HoA-REC&N names new Executive Director

Seyoum Leta (PhD)
Seyoum Leta (PhD)

We are very pleased to announce that Dr. Seyoum Leta has been appointed as Executive Director for Horn of Africa Regional Environmental Centre and Network (HOARECN) as of 29 September 2017. Dr. Seyoum brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from his more than 20 years of experience in environmental science and technology studies and management. Currently, Dr Seyoum is serving as an associate professor at the Centre for Environmental Science, Addis Ababa University. Dr Seyoum received his PhD in Environmental Biotechnology from Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden; MSc in Science and Technology Policy (technology, environment and sustainable development) from StrathClyde University, UK and BSc in Biology, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.

He has in-depth exposure to technology, environment and sustainable development issues. Dr Seyoum has over 20 years of experience in environmental science studies and management, working at different levels; as University lecturer and project principal investigator and at managerial levels with special emphasis in environmental biosciences. Dr Seyoum has also solid experiences in leading and managing research programs both at national, regional and international levels. He had served as the Director of the Environmental Science Program and University Registrar of the Addis Ababa University. Dr Seyoum had also been a Regional Program Manager for the Bio-resources Innovation Network for Eastern Africa Development, the Bio-Innovate Program, based in Nairobi, Kenya ((2010-2014). The Bio-Innovate Program is a regional program supporting multidisciplinary research and innovation activities in eastern Africa (Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda) aiming at promoting and applying biosciences innovations in harnessing bio-resources to support sustainable growth and transformation of the agricultural and environmental subsectors from primary production to value addition, while enhancing adaptability to climate change and strengthening innovation policy.

He has also been the principal investigator for number of research projects such as “Development of innovative technologies for the sustainable treatment of high strength wastewater in Eastern Africa”, a regional research program involving Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda funded by Sida. He developed an innovative integrated pilot technology for the treatment of agro-process wastewater, generating biogas, biofertilizer, and clean water at Modjo Tannery, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which is currently being used as a model for University –industry partnerships in the country. He has supervised over 50 MSc and PhD students in the areas of environmental biotechnology, wastewater treatment and water quality studies, waste to energy (resource recovery and climate change mitigation and adaptation studies), bioremediation, phytoremediation, microbial ecological studies, environmental sanitation. Dr Seyoum published many scientific papers on reputable international journals.