Melese Getenet Dessie

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Full Name: Melese Getenet Dessie

Academic Rank: Assistant professor

Academic Level: PhD 

School/College: Earth Sciences

Department: Geology

Field of Specialization: Physical Land Resources Engineering (Hydrogeology)

Address: Zenzelma, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

Phone No: +251927642352 / +34631225836

Email: melese.getenetd@gmail.com

Brief Biography: I obtained my BSc degree in Geology from Bahir Dar University in 2014. I received MSc degree in Physical Land Resources Engineering from Free University of Brussels (Belgium) in 2017. The focus of my MSc dissertation was on groundwater hydrochemistry and recharge estimation of Ribb river catchment in Lake Tana Basin (Ethiopia). Since June 2018, I am studying my PhD at the University of Granada (Spain). My PhD research focuses on mineral self-organization and pattern formation in high-pH and carbonate-rich soda lakes of the East African Rift Valley. Hence, I am studying evaporation-driven mineral precipitation and hydrogeochemical evolution of soda lakes, mineral self-organization in soda lakes, its geochemical plausibility and relevance to origin of life and life detection on early Earth and other planets.

Research Interest:

My research interest is on hydrogeochemical evolution, rock-water interactions, and groundwater hydrochemistry and recharge studies. Currently, my research interest grew to mineralogy and petrology of hydrothermally precipitated rocks and minerals in tectonically active rift settings, hydrothermal rock-water interaction and origin of hydrothermal water. I am also keen to study and relate modern sinters, cherts and their micro-fossil preservation mechanisms with that of Archean chert deposits to search for early Earth fossil evidence of origin of life. I am interested, as well, in mineral self-organization and its role in abiotic synthesis of prebiotic organic compounds and the origin of life on early Earth and Earth-like planets. Updates on my research activities can be found on researchgate.net (Melese Getenet) and orcid.org (0000-0002-0733-7277).

List of Publications:

  1. Getenet, M., Garcia-Ruiz J.M., Verdugo-Escamilla. C., Guerra-Tschuschke, I. 2020. Mineral Vesicles and Chemical Gardens from Carbonate-Rich Alkaline Brines of Lake Magadi, Kenya. Crystals, 10, 467. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10060467

position: 
Assistant professor