member of the G20 advisory committee of the Indian government, and as joint chairman of several bilateral strategic dialogue forums, he is considered the guiding force behind efforts to integrate and promote India in the global economy. Das was awarded an honorary CBE by the Queen of England for his contribution to Indo-British relations, in addition to numerous other accolades. He holds two bachelor’s degrees in economics and commerce from Calcutta University, India, and Manchester University, UK, as well as an honorary doctorate from the University of Warwick, UK. Das is co-founder and co-chair of TAU’s India-Israel Forum.

Mody Enav
Mody Enav was born in Tel Aviv in 1955. As a child, he left with his parents to live in East Africa, where they remained for ten years. In 1981, he completed his business studies at the University of Southern California, US, before founding and running his own real estate development company. In 1986 he founded US Property Management Inc., taking on the role of CFO and later developing the corporation’s operations in Europe, the Far East and North America. He relocated to Geneva in 1998 and has served as Honorary Consul of Belize in Israel since 2004. Mr. Enav has been an engaged philanthropist for many years, championing higher education, scientific research, Jewish education and Israeli culture. He has served on the Board of Trustees of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and, in 2002, he was elected as a member of the Board of Governors of Tel Aviv University. He is married with three children.

Yoram Kaniuk

Yoram Kaniuk is one of Israel’s leading authors and cultural figures. He has written dozens of works, including novels, novellas and books for children and youth, many of which have been translated into over 20 languages and turned into plays, films and television series. Among his most well-known works are Himmo, King of Jerusalem, Adam Resurrected, Rocking Horse, The Last Jew, Between Life and Death and 1948. Born and educated in Tel Aviv before the establishment of the State, Kaniuk served in the Palmach and fought in Israel’s War of Independence. During his multifaceted career he has been a painter, a sailor and an adventurer searching for gold in Mexico and diamonds in Guatemala. He is the winner of numerous prizes including the Brenner Prize, Bialik Prize, President’s Prize for Literature and the 2010 Sapir Prize for Literature.

Sir Harold Kroto