Oz Kira

Senior Academic

Research focus

Dr. Kira and his group develops advanced methodologies to quantify the carbon dynamics of urban green infrastructures. His projects involve high-resolution monitoring of carbon sequestration using remote sensing techniques, such as satellite-derived Solar-Induced Fluorescence (SIF) and multispectral reflectance. He has pioneered models for mapping CO₂ fluxes across entire cities, providing essential tools for urban planners to design greener, more climate-resilient cities. His field campaigns in Israeli cities like Modi'in and Beer Sheva demonstrated how vegetation types, urban structure, and climate factors influence the urban carbon budget.

Aiming to protect vulnerable populations, Dr. Kira investigates indoor air quality (IAQ) in schools and public buildings, particularly under extreme weather conditions like dust storms. His real-time monitoring systems track parameters such as PM₂.₅, CO₂, temperature, and humidity, identifying risks and informing policy for healthier indoor environments.

In collaboration with the Environmental Sensing Laboratory at BGU, Dr. Kira explores the integration of recycled agricultural plastic waste into concrete as a substitute for traditional aggregates. His findings demonstrate potential environmental benefits, including waste reduction and mitigation of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from construction materials.

Dr. Kira’s research also addresses the environmental footprint of agricultural practices. By combining ground measurements (e.g., closed-chamber fluxes) with satellite data, he monitors greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions such as N₂O and CO₂ from farming systems. His work supports climate-smart agricultural strategies, aiming to enhance productivity while reducing GHG emissions.

Research Grants (IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, OLD TO NEW):

Kira, O^PI., Grunzweig^PI, J. Green infrastructure contributing to carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation in cities. Partnership for sustainability – BGU and HUJI collaboration (2022). 40,000$.
Kira, O^PI., Rachmilevich, S^PI. Dryland vertical farming: a sustainable alternative for conventional farming in drylands? Multidisciplinary study - The School for Sustainability and Climate Change (2023). 22,000$.
Kira, O^PI., Stutz, J^PI. Developing a Multi-input Platform for Agricultural Productivity Prediction (MiPAPP)-based artificial neural networks. Sol Leshin Program for BGU-UCLA Academic Cooperation (2023-2024). 80,000$.
Kira, O^PI., Karnieli, A^CO-PI. Developing remote sensing-based algorithms for mapping and predicting carbon uptake of urban vegetation. Sustainability and Urban Resilience - the Open University Environment and Sustainability Center and BGU The School for Sustainability and Climate Change (2023). 7,000 $.
Brandt, M^PI., Katoshevski, D^PI., Mateus, C^CO-PI., Lopez, H. P^CO-PI., Kira, O^CO-PI., Logen, C^CO-PI., Suarez, J^CO-PI. Effect of water temperature rise and sediment dynamics on coral growth and calcification rates USFQ-BGU Partnership for Sustainability and Conservation 2023, 10,000$.
Grunzweig^PI, J., Kira, O^PI. Developing a remote sensing-based method for high spatial resolution mapping of carbon fluxes in urban green infrastructures. The Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology (2024-2025). 87,000 NIS.
Kira, O^PI., Brodski, A^PI. The use of agricultural plastic waste as raw material for concrete manufacturing. The Ministry of Agriculture (2014-2016). 167,000 NIS.
Kira, O^PI. Developing a new method to estimate city-level ecological services of urban green infrastructures using remote sensing. ISF (2025-2028). 223,000 $.
Kira, O^PI. The Environmental Sensing Laboratory – Utilizing proximal and remote sensing to investigate environmental issues in the atmosphere and agriculture. ISF (2025-2028). 248,000 $.
Lazarovich, N^Lead-PI., Rachmilevich, S^PI., Kool, D^PI., Kira, O^PI, Paz-Kagan, T^PI., Levintal, E^PI., Linker, R^Lead-PI., Kizel, F^PI., Fishbain, B^PI., Dubowski, Y^PI., Furman, A^PI., Moshelion M^Lead-PI., Friedlander, T^PI., Gavish, M^PI., Mau, Y^PI., Helman, D^PI. Israeli Center for Digital Agriculture. Planning and Budgeting Committee, The Council for Higher Education. ISF (2025-2028). 3,628,000 $.
Kira, O^PI., Stutz, J^PI. Development and application of a mobile platform for full CANopy Spectral Crop ANalysis (CAN-SCAN). BARD-ISUS (2025-2028). 310,000$.

Oz Kira

Research focus

Urban Sustainability

Human Exposure to Air Pollution

Sustainable Construction Materials

Sustainable Agriculture