Nili Cohen is an Israeli professor and legal expert. She is a recipient of the Israel Prize, and was the President of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, succeeding Prof. Ruth Arnon, Cohen's role model. She is aa member of the Academia Europaea, of the American Philosophical Society, and a foreign member of the accademia dei lincei.

Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, based in Jerusalem, was established in 1961 by the State of Israel to foster contact between Israeli scholars in the sciences and humanities and create a think tank for advising the government on research projects of national importance. Its members include many of Israel's most distinguished scholars.