Prof. Galit Yovel

Professor Galit Yovel is a faculty member in the School of Psychological Sciences and the Sagol School of Neuroscience at Tel Aviv University and is currently the head of the school of Psychological Sciences (2017-2021). She received her PhD in Psychology with emphasis in Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Chicago and completed a post-doctoral training in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT. She joined Tel Aviv University in 2005, where she set up the Person Recognition Lab.

Professor Yovel’s research focuses on the neural and cognitive mechanisms of person recognition. She uses a comprehensive approach the examines the contribution of social, conceptual and perceptual information to recognition of the dynamic multi-modal person. Her recent findings highlight the significant role that conceptual and social information play in person recognition beyond the role of perceptual information. She applies multiple methods including neuroimaging techniques such as fMRI and EEG as well as behavioral measures and eye tracking. In 2018, she received the Bruno Award from the Israel Institute of Advanced Studies. The award is presented each year to Israeli scholars and scientists who display exceptional promise, and whose achievements to date suggest future breakthroughs in their respective fields. She is a 5-time recipient of the Rector’s award for excellence in teaching.