The Mandel Foundation–Israel is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Manuel Trajtenberg, professor emeritus of economics at Tel Aviv University, as a senior member of its faculty. Professor Trajtenberg is one of the world's leading experts in R&D, patents, innovation, and economic growth.
Prior to joining Mandel, Professor Trajtenberg served in a wide range of public roles. He was founder and first chairman of the National Economic Council in the Prime Minister's Office (2006-2009); chairman of the Planning and Budgeting Committee of Israel's Council for Higher Education (2009-2014); and chairman of the “Trajtenberg Committee” – the government committee for social and economic change that was established in the wake of the social protests of 2011. He was also a member of the Knesset for the Zionist Union party from 2015-2017.
From 2018-2021, Professor Trajtenberg led the “100 days” project at the Samuel Neaman Institute at the Technion, which formulated policy on key economic and social issues including fiscal and tax policy, the transportation crisis, early childhood education, budgeting for the health system, and more. In 2021-2024, he served at the executive director of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), where he is now a visiting senior researcher.
Professor Trajtenberg holds a bachelor's and master's degree in economics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a doctorate with distinction in economics from Harvard University. In 1984 he joined the Eitan Berglas School of Economics at Tel Aviv University, where he acquired a global reputation for groundbreaking research in economics.
As a faculty member at the Mandel Foundation–Israel, Professor Trajtenberg will teach in the Foundation’s leadership programs, will mentor Mandel fellows and provide guidance to Mandel graduates working in the fields of education and society.
