BEER-SHEVA, ISRAEL, February 4, 2011 – Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researcher Dr. Taleb Mokari, a member of the Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, has been awarded a prestigious Krill Prize for Excellence in Scientific Research.  Dr. Mokari received the Prize for his work on developing novel nanostructures for renewable energy applications.

Dr. Mokari is a senior lecturer in BGU's Department of Chemistry. His research focuses on the chemical and physical properties of inorganic nanostructures.  Mokari’s group specializes on synthesizing nanostructures, investigating their fundamental physical and chemical properties and studying their potential applications for renewable energy.

“We’re pleased that two of BGU’s major areas of research strength: renewable energy and nanotechnology, continue to receive accolades and recognition,” says Doron Krakow, executive vice president of American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. “We congratulate Dr. Mokari as the latest BGU faculty member to receive this award,” he says.

Mokari joined BGU’s Department of Chemistry and the Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscience in 2009.  Prior to that, he worked with the Molecular Foundry at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory as a staff scientist.  He was also a Fulbright Scholar and an Ilan Ramon postdoctoral candidate at the University of California, Berkeley.  

Initiated in 2005 by the Krill family, six prizes of $10,000 each are awarded annually in life sciences, medicine, agriculture, engineering and exact sciences. Selection is made by the Wolf Foundation Scholarships Committee on the basis of an untenured candidate's excellence and the importance of his or her research field.

The Wolf Foundation was established in Israel in 1975 by inventor, diplomat and philanthropist Dr. Ricardo Wolf, "to promote science and art for the benefit of mankind."

About American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (AABGU) plays a vital role in sustaining David Ben-Gurion's vision, creating a world-class institution of education and research in the Israeli desert, nurturing the Negev community and sharing the University's expertise locally and around the globe. With some 20,000 students on campuses in Beer-Sheva, Sede Boqer and Eilat in Israel’s southern desert, BGU is a university with a conscience, where the highest academic standards are integrated with community involvement, committed to sustainable development of the Negev.  For more information, please visit www.aabgu.org.