Malka Rappaport Hovav

Malka Rappaport Hovav is a Professor at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, holding the Henya Sharef Chair in Humanities. Her academic career spans multiple institutions, including Bar Ilan University and MIT. She is affiliated with the Department of English/Linguistics under the Faculty of Humanities and has made significant contributions to theoretical linguistics.

• Education: PhD in Linguistics from MIT (1984), with a thesis on phonological and morphological aspects of Tiberian Hebrew.

Her research focuses on lexical semantics, syntax, and the interplay between semantics and cognition. She has led major academic initiatives, including founding the School of Language Sciences and the Language, Logic and Cognition Center at Hebrew University.

Key scientific awards include the 2022 Humboldt Research Award and a 2002-2003 fellowship at Stanford's Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. She also pioneered the establishment of the Israel Association for Theoretical Linguistics in 1985.

• Administrative Leadership:
  • Chair of the Department of English (Hebrew University)
  • Founder and Head of the School of Language Sciences
  • Provost, Rothberg International School (2015-2017)