Office of the President
Prof. Asher Cohen
President, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Prof. Asher Cohen is the fourteenth President of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a position he has held since September 1, 2017.
Prior to serving as President, Prof. Cohen was the Hebrew University’s Rector, a position he held for five years. In his capacity as Rector he led important initiatives, among them recruiting top researchers from Israel and abroad, opening new and innovative academic programs, refreshing the University’s curricula, and developing in-depth processes for continual improvement of students’ education, in cooperation with the Students’ Union.
After graduating from the Hebrew University with a B.A. in Economics and an M.A. in Psychology, Prof. Cohen completed his doctoral and post-doctoral studies at the University of Oregon in the United States. He served as a senior lecturer at Indiana University before returning in the early 1990s to the Hebrew University’s Department of Psychology, in the Faculty of Social Sciences. From 2008 to 2012, he served as the head of the Department of Psychology.
Prof. Cohen’s research in the cognitive sciences focuses on the relationship between the human perception system and human response mechanisms in situations that require very fast motor responses. In the framework of his research, Prof. Cohen developed a theoretical model that successfully predicts the situations in which performing two tasks simultaneously will lead to a decline in abilities.
Past Presidents
Year |
President |
1925-1935 |
Dr. Judah Leib Magnes (Chancellor) |
1935-1948 |
Dr. Judah Leib Magnes (President) |
1948-1949 |
Sir Leon Simon (acting president) |
1949-1952 |
Professor Selig Brodetsky |
1953-1961 |
Professor Benjamin Mazar |
1961-1962 |
Professor Giulio Racah (acting president) |
1962-1968 |
Dr. Eliahu Eilat |
1968-1983 |
Mr. Avraham Harman |
1983-1986 |
Professor Dan Patinkin |
1986-1990 |
Professor Amnon Pazy |
1990-1992 |
Professor Yoram Ben-Porat |
1992-1997 |
Professor Hanoch Gutfreund |
2009-1997 |
Professor Menachem Magidor |
2009-2017 |
Professor Menahem Ben–Sasson |
Contact Information
- Email: hupres@savion.huji.ac.il
- Tel: 02-5882903
Meet the President
Hebrew University students may request a meeting with the President during office hours. This is an opportunity for students to discuss a wide range of topics related to the University, and to bring up ideas and initiatives.
