Mamo Kassegn Sisay | African Expert Database

Professional Summary

Mamo Kassegn Sisay is an accomplished Ethiopian hydrometeorologist, hydrologist, climate scientist, WASH researcher, and water resources professional with more than 15 years of experience connecting climate science, water resources engineering, public health, field research, modelling, and policy-oriented analysis. His professional journey spans the Ethiopian Meteorology Institute, Addis Ababa University Ethiopian Institute of Water Resources, and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute, where he currently applies climate science to public health, environmental health, and evidence-based policy development. He holds two MSc degrees from Addis Ababa University in Water Supply and Sanitation and Water Resources Engineering and Management, as well as a BSc in Meteorology from Arba Minch University. His technical strength covers WRF modelling, Python, R, MATLAB, GIS, remote sensing, Digital Earth Africa, machine learning, seasonal climate prediction, flood and drought monitoring, WASH governance, hydro-economic analysis, climate-health modelling, and hydroclimatological field data collection. Mamo represents a new generation of African water and climate experts who combine scientific depth, field experience, digital technology, and public-health relevance to produce practical solutions for climate-resilient water management, early warning systems, and sustainable development in data-sparse African regions.

Key Expertise

Hydrology Hydrometeorology Meteorology Water Resources Engineering Water Supply and Sanitation WASH Climate Science Climate-Health Linkages Public Health and Environmental Health Research WRF Modelling GIS ArcGIS ArcGIS Pro QGIS Remote Sensing Earth Observation Digital Earth Africa Sentinel-1 SAR Analysis Python R Programming MATLAB Machine Learning Artificial Neural Networks Seasonal Climate Prediction Sub-Seasonal Climate Prediction Flood Forecasting Drought Monitoring Hydroclimatological Field Data Collection Climate Data Analysis Climate Services Early Warning Systems Rainwater Harvesting Urban WASH Governance Hydro-Economic Analysis Transboundary Water Management Water Sector Capacity Development ODK Collect KoboToolbox Google Survey Policy Briefs Peer-Reviewed Research Graduate Teaching and Supervision

Major Projects and Contributions

Climate Science and Public Health Research – Ethiopian Public Health Institute
Conducts climate-health research at the Ethiopian Public Health Institute, applying climate science, WRF modelling, ArcGIS Pro, R, Python, evidence synthesis, project coordination, and policy-oriented research to understand climate-sensitive health risks and support adaptive public-health strategies.
Seasonal Climate Prediction Using Artificial Neural Networks
Leads ongoing research on seasonal climate prediction for climate-smart agriculture in Ethiopia, using artificial neural networks, rainfall data, sea-surface temperature information, and atmospheric circulation indicators to improve forecast skill and support climate-informed agricultural decisions.
River Basin Simulations for Cooperative Transboundary Water Management
Contributed to river basin simulation research supporting cooperative approaches to transboundary water management, with emphasis on hydrological modelling, climate scenarios, water allocation, and basin-level decision support relevant to the Nile and other shared water systems.
ACEWATER II and III – African Water Sector Capacity Development
Participated in African water-sector capacity development initiatives through ACEWATER programmes, supporting national strategy development, curriculum strengthening, professional training, regional research networking, and institutional capacity building in water sciences and technology.
Urban WASH Governance and Institutional Capacity Assessment
Led and contributed to research assessing institutional capacity gaps, strengths, and challenges in urban water, sanitation, and hygiene governance in Ethiopia, using surveys, key-informant interviews, ODK Collect, KoboToolbox, institutional analysis, and policy-oriented evidence generation.
Rainwater Harvesting for Refugee Camp Schools
Served as principal investigator on a community engagement project in Benishangul Gumuz Region, Ethiopia, designing rainwater harvesting solutions to supplement water supply in refugee camp schools and support vulnerable communities through practical, climate-resilient water access.
Hydro-Economic Analysis for Ethiopia
Worked on hydro-economic analysis supported by 2030 Water Resources Group, assessing the economic value of water across agriculture, energy, domestic supply, industry, and future scarcity scenarios to inform national water allocation and planning discussions.
High-Frequency Hydroclimatological Field Data Collection in the Upper Blue Nile and Awash Basins
Led and supported hydroclimatological field campaigns involving instrumentation, automatic weather stations, water-level loggers, soil-moisture sensors, GSM-based data transmission, and high-frequency data collection for model calibration and tropical basin research.
Digital Earth Africa, Earth Observation, Flood and Drought Monitoring
Applies Digital Earth Africa, satellite Earth observation, remote sensing, GIS, machine learning, and cloud-based analysis to water resources, wetlands, agriculture, drought assessment, flood monitoring, and climate-resilient water and food-security applications.
Mapping Climate Knowledge Networks and Information Flows in Ethiopia
Co-authored research mapping knowledge networks and climate-information flows in Ethiopia to improve climate communication, adaptive information tools, stakeholder coordination, and the movement of climate knowledge from national institutions to local decision makers.