Prof. Limor Samimian-Darash

Bio

Professor Limor Samimian-Darash is the Director of the James J. Shasha Center for Strategic Studies and a faculty member at the School of Public Policy at the Hebrew University. Her expertise lies in preparing for future uncertainties and managing emergencies across the fields of security, health, and energy. In recent years, her research has focused on scenario-planning technologies in emergency and security contexts, as well as in global health and energy domains. Additionally, she has explored future imagination processes and planning practices within the high-tech sector.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Prof. Samimian-Darash served as an advisor to the Israeli government. She also provided counsel to the World Health Organization (WHO) on scenario planning.
Prof. Samimian-Darash holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Sociology, a master's degree in Organizational Sociology, and a Ph.D. in Sociology and Anthropology (2009/2010)—all from the Hebrew University. During her doctoral research, which focused on national preparedness for future pandemics and biological threats, she was a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley (2006–2008). Following the completion of her doctorate, she investigated biosecurity and the interplay between science and security, particularly concerning the regulation of scientific developments in the "age of terrorism" in the United States. She subsequently held postdoctoral fellowships at the International Forum for U.S. Studies (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) and Stanford University (2010–2012). Additionally, she has been a visiting professor at the Van Leer Institute in Jerusalem and the University of California, Berkeley. Upon returning to Israel, she joined the Hebrew University and was awarded the prestigious Alon Fellowship by the Council for Higher Education, recognizing her as one of the most promising early-career researchers in Israel that year.
Prof. Samimian-Darash has received numerous significant research grants, including funding from the National Science Foundation, the U.S.-Israel Science Foundation, and the Ministry of Science. Her contributions have been recognized through various awards for her research achievements. She has led large-scale research projects and mentored dozens of master's and doctoral students. Her scholarly work has been published in leading academic journals, and her books have been published by the University of Chicago Press and Cornell University Press.

https://scholars.huji.ac.il/limorsamimiandarash

Uncertainty by Design: Preparing for the Future with Scenario Technology (2022, Cornell University Press)

Modes of Uncertainty: Anthropological Cases (2015, with Paul Rabinow, University of Chicago Press)