• Environment and Development specialist with over twelve years of academic, applied research, and consultancy experience in climate variability, land use dynamics, livelihood systems, and environmental resource management in Ethiopia. Strong expertise in integrating environmental analysis with socio-economic systems, particularly in drought-prone agricultural landscapes. Experienced in multi-regional field assessments, donor-supported development projects, technical reporting, and institutional capacity building.

• Taught the following undergraduate and postgraduate courses: Climate Risk Management and Resilience, Environmental Impact Assessments, Wildlife Ecology and Management, Natural Resource Economics, Ecotourism Principles and Approaches, Principles of Environmental Science, Integrated Environmental Resource Management, Valuation of Environmental Resources, Environmental Sociology and Ethics, Gender and Development, and Advanced Research Methodology.

• Research and professional work focus on understanding how environmental change, land degradation, and climate variability influence agricultural productivity, rural livelihoods, and resilience systems. 

Education

2015-2022
PhD in Development Studies (Environment and Development), University of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 

2010-2012
MA in Tourism and Development, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia (2010–2012)

2006-2009
BSc in Wildlife and Ecotourism Management, Hawassa University, Ethiopia (2006–2009)

July 2014 to June 2015
Diploma in HDP (higher diploma program), Aksum University, Ethiopia

Professional Experience

Since August 2026
Fellow researcher at Academy in Exile at TU Dortmund University, Germany

September 2025 to August 2026
Remote visiting researcher, Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada 

December 2023 to July 2026
Assistant Professor, Wollo University, Ethiopia

September 2009 to November 2023
Assistant Professor / Lecturer, Aksum University, Ethiopia

April 2015 to October 2015
Head of Department of Animal Science, Aksum University, Ethiopia

• Climate variability and drought dynamics
• Livelihood system vulnerability assessment
• Land use and land cover change analysis
• Ecosystem services valuation and environmental resource governance
• Climate adaptation and linking to security and migration management 
• Project design, monitoring, and evaluation

• Environmental & Spatial Analysis
• Advanced GIS and Remote Sensing applications
• Land use / land cover change detection and modeling
• Soil moisture and vegetation stress mapping
• Drought monitoring and early warning analysis
• Urban heat island and terrain analysis
• Ecosystem services assessment

• ArcGIS
• ArcGIS Pro
• Google Earth Engine
• ERDAS IMAGINE
• Python
• R
• machine learning

• English: B2
• Amharic: Fluent
• Tigrigna: Fluent
• Oromo: Fluent
• Arabic: Good

Sisay, Mandefro, Semaigzer Ayalew, Alemu Ale, Jemal Nasir, Melkam Alewoye Getie, and Solomon Addisu Legese. "Soil Organic Carbon Storage Potential of Gerado Watershed and Its Implication on Climate Change Mitigation in the North-Eastern Highlands of Ethiopia." Discover Environment 4, no. 1 (2026): 127. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44274-026-00649-9.

Gidey, Eskinder, Emiru Birhane, Paidamwoyo Mhangara, Fikereselise Akalu, Jemal Nasir, Solomon Hishe, and Oagile Dikinya. "Modeling Future Land Use and Land Cover Change and Hydrological Implications in the Dabus Watershed of Southwest Ethiopia." Discover Geoscience 4, no. 1 (2026): 28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44288-026-00399-4.

Gidey, Eskinder, Paidamwoyo Mhangara, Emiru Birhane, Oagile Dikinya, Romano Lottering, Solomon Hishe, Amanuel Zenebe et al. "Ecotourism Suitability Mapping and Analysis in Tigray–Northern Ethiopian Highlands." Journal of Ecotourism 24, no. 3 (2025): 288. https://doi.org/10.1080/14724049.2024.2396473.

Gidey, Eskinder, Emiru Birhane, Paidamwoyo Mhangara, Medhn Gidey, Oagile Dikinya, Romano Lottering, Jemal Nasir et al. "Expanding Forest Cover Increases the Ecosystem Service Values of Dry Afromontane Forests in Tigray, Ethiopia." Land Degradation & Development 36, no. 10 (2025): 3294. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5564.

Nasir, Jemal, Tesfaye Zeleke, Eskinder Gidey, Engdawork Assefa, Shishay Kahsay, Emiru Birhane, and Paidamwoyo Mhangara. "The Synergetic Effect of Drought and Land Use Changes on Ethiopian Rift Valley Northwestern Escarpment Livelihood Systems." Discover Environment 3, no. 1 (2025): 20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44274-025-00193-y.

Gidey, Eskinder, Paidamwoyo Mhangara, Tirhas Gebregergs, Woldegebriel Zeweld, Haftamu Gebretsadik, Oagile Dikinya, Said Mussa, Amanuel Zenebe, Atkilt Girma, Girmatsion Fisseha, Alemu Addisu, Jemal Nasir, Tesfaye Zeleke, and Emiru Birhane. "Analysis of Drought Coping Strategies in Northern Ethiopian Highlands." SN Applied Sciences 5, no. 7 (2023): 195. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-023-05409-5.

Ahmed, Jemal Nasir, Engdawork Assefa Tilahun, Tesfaye Zeleke Italemahu, Eskinder Gidey Sintayehu, and Said Mussa Said. "Analyzing Trends and Drivers of Land Use and Land Cover Dynamics in Drought-Prone Livelihood Zones of the Northwestern Escarpment of the Ethiopian Rift Valley." Papers in Applied Geography 9, no. 2 (2023): 230. https://doi.org/10.1080/23754931.2022.2074304.

Ahmed, Jemal Nasir, Engdawork Assefa Tilahun, Tesfaye Zeleke Italemahu, Eskinder Gidey Sintayehu, and Befikadu Esayas Amphune. "Modeling the Vulnerability of Livelihood Systems to Drought along Livelihood Zones in the Northwestern Escarpment of the Ethiopian Rift Valley." Papers in Applied Geography 9, no. 1 (2023): 1. https://doi.org/10.1080/23754931.2022.2068352.

Nasir, Jemal, Engdawork Assefa, Tesfaye Zeleke, and Eskinder Gidey. "Modeling Seasonal and Annual Climate Variability Trends and Their Characteristics in Northwestern Escarpment of Ethiopian Rift Valley." Modeling Earth Systems and Environment 8, no. 2 (2022): 2551–65. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-021-01247-9.

Nasir, Jemal, Engdawork Assefa, Tesfaye Zeleke, and Eskinder Gidey. "Meteorological Drought in Northwestern Escarpment of Ethiopian Rift Valley: Detection of Seasonal and Spatial Trends." Environmental Systems Research 10, no. 1 (2021): 16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40068-021-00219-3.

• Addis Ababa University and the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, for the project on “Contribution of the non-profit sector to African economies with specific focus on the creation of employment for young” in Amhara Region (07/2025)

• Smallholder Farmers (SEFFA Project) Technical capacity building need assessment for DAB consultancy in collaboration with GIZ for sustainable energy in Amhara and Oromia Regions and Addis Ababa City (12/2022–01/2024)
• Aksum University, Ethiopia, Assistant Professor, Animal Science Department (08/2023–11/2023)

• DAB DRT in collaboration with the University of Denver, project funded by USAID to assess the progress and challenges of READ II’s Pivot 6 activity implemented and diagnostic of the education context in Northern Ethiopia, Affar Regional state (12/2022–01/2023)

• Addis Ababa University, in collaboration with the Ethiopian Economics Association, project titled “Investigation on poverty, food security, quality of work and participation in leadership among women employees in industrial parks in Ethiopia” in Kombelcha Industry Park (10/2022).
 
• Ethiopian Economics Association for the USAID-funded research titled “Outsourcing of non-clinical services in public hospitals” in Amhara, Tigray, and Afar Regions (11/201712/2017)

• Ethiopian Economics Association for the USAID-funded research titled “Assessment on the Implementation of the System of Exemptions for Health Services in Ethiopia” in Amhara and Tigray Regions (02/2017–03/2017)

• Ethiopian Economics Association for the USAID-funded research titled “Implementation status, effectiveness, and the functioning of health facilities’ revenue retention and utilization on improving quality of health services” in Amhara and Tigray Regions (04/2016–05/2016)

• Ethiopian Economics Association for the USAID-funded research titled “Enhancing the role of academia in evidence generation for action in health care financing in Ethiopia” in Amhara, Tigray, and Afar Regions (05/2016–06/2016).
 

• Supervised two MSc theses (soil erosion, watershed management)
• Internal and external examiner for seven MSc students
• Reviewer of 62 manuscripts in international journals

• Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) Conference at Addis Convention Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (05/2025)

• 21st International Conference on the Ethiopian Economy by the Ethiopian Economics Association at the Ethiopian Economics Association multipurpose hall, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (07/2024)

• 8th International Policy Conference on the African Child, organized by the African Child Policy Forum (ACPF), at the United Nations Conference Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (05/2019) 

• Research Grant: Food Security & Conflict Impact Study in Tigray, Ethiopia (2023–2024)

• Principal Investigator: Community Landscape Restoration Project, South Wollo (2022)

• PhD Scholarship Award, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia (2015–2022)

• MSc Fellowship 2018 (KFUPM, Saudi Arabia)

• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
• Institutional Research Ethics Review Committee at Wollo University

• Department Graduate Council (DGC) committee at Aksum University

• Department Council (DC) committee at Aksum University

• Department & College Research Council committee at Aksum University

• Focus Non-Governmental Charity Organization for Integrated Development

• Ethiopian Economic Association
 

Training for Research Ethical Review. Ethiopian Ministry of Higher Education, January 2024.

Certificate of Completion: Programming for Everybody – Getting Started with Python (py4e101x). MichiganX / University of Michigan, via edX, June 6, 2023. https://courses.edx.org/certificates/a061d0280a3a4ad4bf36aad8877c974c.

Certificate of Completion: Nature-based Solutions for Disaster and Climate Resilience. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction (PEDRR), in collaboration with the SDG Academy, via edX, July 3, 2023.

Certificate of Completion: Designing a Multidimensional Poverty Index. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), University of Oxford, April 15, 2020.

Certificate of Completion: Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture (AGORA). Research4Life / AGORA, July 19, 2020.

Certificate of Completion: Access to Research for Development and Innovations (ARDI). Research4Life / ARDI, coordinated by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), July 19, 2020.

Certificate of Completion: Research for Global Justice (GOALI). Research4Life / GOALI, coordinated by the International Labour Organization (ILO), July 19, 2020.

Certificate of Completion: Research for Health (Hinari). Research4Life / Hinari, under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO), July 19, 2020.

Certificate of Completion: Environmental Security and Sustaining Peace. SDG Academy, via edX, March 26, 2019. https://courses.edx.org/certificates/dc6342f7e8664f4f8bf89985791bd889.

Certificate of Completion: Climate Actions – Solutions for a Changing Planet (CA001). SDG Academy, via edX, April 22, 2019. https://courses.edx.org/certificates/020d994a441e49d6b99327d9af5c1143.

Certificate of Completion: Environmental Protection and Sustainability (EPS1x). IsraelX, via edX, April 9, 2019. https://courses.edx.org/certificates/56f47364abfd4adebeb3851b6e6c1b81.

Certificate of Completion: Biodiversity Finance. UNDP Biodiversity Finance Initiative, NBSAP Forum, CBD, and OECD, via Learning for Nature, May 25, 2019.

Certificate of Completion: Age of Sustainable Development (CA001ASD001). SDG AcademyX, via edX, November 24, 2019. https://courses.edx.org/certificates/5310223ab82f4cca8798fda6b7eb9e2f.

Certificate of Completion: Farm Data Management, Sharing and Services for Agriculture Development. Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Pan-African Farmers' Organization (PAFO), November 10, 2019.

R Programming Training. Addis Ababa University, April 2016.

GIS and Remote Sensing Training. Aksum University in collaboration with Metropolitan University, April 2015.

Electronic Library Resources Training Workshop on TEEAL and AGORA. ITOCA and Cornell University's Mann Library, in partnership with Aksum University and Research4Life Programs, August 2015.