BIDR Institutes
The FAAB sees the increasingly multidisciplinary nature of plant sciences as pivot for its future success. The recruitment of exceptional young scientists with backgrounds in holistic systems approaches will act as an anchor around which FAAB scientists can continue to develop dynamic and synergistic research programs at the cutting edge of life sciences. The integration of the diverse range of biological disciplines within the FAAB will strengthen the already widespread collaborations between its various biologists and between the FAAB and the academic and industrial communities both in Israel and worldwide. Moreover, the FAAB will remain at the forefront in the training the next generation of scientists as it expands its exciting multidisciplinary educational program at the Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies. In addition, FAAB scientists will continue to mentor M.Sc. and Ph.D. research students, and post-doctoral fellows from Israel and abroad.
Department of Environmental Hydrology and Microbiology (EHM)
The Department of Environmental Hydrology & Microbiology promotes the advancement of research into the identification, quantification and improvement of water quality in arid zones.
Activities within the department are aimed at studying and developing water resources in desert basins with scarce hydro-geological information, with particular emphasis on developing methods for the treatment, reclamation and remediation of water in arid regions.
The Department of Desalination & Water Treatment (DWT)
When dryland population increases, expanding local water supplies is essential. Scientists and Technicians at the Department of Desalination and water Treatment are studying hight-tech desalination for providing water for drinking, agriculture and industry.
The Department of Desalination & Water Treatment investigates various aspects of desalination and treatment of different kinds of water for recycling
The mission of the SIDEER is to foster integrated, interdisciplinary approaches to the study of the environment in the dryland of Israel and of the world.
The SIDEER strives to develop, implement and disseminate scientific knowledge and environmental technologies through interactions between the biological, physical, social, and planning disciplines.
The SIDEER endeavors to improve human well-being in natural and man-made environments in dryland by promoting conservation of the environment and sustainable development.
Bona Terra Department of Man in the Desert (BTMID)
The Bona Terra Department of Man in the Desert brings together social scientists, architects, and urban planners in one integrated academic framework. Experience proves that sustainable development in drylands requires solutions that are appropriate to the climate and physical environment and are likewise compatible with cultural, socio-economic, and political considerations unique to dryland societies.
Alexandre Yersin Department of Solar Energy and Environmental Physics (YDSEEP)
The Department of Solar Energy and Environmental Physics is an interdisciplinary research group. It includes scientists with training in geography, meteorology, mechanical engineering, applied mathematics, physics and chemistry.
Research work at the department covers various aspects of the physical environment. These include solar energy utilization and applied optics, the desert climate, remote sensing, vegetation pattern formation and modeling of desertification, and basic aspects of nonlinear dynamics and thermodynamics as related to the environment. The department provides consultation services to government agencies and to municipalities with regard to the optimal utilization of solar energy in specific projects, and to industry - on the development of novel solar devices.
Marco and Louise Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology (MDDE)
Research at the MDDE has two main goals:
The first is to study deserts as model ecosystems for advancing ecological knowledge. MDDE faculty members conduct ecological research at different levels of integration including physiological, behavioral, population, community and landscape levels.
The second goal is to better understand the ecology of deserts in Israel and to make this knowledge available to the scientific community as well as to government and industry. This information can be used for the conservation and prudent, sustainable development of desert regions.
