Meet the new Doctoral Fellows 2023
We are happy to introduce you our two new Doctoral Fellows 2023: Karma Sherub and Tamirat Haile. Karma strives to find solutions for mitigating human-wildlife conflict in Bhutan to protect agricultural sites and wildlife alike. Tamirat will be characterising the dynamics of droughts and providing a robust and operational drought forecasting model for the Horn of Africa.
Meet Karma Sherub
Karma Sherub is highly passionate about improving sustainable agriculture practices and ecosystem conservation. He strives to create a future in which agricultural development coexists harmoniously with the preservation of our planet’s resources. His main research interest is finding solutions to conserve wildlife species and development of mitigative measures to protect farmers’ yields from wildlife and to prevent such conflicts in the first place. He holds an M.Sc. in Forestry from the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun, India.
Doctoral Project: Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis for monitoring of wildlife species in the mountains of Bhutan
The project will track the movements and whereabouts of wildlife in Bhutan with the help of eDNA samples found in water sources. With this information farmers can be notified of their presence and are able to better protect crops and livestock. Thus, conflicts between farmers and wildlife are minimized. This is beneficial for both sides, as it safeguards the farmers’ interests while also protecting wildlife.
Supervisor: Prof. Loïc Pellissier, Ecosystems and Landscape Evolution
Meet Tamirat Haile
Tamirat Haile holds a Master’s degree in Hydraulic and Hydropower Engineering from Arba Minch University and a MAS in Sustainable Water Resources from ETH Zurich. He has lectured on Engineering Hydrology, Hydraulics, and Hydropower Engineering courses at Adama Science and Technology University. At ETH4D, he looks forward to collaborating and connecting with professionals from all over the globe. Tamirat is interested in researching the spatiotemporal dynamics of droughts and forecasting droughts using cutting-edge deep-learning techniques. In this area of research, he sees a lot of potential to enhance the well-being of people living in regions which are vulnerable to climate change and extreme hydrological events.
Doctoral Project: Drought characterization and Forecast in the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia)
The project will characterize the spatiotemporal dynamics of droughts in the Horn of Africa and provides a robust and reliable drought forecast model. Moreover, Tamirat will develop a web-based tool linking the forecasts with possible mitigation strategies and making them accessible and implementable for the public.
Supervisor: Prof. Paolo Burlando, Hydrology and Water Resources Management