HYDROC - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Water Management Team
Devaraj has 18 years of experience in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), water resources planning and allocation, hydrology, climate change, training and capacity building, and stakeholder engagement. He has worked on river basin plans, groundwater conservation, modelling and planning water resources with stakeholders, assessing Climate Change impacts, Ecosystem-based Adaptation, Water-Food-Energy Nexus, hydropower and hydro-economics. He worked for projects funded by GIZ, KfW, ADB, WB, AFD, IKI and UNDP. He has experience in more than 20 countries, in Africa, Asia, Caucasus, Europe and Small Islands.
Devaraj is particularly interested in collaborating with different stakeholders for inclusive planning and exchange of knowledge.
He is also an Associate of the Stockholm Environment Institute, has a PhD in hydrology from France and is a native French speaker.
Devaraj has 18 years of experience in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), water resources planning and allocation, hydrology, climate change, training and capacity building, and stakeholder engagement. He has worked on river basin plans, groundwater conservation, modelling and planning water … Read More
Job Titles:
- Member of the Water Management Team
Dmytro is a hydrogeologist with broad expertise in hydrology studies, water monitoring, and environmental impact assessment. Dmytro has long-term experience in groundwater and surface water monitoring in Eastern Ukraine, including observation points grid design, water sampling, field measurements, hydrochemical data processing, mapping and spatial analysis in GIS. His experience also covers assessment of impacts on water quality, delineation of water catchments and water source protection zones, isotope hydrology studies, in particular analysis of environmental stable isotopes composition, water pollution sources identification and water balance estimation. Dmytro is an associate professor at O. M. Beketov National University of Urban Economy in Kharkiv (Ukraine) providing lectures on Environmental Geology and Geospatial Analysis in Environmental Studies.
Dmytro is a hydrogeologist with broad expertise in hydrology studies, water monitoring, and environmental impact assessment. Dmytro has long-term experience in groundwater and surface water monitoring in Eastern Ukraine, including observation points grid design, water sampling, field measurements, hydrochemical data … Read More
Job Titles:
- Member of the Water Management Team
As the leader of the TAMSAT programme, and TAMSAT/ENACTS early warning system Dr. Black has gained substantial knowledge and experience of the set-up and maintenance of Early Warning Systems. The system provides early warning of rainfall excess/deficit for the whole of Africa. Further she has vast experience in statistical analysis and data processing as well as quality control (including time series and checking). She has worked with data of varying quality from meteorological organisations in African and the Middle East for 12 years and is familiar with the development of reliable EWS under limited data availability. Dr. Black is currently working with HYDROC and Antea as meteorologist for the development of a Flood Forecasting and Early Warning System in Papua New Guinea.
Education: PhD, MA
As the leader of the TAMSAT programme, and TAMSAT/ENACTS early warning system Dr. Black has gained substantial knowledge and experience of the set-up and maintenance of Early Warning Systems. The system provides early warning of rainfall excess/deficit for the whole … Read More
Job Titles:
- Hydraulic Engineer
- Member of the Water Management Team
- Hydraulic Engineer, Water Resources Manager
Georg is a hydraulic engineer, water resources manager and hydrologist with 20 years experience in team leadership, management, technical advice and supervision of international donor and private sector funded water resources, hydraulic engineering and infrastructure projects. Areas of expertise include wadi and wetland systems, flooding, harbors and dams. Georg has long term experience in overseas projects including water resources management at the Amu-Darya Basin, wetland mapping in the Nile Basin, assessment of climate change impacts in arid regions, the Panama Canal Third Set of Locks hydraulic design, the Xiaolangdi Multipurpose Dam Project in China, Lesotho Highlands Water Project, Birecik Barrage in Turkey, Jade-Weser-Port construction in Germany, port planning projects in Russia and large scale infrastructure works in Sudan. He is leading research projects on the Nile hydrology, is a specialist on Nile studies and a visiting lecturer at the University of Kiel, Germany.
Education: Dipl.-Ing., MSc, PhD, CEng
Georg is a hydraulic engineer, water resources manager and hydrologist with 20 years experience in team leadership, management, technical advice and supervision of international donor and private sector funded water resources, hydraulic engineering and infrastructure projects. Areas of expertise include … Read More
Job Titles:
- Lecturer
- Member of the Water Management Team
Dr. Gordon O'Brien, lecturer at the University of Mpumalanga, is an environmental flow expert and practitioner with sound freshwater and riverine ecology expertise. He has been in charge for the development of an environmental flow methodology for the Nile Basin for NBI-GIZ, as well as various applications of regional scale ecological risk assessment techniques, incorporating ecosystem and statistical modelling techniques, for water resource management in southern, eastern, and central Africa. Gordon has specific experience with ecological water requirements and environmental flow assessments that are associated with river basin management as well as the construction and operation of dams, irrigation schemes and other major developments on large rivers in Africa including the Nile, Zambezi, Thukela and Vaal, Senqu and Nzoro and Kibali Rivers. In addition, Gordon has evaluated the environmental performance of major industries, the impacts of alien invasive species on indigenous species and multiple stressors to a broad range of ecological and socio-economic endpoints within numerous catchments on a reach to catchment scale (Nile, Limpopo, Vaal and Umvoti catchments). For more than a decade Gordon has been researching the biology and ecology of aquatic species and their use as ecological indicators throughout southern, eastern, and central Africa.
Education: PhD, MSc
Dr. Gordon O'Brien, lecturer at the University of Mpumalanga, is an environmental flow expert and practitioner with sound freshwater and riverine ecology expertise. He has been in charge for the development of an environmental flow methodology for the Nile Basin … Read More
Job Titles:
- Civil Engineer
- Member of the Water Management Team
Dr. Jens Kiesel is a civil engineer and water resources modeller with more than 10 years of international experience in project planning and implementation. Jens works from the local- to the transboundary basin scale, covering cities, catchments and countries in Europe, Africa and Asia. He specialized in predicting natural and anthropogenic impacts on the water cycle, erosion and agriculture for rural and urban regions. He is a proficient user of numerous modelling tools, GIS systems and the Python and R programming languages. He is also strongly involved in research projects where his main interests lie on the alteration of the aquatic environment and ecosystems. Jens is regularly carrying out lecturing, capacity building and on-the-job training during his assignments.
Education: Dipl.-Ing, PhD
Dr. Jens Kiesel is a civil engineer and water resources modeller with more than 10 years of international experience in project planning and implementation. Jens works from the local- to the transboundary basin scale, covering cities, catchments and countries in … Read More
Job Titles:
- Member of the Water Management Team
Drian is a hydrologist based in South Africa with 8 years of broad expertise in environmental management, hydrology and civil engineering. Drian is registered with SACNASP as a professional natural scientist in water resource sciences. Drian has experience in environmental specialist work including environmental impact assessments, management of specialist studies and environmental auditing. Hydrological expertise include groundwater and surface water monitoring, run-off modelling, catchment and flood-line delineation, mapping and spatial analysis in GIS. His civil engineering experience covers hydraulic design of stormwater, sewer and water reticulation systems. Drian has also lectured at the North West University in South Africa, providing lectures on Hydrology and Geophysics.
Education: BSc Hons, MSc
Drian is a hydrologist based in South Africa with 8 years of broad expertise in environmental management, hydrology and civil engineering. Drian is registered with SACNASP as a professional natural scientist in water resource sciences. Drian has experience in environmental … Read More
James MacKenzie is an ecologist, and, since 2003, is working on assessments and management of wetlands and riparian zones throughout southern Africa. He has 18 years of experience in riparian and wetland specialist work including vegetation surveys, assessment of present ecological status, wetland and riparian zone delineation, wetland offset calculations and strategies, determination of Environmental Flow Requirements, assessment of Ecological Importance and Sensitivity, assessment of Habitat Integrity, the development of monitoring protocols and programmes, the development and definition of management goals for Strategic Adaptive Management (SAM) (Ecological Specifications and Thresholds of Probable Concern), the development of VEGRAI (Riparian Vegetation Response Assessment Index), and presentation of VEGRAI training in many fora, and vast participation in EIA's with focus on the riparian and / or wetland component of specialist aquatic surveys. The geographical span of his work includes the following countries / regions: South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia. Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, Inner Niger Delta (mostly Mali), Mekong (including Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia), and the Nile River Basin (10 African countries).
Education: MSc, BSc
James MacKenzie is an ecologist, and, since 2003, is working on assessments and management of wetlands and riparian zones throughout southern Africa. He has 18 years of experience in riparian and wetland specialist work including vegetation surveys, assessment of present … Read More
Juan Fernandez is a flood modelling and early warning specialist. During his more than 14 years of experience Juan has applied his hydraulic and hydrology skills in the disaster field, considering mainly river modelling, coastal studies and flood defence projects and always considering climate change. Juan has great experience in early warning projects, in the coastal and in the flooding field, noting his involvement in several research projects and in the implementation of early warning systems in Georgia, Azerbaijan and Spain. He was the Flood Expert for the development and specification of the Flood Service for all the Southern Africa (SADC) countries within the MESA-SADC-THEMA project.
Juan has been working as lead modeller in several flood studies and flood risk assessments for regional authorities and private developers. Juan has been the lead hydrologist for several studies too. Juan has also provide in-house training to a number of staff members in GIS, river modelling, 2D modelling and hydrology modelling. Juan is carrying capacity building initiatives in Georgia and Azerbaijan regarding hydraulic modelling and flood mitigation options, early warning systems and flood forecasting. Juan has participated in several research and development projects, both at Spanish and European levels. Juan has participated in several proposal writing for European and International projects.
Education: MSc, BSc
Juan Fernandez is a flood modelling and early warning specialist. During his more than 14 years of experience Juan has applied his hydraulic and hydrology skills in the disaster field, considering mainly river modelling, coastal studies and flood defence projects … Read More
Mohamed Osman has 7 years of professional experience in academia, research and development organizations (e.g. USAID, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, WB/GFDRR, UNICEF, DFID, EU, IGAD/IDDRISI, Benadir University, SIMAD University, Amoud University, East Africa University, Makerere University, Tulane University, University of Minnesota, University of Kansas etc.). He has worked with academic and research institutions, intergovernmental, governments, non-governmental and civil society and with a focus on disaster resilience leadership, programming and learning, disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation/ climate resilience, food security, capacity building, sustainable development as well as budget transparency and fiscal discipline. Mohamed Osman Mohamoud is an academic with long-term experience in designing and managing twinning programs with Universities on resilience, institutional development, and leadership. He is currently Executive Director of Somali Disaster Resilience Institute affiliated to Benadir University. He also serves as the ResilientAfrica Network Focal Person in Somalia which is one of the seven global development innovation labs funded by the Higher Education Solutions Network of USAID. Further he serves as the Program Director for the Program to Enhance Resilience in Somalia funded by USAID, Disaster Resilience Leadership funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation SLDRP for the Horn of Africa and Somalia. Mohamed is Steering Committee Member of IGAD's Drought Resilience and Sustainability Initiative (IDDRIS) responsible for networking and building new partnerships and coalitions in Somalia and Horn of Africa region to advance the IDDRISI goals and aspirations. He holds a dual Master of Arts degrees in Economics, and Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding from Makerere University and Kampala International University in Uganda.
Education: MA, BA
Clement is a physical geographer, with long-lasting background in satellite remote sensing and GIS. Areas of expertise include land cover mapping, change detection and trend analysis, provision of bio-physical indicators of vegetation (e.g. LAI), land surface phenology and landscape stratification. Main data sources are from satellite, complemented by airborne and drone-based sensors. Clement has long term experience employing remote sensing analysis in various environmental and climatic zones. He is leading research projects in Europe, Africa and South America and full professor at BOKU in Vienna, Austria.
Education: PhD, MSc
Sandra is a qualified environmental manager with specific backgrounds in geography and hydrology. For 3 years, she has been working in the fields of natural resource conservation and water resource management. Sandra has technical experience in setting up measuring campaigns for water quality studies i.e. nutrient and pesticide monitoring. She has know-how in project planning, hydrological modelling, statistical analysis and application of GIS tools. Her modelling experience covers 1-D water balance modelling from surface water bodies focusing on nutrient and pesticide transport processes with the open source environment R. The GIS experience includes data management, statistical analysis, mapping and visualisation with latest versions of QGIS and GRASS. Examples for her participation in international projects include the development of training material for integrated water resource management in Azerbaijan, delineation of land use management and climate change scenarios in Tajikistan, design flow calculations in Afghanistan, mapping and assessment of freshwater ecosystems in Nile Basin, GIS analysis for watershed suitability in Somalia and Malawi as well as water balance modelling in Georgia and Afghanistan. She is a scientific assistant at the University of Kiel, Germany.
Sandra is a qualified environmental manager with specific backgrounds in geography and hydrology. For 3 years, she has been working in the fields of natural resource conservation and water resource management. Sandra has technical experience in setting up measuring campaigns … Read More