Tel Aviv University (TAU) will bestow an Honorary Doctorate on neuroscientist, actress and advocate Dr. Mayim Bialik at a ceremony during the annual TAU Board of Governors gathering this coming May, 2026. “What truly inspires us is her courage and clarity,” the University said when announcing its selection. “Mayim speaks up for Israel and the Jewish people even when it’s not the easy choice.” 

“I’m very honored to receive an honorary doctorate from TAU! Thank you for the opportunity!” Dr. Bialik said in a Facebook post acknowledging the honor.

From 1991 to 1995, Dr. Bialik played the title character of the NBC sitcom Blossom. She later played neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory from 2010 to 2019. For her role as Fowler, she was nominated four times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She has also served as the first female host of Jeopardy! (2021-2023) and directed the film As They Made Us (2022).

She earned a BS from UCLA in 2000 in Neuroscience and Hebrew and Jewish Studies, then went on to the PhD program in Neuroscience, also at UCLA. She completed her doctorate in 2007, which examined Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in adolescents with Prader-Willi syndrome. She is currently the spokesperson for Texas Instruments, inspiring young women to engage in careers that involve STEM. In March 2012 Simon & Schuster released Beyond the Sling, her first book on attachment parenting. The book guides parents through the world of attachment parenting and includes quotes of support from Ricki Lake and Dr. William Sears, who coined the term “attachment parenting.”

Dr. Bialik is a board member of a variety of Jewish philanthropic organizations including starting ShamayimVaretz.com, a Kosher/vegan institute. She writes weekly for the Jewish parenting site Kveller.com about her life as an observant Jewish actress and mother, studies weekly independently and through Partners in Torah, and speaks for a variety of organizations around the United States.

TAU will also honor Mr. Steve Witkoff with the George S. Wise Medal for his role in negotiating a ceasefire in Gaza and securing the return of hostages.