Professional Summary
Eng. Kibrewosen Zewdu Belay is an Ethiopian hydroinformatics and water resources specialist, PhD researcher, remote sensing and hydrology expert, decision-support system developer, and PMP-certified project manager with more than 10 years of experience across academic, humanitarian, consulting, and international water-sector projects. He is currently pursuing PhD research in Environmental Engineering at the Lithuanian Energy Institute, where his work focuses on land-cover dynamics, hydrological change, runoff generation, climate and land-cover impacts, model uncertainty, SSP scenarios, and adaptation guidance. This places him strongly within climate-resilient hydrology and environmental water systems research. His academic background is impressive. He holds an MSc in Water Science and Engineering with specialization in Hydroinformatics from IHE-Delft Institute for Water Education in the Netherlands, one of the world’s leading water education institutions. His MSc thesis focused on optimization of a transboundary reservoir system in the Nile Basin, using the Tekeze-Atbara system as a case study. He also holds a BSc in Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering from Arba Minch University and a Higher Diploma in Teaching Methods from the University of Gondar. Kibrewosen’s international project leadership is one of the strongest parts of his profile. As Project Lead and Remote Sensing and Hydrology Expert with iMMAP France / 3iSolution, he led a UNDP-funded river basin monitoring project for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Iraq. He contributed to the development and operationalization of the Iraq Water Information Management System, centralized national hydro-meteorological datasets, prepared needs and capacity assessments, built capacity-building plans, and trained water-sector professionals in ArcGIS Pro, R and SWAT+. He also contributed to the Accra Flood Early Warning System in Ghana as Junior Hydroinformatics Expert, supporting HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS model development, structure and channel database preparation, field verification, flood extent checking, and validation of alert locations with local communities. This work demonstrates his practical contribution to flood risk management and early warning. In Ethiopia, he worked with ABEK Water Consultancy on GIS and hydrology assignments, including irrigation land suitability mapping for Adda and Becho irrigation development, data quality verification, proposal development, client reporting, and hydrological-spatial analysis. Earlier, at the University of Gondar, he taught water resources engineering for more than eight years, trained MSc students in Python for computational hydraulics, taught GIS and remote sensing, and co-advised MSc research in hydrological modelling and remote sensing. His technical capacity is modern and highly valuable for Africa’s water sector. He works with R, Python, ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Dashboards, ArcGIS StoryMaps, SWAT+, HEC-HMS, HEC-RAS, MIKE SHE, MIKHYDROBasin, QGIS, hydrological data analysis, GIS, remote sensing, decision-support systems, and basin information systems. His PMP certification adds strong project management discipline to his technical profile. Kibrewosen brings strong value to AquaLinked / Water for Africa Experts because he represents the future direction of African water expertise: data-driven, internationally connected, scientifically grounded, digitally skilled, climate-aware, and capable of building practical decision-support systems for river basins, flood early warning, climate adaptation, and water resources management.
Key Expertise
Major Projects and Contributions
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PhD Research in Environmental Engineering – Lithuanian Energy Institute
Conducts PhD research at the Lithuanian Energy Institute focused on reconstructing historical land-cover dynamics, assessing hydrological changes linked to land-cover change, modelling land-cover impacts on runoff generation, quantifying uncertainty, assessing combined climate and land-cover impacts under SSP scenarios, and translating findings into adaptation guidance. -
Iraq Water Information Management System – Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Served as Project Lead and Remote Sensing and Hydrology Expert for the UNDP-funded project developing the River Basin Monitoring System for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Iraq. He helped implement the Iraq Water Information Management System, now operational, supporting improved national water data management and basin monitoring. -
Hydro-Meteorological Data Centralization for Iraq NCWRM
Centralized hydro-meteorological datasets from automated and manual monitoring stations across the Euphrates, Tigris and Shat-Al-Arab river basins for the Iraqi National Center for Water Resources Management, strengthening data access, water monitoring, and decision-making capacity. -
Needs Assessment and Capacity Building for Iraqi Water Institutions
Developed needs and capacity assessment reports, prepared a practical capacity-building plan, updated the plan based on institutional needs, and presented results to stakeholders including UNDP Iraq, the Iraq Ministry of Water Resources, and the Water Scarcity Community of Practice. -
ArcGIS Pro, R and SWAT+ Training for Hydrological Applications
Prepared detailed training manuals for ArcGIS Pro, R, and SWAT+ and delivered training sessions to strengthen national capacity in hydrological data analysis, spatial water assessment, and river basin modelling. -
Accra Flood Early Warning System – Ghana
Worked as Junior Hydroinformatics Expert for the Accra Flood Early Warning System Centre in Ghana, supporting hydrological and hydraulic model development using HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS, including database setup, structure and channel data collection, field verification, flood extent checks, and alert-location validation with communities. -
HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS Model Support for Flood Risk Management
Supported model experts in updating and detailing HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS models, verifying calculated flood extents, checking field conditions, and improving technical foundations for flood early warning and urban flood risk management. -
GIS and Hydrology Consultancy – ABEK Water Consultancy
Worked as GIS and Hydrology Expert with ABEK Water Consultancy, verifying hydrological and spatial data quality, preparing proposals, progress and terminal reports, conducting partner engagement, and supporting hydrology and GIS-based water resources projects. -
Adda and Becho Irrigation Development Project – Irrigation Land Suitability Mapping
Created standard GIS maps for irrigation land suitability for the Adda and Becho Irrigation Development Project in Ethiopia, supporting evidence-based irrigation planning and land suitability assessment. -
Lecturer of Water Resources Engineering – University of Gondar
Served for more than eight years as Lecturer of Water Resources Engineering at the University of Gondar, teaching GIS, remote sensing, basic hydraulics, open channel hydraulics, hydraulic structures, software applications in hydraulic engineering, and laboratory demonstrations in fluid mechanics and hydrostatics. -
Python for Computational Hydraulics and MSc Student Training
Trained MSc students in Python for computational hydraulics and supported MSc-level teaching in GIS for water management, numerical methods, and computational hydraulics, strengthening digital water engineering capacity. -
MSc Research: Optimization of Transboundary Reservoir System in the Nile Basin
Completed MSc thesis research at IHE-Delft on optimization of a transboundary reservoir system in the Nile Basin, using the Tekeze-Atbara system as a case study. This work reflects strong capacity in reservoir systems, optimization, and basin-scale water management. -
Bachelor Research: Bedessa Watershed Rainfall-Runoff Modelling Using HEC-HMS
Completed bachelor thesis research at Arba Minch University on rainfall-runoff modelling of the Bedessa Watershed using HEC-HMS, building an early foundation in hydrological modelling and catchment analysis. -
Groundwater Potential and Basin Water Assessment Concept Notes
Prepared concept notes and proposals on Gondar area groundwater potential mapping and Tekeze and Abay basin water potential assessment, contributing to applied water resources research planning in Ethiopia. -
Technical Documents and Training Manual Development
Prepared major technical documents including hydrological information management needs assessment reports, capacity assessment reports, capacity-building plans, ArcGIS Pro hydrological applications training manuals, and advanced Excel and R hydrological data analysis training manuals. -
Project Management Professional Certification and Agile Capacity
Earned Project Management Professional certification from the Project Management Institute and completed training in practical generative AI for project managers and applied Scrum for agile project management, strengthening project delivery, leadership, and technical coordination capacity. -
Climate Resilience, IWRM and Nature-Based Solutions Training
Completed professional development in nature-based solutions for water management and climate adaptation, IWRM for climate resilience, GIS for climate action, R essentials for water, spatial data science, cartography, and Python for research. -
Water Youth Network and OneWater.blue Volunteer Contribution
Contributes as Website Specialist for the Water Youth Network and Amharic Translator for Onewater.blue, supporting youth engagement, water communication, and knowledge accessibility in the water sector. -
Future Contribution: Digital Water Systems and Climate-Resilient Hydroinformatics for Africa
Aims to contribute to international and interdisciplinary work in hydrology, hydroinformatics, remote sensing, climate-resilient water management, basin information systems, flood early warning, decision-support systems, research innovation, and water-sector project leadership across Africa and beyond.