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Amri Wandel

Amri Wandel is an Israeli astrophysicist and astrobiologist at the Racah Institute of Physics of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and an active figure in the Esperanto movement.

born 1954Research on massive black holesAstrobiology research in IsraelLeadership in the Esperanto movement

Born: 20 January 1954, Jaffa
Occupation: Esperantist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, naturalist

Amri Wandel was born in 1954 in Jaffa

Amri Wandel was born in 1954. He earned a bachelor's degree in physics and computer science at Tel Aviv University in 1974, and a master's degree in physics there in 1978.

He served in the IDF from 1974 to 1980. He then pursued a doctorate in astrophysics at Stony Brook University, and from 1983 to 1988 held postdoctoral posts at Princeton, the University of Maryland and Stanford.

Back in Israel, he worked at the Weizmann Institute from 1988 and moved to the Hebrew University in 1990. His research covers high-energy astrophysics, black holes, active galaxies, quasars and astrobiology. In 1998 and 1999 he was a visiting professor at UCLA, where his work with Matt Malkan on massive black holes produced 3 papers.

Since 2018 he has chaired the Israeli Association for Astrobiology and the Beginning of Life. He was president of the International Academy of Sciences San Marino from 2016 until 2020.

He was president of the World Esperanto Youth Organization from 1981 to 1983 and joined the Academy of Esperanto in 1992. He chaired the Israel Esperanto Association from 2008 to 2019 and edited its journal. In 2015 he published a study estimating about 2 million Esperanto speakers.

Amri Wandel's life in 9 milestones

1954
Born in Israel.
1974
Completed a bachelor's degree at Tel Aviv University and began IDF service.
1981
Became president of the World Esperanto Youth Organization.
1988
Began research work at the Weizmann Institute.
1990
Joined the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
1992
Joined the Academy of Esperanto.
2008
Became chairman of the Israel Esperanto Association.
2015
Published a study on the number of Esperanto speakers.
2018
Became chairman of the Israeli Association for Astrobiology.