Prof Nissim Benvenisty is the Herbert Cohn Chair in Cancer Research and the Director of The Azrieli Center for Stem Cells and Genetic Research at the Hebrew University. He earned his MD and PhD degrees from the Hebrew University and conducted postdoctoral studies at Harvard University. Prof Benvenisty’s research projects focus on stem cell biology, tissue engineering, human genetics, and cancer research. He published numerous original and review papers on human pluripotent stem cells and serves on the editorial board of various stem cell-related journals. He is a member of the steering committee of the International Stem Cell Initiative (ISCI), the Programme Board of the UK–Regenerative Medical Platform (MRC), and serves as the academic advisor for the International Symposia of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR). Prof Benvenisty presented the issue of human embryonic stem cells in many international conferences and gave testimonies before the US Senate and the European Union. He was awarded several prizes among them the Foulkes Prize (London), the Hestrin Prize, the Teva Prize, the Kaye Prize, the Milken Prize, the ACTO Award and the Katzir Prize.