Dr. Zaineb Ali

Professional Summary

Dr. Zaineb Ali is a Tunisian hydrologist, water resources specialist, GIS expert, and climate-resilience researcher whose professional achievement is rooted in the urgent water challenges of arid and semi-arid regions. She holds a PhD in Geological Sciences focused on modelling floods in arid regions of Tunisia under climate change, defended with the distinction Very Honorable, and a Master in Climate Change and Water Management focused on groundwater quality and vulnerability in the upper Madjerda Valley and El Kef Plain. Her career brings together flood-risk science, hydrological and hydraulic modelling, GIS, remote sensing, Earth observation, groundwater vulnerability, drought and flood monitoring, watershed management, and decision-support systems. As a Hydrological Modeling Specialist in the European AG-WaMED Project, she developed hydrological models, contributed to decision-support tools, prepared scientific and technical outputs, and worked within international, interdisciplinary teams supporting sustainable water management in the Mediterranean. Her international experience in Belgium, Morocco, Italy, Europe, and North Africa strengthens her profile as a rising African water scientist with strong technical depth and collaborative reach. She has contributed to peer-reviewed publications on flood susceptibility, climate data management, water insecurity, and soil erosion vulnerability, and she combines scientific modelling with practical concern for water security, climate adaptation, stakeholder engagement, and resilient water solutions for Tunisia, Africa, and other water-stressed regions.

Key Expertise

Major Projects and Contributions

• European AG-WaMED Project – Hydrological Modelling and Decision Support
  Served as Hydrological Modeling Specialist in the European AG-WaMED Project from September 2022 to May 2025, developing hydrological models, contributing to decision-support tools, preparing scientific reports and technical documentation, delivering stakeholder presentations, and participating in international interdisciplinary collaboration for sustainable water management.
• PhD Research – Flood Modelling in Arid Regions of Tunisia under Climate Change
  Completed doctoral research on modelling floods in arid regions of Tunisia in the context of climate change, applying hydrological and hydraulic modelling, GIS, remote sensing, and climate-risk analysis to assess future flood hazards and support resilient water management in southern Tunisia.
• Groundwater Quality and Vulnerability Assessment – Upper Madjerda Valley and El Kef Plain
  Conducted Master-level research in Climate Change and Water Management on groundwater quality and vulnerability in the upper Madjerda Valley, with the El Kef Plain as a case study, supporting groundwater protection and climate-sensitive water resources planning in Tunisia.
• Trainer in SWAT Hydrological Modelling – AG-WaMED Algeria/Tunisia Living Lab
  Delivered training on the use of SWAT for the Algeria/Tunisia living lab of the AG-WaMED Project at the Institute of Arid Regions in Medenine, Tunisia, strengthening capacity in hydrological modelling, watershed analysis, and applied water resources assessment.
• Teaching in Coastal Planning – Faculty of Sciences of Gafsa
  Taught Coastal Planning at the Faculty of Sciences of Gafsa, Tunisia, including lectures and tutorials, contributing to academic capacity building in water, coastal, environmental, and climate-resilience topics.
• Academic Supervision – Flood Risk Management in Arid Zones
  Supervised an engineering summer internship in Hydraulics and Land Management on flood risk management in arid zones, with the Medenine Region as a case study, at the Institute of Arid Regions in Tunisia.
• Academic Supervision – Remote Sensing for Flood Risk Management Infrastructure
  Supervised a professional Master’s project in Geomatics on the identification of flood risk management infrastructure using remote sensing, with the Oued Sidi Aich Watershed in Gafsa, Tunisia, as a case study.
• International Hydrological Modelling Research – UCLouvain, Belgium
  Carried out hydrological modelling research at UCLouvain in Belgium from October 2021 to January 2022, strengthening her international scientific experience in advanced water resources modelling and research collaboration.
• Climate Risk and Flood Modelling Research – University of Ibn Zohr, Morocco
  Conducted climate risk and flood modelling research at the University of Ibn Zohr in Agadir, Morocco, from November 2022 to January 2023, contributing to North African collaboration on flood risk, climate variability, and water resilience.
• Water Harvesting and Climate Adaptation Training – University of Florence, Italy
  Completed water harvesting and climate adaptation training at the University of Florence, Italy, focused on water collection for microclimate management and practical adaptation strategies for water-stressed environments.
• Flood Susceptibility Research Using Hybrid Fuzzy AHP and Frequency Ratio Methods
  Co-authored peer-reviewed research applying hybrid Fuzzy AHP and Frequency Ratio methods for flood susceptibility assessment, supporting spatial decision-making, risk mapping, and flood resilience planning.
• ClimInonda Web Application for Climate Data Management
  Co-authored research on ClimInonda, a web application for climate data management, contributing to digital tools for climate-data organization, hydrological analysis, and decision support in water and climate resilience.
• Water Insecurity Research in Gafsa, Tunisia
  Contributed to research on water insecurity in Gafsa, Tunisia, using a hydrosocial approach to understand the links between water scarcity, social conditions, agricultural water management, and sustainable water governance.
• Soil Vulnerability to Water Erosion under Dam Releases – Sidi Aich Basin
  Contributed to research assessing soil vulnerability to water erosion under dam releases using a multi-criteria approach in the Sidi Aich Basin, southwestern Tunisia, supporting improved understanding of watershed vulnerability and water infrastructure impacts.
• Satellite Climate Dataset Evaluation for Semi-Arid Basins
  Evaluated and compared satellite and climate datasets including GPM IMERG, TRMM3B42, and TerraClimate rainfall products for semi-arid basins such as the Bayech Basin, supporting flood and drought monitoring and climate-informed water resources assessment.
• Groundwater Potential, Quality and Vulnerability Studies
  Presented and contributed to research on groundwater potential, quality, and vulnerability using GIS-based multi-criteria approaches in Tunisia, including the Madjerda Basin and El Kef Plain, supporting groundwater protection and evidence-based water planning.
• Peer Review and Scientific Contribution
  Served as a peer reviewer for Forum Geografi in 2026, reviewing research on weather variability and wildfire across tropical ecoregions, reflecting her growing contribution to international environmental and climate-related scientific review.