We are delighted to announce that Temesgen Tsehayneh Mihret, a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Civil and Water Resources Engineering (FCWRE), Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, has successfully defended his PhD dissertation. His dissertation, entitled “Hydrological Characterization, Modeling, and Data-Driven Predictions in Data-Scarce Regions: Insights from the Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia,” focused on improving the accuracy, reliability and reproducibility of hydrological modeling in the Blue Nile Basin and the Lake Tana sub-region. The research integrated watershed classification, regionalization techniques, and deep learning approaches to improve water-balance assessment and the prediction of extreme hydrological events in data-scarce regions. Mr. Mihret’s research addressed several important components, including: Identification of hydrologically homogeneous watersheds and analysis of climate–vegetation dynamics across 76 gauged watersheds in the Upper Blue Nile Basin; Development of innovative regionalization techniques for estimating hydrological model parameters in data-scarce regions; Application of a hybrid GR4J–LSTM modeling approach for streamflow prediction, particularly for extreme events in data-scarce regions; and Integration of regression-based regionalization and deep learning techniques for improved water-balance assessment of Lake Tana. As part of his PhD journey, Mr. Mihret has successfully published three research articles from his seven PhD research studies in reputable academic journals.

The dissertation defense was evaluated by Prof. Tamene Adugna, Dr. Demelash Wondimagegn, and Dr. Minychil Gitaw, who raised insightful questions and provided valuable comments and constructive recommendations. Following a thorough evaluation, the examination committee approved his dissertation with a grade of “Excellent.” His advisory committee comprised Dr. Fasikaw Atanaw, Chair of the SDAC, Prof. Nicola Forher, and Dr. Abeyou Walle, all distinguished members of the SDAC.
The Faculty of Civil and Water Resources Engineering (FCWRE) warmly congratulates Dr. Temesgen Tsehayneh Mihret on his remarkable academic achievements and wish him continued success and excellence in his future academic and professional endeavors.