PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Nir Friedman

Nir Friedman is a computer scientist whose machine-learning research connects probabilistic models with biology. He earned a Stanford PhD in 1997, joined the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1998, and applied probabilistic graphical models to gene networks and expression data. With Daphne Koller, he coauthored the 2009 book Probabilistic Graphical Models: Principles and Techniques, and received the 2007 Juludan and Sir Zelman Cowen prizes and the 2016 Humboldt Research Award. In June 2026, he received an ERC Proof of Concept grant for an epigenomic liquid biopsy project that pairs patient data with AI tools. As of October 2026, he is a full professor in computer science and medicine at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Now at
Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Works
446
Citations
80,192
h-index
89
Badges

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 22 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1997–1998

    Stanford PhD and a faculty post

    He completes a PhD at Stanford in 1997 and undertakes postdoctoral research at UC Berkeley before joining the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1998.

  2. October 2001

    Gene networks from expression data

    In October 2001, he presents a project that uses probabilistic graphical models to infer gene networks from expression data and assesses confidence in network features.

  3. 2004

    Probabilistic models for cell networks

    In a 2004 Science review, he explains how probabilistic graphical models represent cellular networks and support biological discovery from high-throughput molecular data.

  4. 2007

    Two medical research prizes

    He receives the Juludan Prize for Advancing Technology in Medicine and the Sir Zelman Cowen Universities Fund Prize for Discovery in Medical Research in 2007.

  5. 2009

    A book on graphical models

    With Daphne Koller, he coauthors the book Probabilistic Graphical Models: Principles and Techniques in 2009.

  6. 2016

    A Humboldt Research Award

    In 2016, he receives the Humboldt Research Award for his fundamental developments in systems biology.

  7. June 2026

    An ERC Proof of Concept grant

    In June 2026, he receives an ERC Proof of Concept Grant to develop an epigenomic liquid biopsy for early detection and monitoring of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH). His team pairs results from a multi-center patient cohort with AI tools to develop blood-based diagnostic tests.

  8. As of October 2026

    Two full professorships at Hebrew University

    As of October 2026, he is a full professor at the Rachel and Selim Benin School of Engineering and Computer Science and in the Faculty of Medicine's Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada (IMRIC) at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Career

  1. Since 1998Hebrew University of JerusalemFull Professor
  2. NowFaculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of JerusalemFull Professor
  3. 2017–2020Klarman Family Foundation
  4. 2016–2020Broad Institute
  5. 2012–2013Stanford University
  6. 2007–2011Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  7. 2004–2009Harvard University
  8. 1997–1998University of California, BerkeleyPostdoctoral Researcher

Education

  1. 1997Stanford UniversityPhD

From the biography and OpenAlex affiliations (the years of papers that list the organization), so some years are approximate.

Most-cited works

  1. Full-length transcriptome assembly from RNA-Seq data without a reference genome2011 · Nature Biotechnology · 21,060 citations
  2. De novo transcript sequence reconstruction from RNA-seq using the Trinity platform for reference generation and analysis2013 · Nature Protocols · 8,425 citations
  3. Probabilistic graphical models: principles and techniques2009 · 6,152 citations
  4. Bayesian Network Classifiers1997 · Machine Learning · 4,745 citations
  5. Using Bayesian Networks to Analyze Expression Data2000 · Journal of Computational Biology · 3,268 citations

From OpenAlex, as of 21 October 2026.

  1. 20% of people at companies who shape AI also hold a university role, led by Google and Stanford UniversityIncludes Stanford University. We estimate that 539 of the 6,766 people with a known current organization (8%) hold both a university role and a company role, including 20% of people at companies and 13% of people at universities.
  2. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and 5+ year employment links, career timing and current workplaces for 187 major-prize and 1,111 best-paper winners.
  3. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes Massachusetts Institute of Technology. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.
  4. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974Includes Hebrew University of Jerusalem. We estimate where the people shaping AI worked when their most-cited papers appeared: the company share was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974, and Google led all organizations in 2020–2024.

Colleagues

People named in this biography, and people with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

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  1. Nir Friedman iias.huji.ac.il. Checked 20 October 2026.
  2. Analyzing Gene Expression Patterns with Probabilistic Graphical Models graphics.stanford.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  3. Inferring Cellular Networks Using Probabilistic Graphical Models - The Hebrew University of Jerusalem cris.huji.ac.il. Checked 20 October 2026.
  4. Probabilistic graphical models: principles and techniques - The Hebrew University of Jerusalem cris.huji.ac.il. Checked 20 October 2026.
  5. Humboldt award winner Nir Friedman to be guest researcher at the MDC mdc-berlin.de. Checked 20 October 2026.
  6. ERC Grants Awarded to HUJI Researchers Prof. Orly Lewis and Prof. Nir Friedman international.huji.ac.il. Checked 20 October 2026.
  7. Nir Friedman - The Hebrew University of Jerusalem cris.huji.ac.il. Checked 20 October 2026.