Lifetime Achievement Award for Prof. Sammy Boussiba

A Lifetime Achievement Award was recently conferred upon Prof. Emeritus Sammy Boussiba for his outstanding contributions to applied phycology, a branch of biology dedicated to the study of algae. A world-renowned scientist, Prof. Boussiba is celebrated for pioneering breakthroughs in cultivating algae under arid desert conditions, a feat that has advanced the field significantly.

The award was presented during the annual assembly of the European Algae Biomass Association (EABA), held in Athens. Prof. Boussiba’s groundbreaking work on developing methods to grow algae in the harsh environmental conditions characteristic of deserts and the Arava region led to the establishment of a large-scale algae cultivation facility in Kibbutz Ketura in 2004. This facility, one of the largest of its kind worldwide, stands as a testament to his scientific ingenuity.

Between 2009 and 2015, Prof. Boussiba served as Director of the French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands of the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research at the Sde Boker Campus of Ben-Gurion University. In 2014, he was honored with an award from the International Society for Applied Phycology (ISAP), where he also held the position of President from 2008 to 2011. Additionally, he served as Vice President of the European Algae Biomass Association (EABA).

“Prof. Boussiba is one of the most prominent and respected scientists globally in the field of algae research. We wholeheartedly congratulate him on this significant award and his invaluable contributions to the field,” said Prof. Naftali Lazarovitch, Director of the French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands at the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research in Sde Boker.