Professional Summary
Ethiopian Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineer and University Lecturer with more than seven years of academic, research, teaching, hydrological modelling, watershed analysis, water resources management, and civil engineering experience. Misrak Kefelegn Besha holds an MSc in Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering from Arba Minch Institute of Technology and a BSc in Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering from Aksum University. She currently serves as Lecturer at Woldia University, where she teaches undergraduate engineering courses, supervises student projects and research, contributes to curriculum development, and supports the formation of future engineers. Her earlier academic service at Aksum University strengthened her experience in hydraulic and water resources engineering education, laboratory and field practical sessions, student advising, community service, faculty-level responsibilities, and academic committee participation. She also gained valuable engineering exposure through the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, where she participated in environmental and social impact data analysis, construction material laboratory testing, and observation of major dam construction works. Her technical capacity includes hydrological and hydraulic modelling, watershed analysis, sustainable land management, runoff assessment, GIS and remote sensing, water distribution modelling, and advanced tools such as SWAT, SWAT-CUP, HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, MODFLOW, SWMM, CADAM, EPANET, WaterCAD, StormCAD, FlowMaster, CulvertMaster, AutoCAD, MATLAB, ArcGIS, ERDAS Imagine, Digital Earth Africa, and VegET-mizuRoute. Her profile brings strong female professional representation to AquaLinked / Water for Africa Experts and highlights an emerging African woman engineer contributing to water resources education, hydrological modelling, watershed science, and sustainable water development in Ethiopia.
Key Expertise
Major Projects and Contributions
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Lecturer – Woldia University
Serves as Lecturer at Woldia University, delivering undergraduate engineering courses, supervising student projects and research, participating in curriculum development, and contributing to the academic formation of future hydraulic and water resources engineers. -
Assistant Lecturer – Aksum University
Served as Assistant Lecturer at Aksum University, teaching hydraulic and water resources engineering courses, supporting laboratory and field practical sessions, advising students, and evaluating academic work. -
Academic Staff and Committee Service – Aksum University
Contributed to academic and institutional service at Aksum University as Community Service Council Member, Faculty Council Member, and Rehabilitation Committee Member, supporting university development, community engagement, and academic governance. -
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Internship Experience
Completed engineering internship experience at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, participating in environmental and social impact data analysis, laboratory testing of construction materials, and observation of major dam construction works. -
Master’s Thesis on Sustainable Land Management and Runoff
Completed MSc thesis research titled Evaluation of the Impact of Sustainable Land Management on Runoff in a Micro-Watershed, contributing to hydrological modelling, watershed analysis, runoff assessment, land-water interaction studies, and sustainable water resources management. -
Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering Design Project
Completed a final-year Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering Design Project, strengthening applied design capacity in hydraulic structures, water systems, hydrology, watershed engineering, and civil engineering applications. -
Hydrological and Hydraulic Modelling Software Capacity
Applies hydrological and hydraulic modelling tools including SWAT, SWAT-CUP, HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, MODFLOW, SWMM, CADAM, EPANET, WaterCAD, StormCAD, FlowMaster, CulvertMaster, AutoCAD, and MATLAB to support water resources analysis, watershed modelling, water system assessment, and engineering applications. -
GIS, Remote Sensing and Digital Water Data Skills
Uses GIS and remote sensing tools including ArcGIS, ERDAS Imagine, Digital Earth Africa, remote sensing methods, and geospatial interpretation to support watershed analysis, hydrological assessment, water resources management, and applied research. -
Professional Training in Water Resources, AI and Hydrological Modelling
Completed professional trainings in Water Resources Management, Women in AI and Data Science, Academic Research Methodology, Advanced Technical Training on GUNT Equipment, Digital Earth Africa, and Hydrological Modelling with VegET-mizuRoute models through IWMI. -
Female Professional Contribution to African Water Engineering
Represents an important female professional contribution to African water engineering through her combined experience in university teaching, hydrological modelling, watershed analysis, water resources management, hydraulic modelling software, GIS, remote sensing, and student supervision. -
Applied Research and Capacity Building in Water Resources
Contributes to applied research and capacity building in water resources through teaching, supervision, curriculum participation, thesis work, technical training, and practical exposure to major national water infrastructure.