Ilan Chet (born April 12, 1939) is an Israeli microbiologist and a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Hebrew University of Jerusalem

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...

, Faculty of Agriculture in Rehovot.

Early life

Chet was born in Haifa

Haifa

Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...

, Israel. He completed his BSc (1962), MSc (1964) and PhD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Hebrew University of Jerusalem

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...

, Faculty of Agriculture. He completed his PhD in Microbiology.

Research

Chet is recognized as a pioneer in the field of biological control of plant pathogens which cause major crop losses. His research concerns with the biological control of plant disease using environment-friendly microorganisms, focusing on the basic, applied, and biotechnological aspects of this field. Chet has published over 300 articles in international scientific journals, edited three books in his field, and holds 30 patents.

Awards and honors

Chet has received several awards and honors for his work.

• In 1990, he was awarded the Rothschild Prize in Agriculture.
• In 1991, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Sweden's Lund University
  Lund University
  Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
  
  
• In 1994, he received the Max-Planck Award for Distinguished Research.
• In 1996, he received the Japanese Arima Prize for Applied Microbiology.
• In 1996, he was awarded the Israel Prize
  Israel Prize
  The Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
  
   in agriculture.
• In 1998, he received the Wolf Prize in Agriculture
  Wolf Prize in Agriculture
  The Wolf Prize in Agriculture is awarded once a year by the Wolf Foundation in Israel. It is one of the six Wolf Prizes established by the Foundation and awarded since 1978; the others are in Chemistry, Mathematics, Medicine, Physics and the Arts...
  
  .

He has been a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities

Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities

The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, based in Jerusalem, was set up in 1961 by the State of Israel to foster contact between scholars from the sciences and humanities in Israel, to advise the government on research projects of national importance, and to promote excellence. It comprises...

 since 1998, and in 2000 was nominated for the position of President of the Weizmann Institute.

See also

• List of Israel Prize recipients