Ofer Yizhar is an associate professor at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. He received his PhD from the Tel Aviv University and conducted his postdoctoral research at Stanford University, where he developed new optogenetic tools for studying neural circuits. His lab develops neurotechnology for studying the brain, and uses a combination of optical, electrophysiological and behavioral techniques to understand the brain circuits involved in memory, decision making and social behavior. In the last few years, the lab has been focused on tools for silencing neurons, and specifically for optogenetic silencing of synaptic transmission. Tools created by the lab have been widely adopted by labs worldwide and used in a wide range of animal models and experimental paradigms. He was elected a full member of EMBO in 2022, and a Schaefer Research Scholar (Columbia University) in 2023.