In 2002, Morven and Michael Heller from London, a generous and philanthropic family, decided to donate an annual sum of 15,000 pounds to establish at the ICNC a high profile series of lectures entitled “The Heller Lecture Series in Computational Neuroscience”. This series of lectures continues today at the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC). The primary aim of this unique lecture series is to acquaint the interested public with the most recent excitement in brain research. Each year, four leading researchers visit the Hebrew University for a week and deliver two talks, a lecture for the general public as well as a technical presentation at the weekly ELSC seminar.
The “Heller Lecture Series in Computational Neuroscience” rapidly became one of the most prestigious lecture series at the Hebrew University. It is a source of intellectual excitement for the many hundreds of attendees from all over the country who come to enjoy these lectures. Previous Heller lecturers include among others Nobel laureates Edvard Moser and Bert Sakmann as well as Patricia Churchland, Mickey Goldberg, Isabel Gauthier, Carla Shatz, Michale Fee, Arthur Konnerth, and Christof Koch. The lectures cover a fascinating range of topics that reflect the interests of researchers at ELSC, from molecular to cellular and systems neuroscience, cognitive psychology, modeling, and neurophilosophy.
The Hebrew University, and in particular ELSC, are indebted to the Hellers for their vision and generosity and for helping all of us to be aware of the miracle that is our brain.