Ruth Arnon

Ruth Arnon was born in 1933 in Tel Aviv

Ruth Arnon was born in Tel Aviv in 1933 and grew up in the Neve Tzedek neighborhood. Her father was an electrical engineer and her mother was a teacher. She began studying at the Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium at 13.

She studied chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and completed a master's degree in 1955. She then served as an officer in the IDF. In 1957 she began doctoral work under Michael Sela at the Weizmann Institute and earned her doctorate in 1960.

After postdoctoral work at Rockefeller University in New York, she returned to the Weizmann Institute. She became a full professor in 1975 and held posts including head of the Department of Chemical Immunology, dean of the Faculty of Biology and vice president. With Michael Sela and Devorah Teitelbaum she developed Copolymer 1, the basis of Copaxone, produced by Teva from 1995.

From 2010 to 2015 she was president of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the first woman in the post. In 2017 she became co-chair of the UK-Israel Science Council. She has also researched influenza and cancer vaccines.