French national successfully defended his PhD dissertation at ACEWM on December 19, 2023. Dr Stanislas’s research topic is entitled “Efficacy of Pesticide Removal in Vertical-Flow Constructed Wetlands for Application in the Floriculture Industry”. His work contributed to a better understanding of pesticide dynamics under various operating conditions for the vertical flow CW, and demonstrated that modeling is a practical tool to assess and predict the performance of the CW with detailed spatial and temporal information.

The developed model, in contrast to black-box models, considers the key physicochemical processes behind pesticide removal in the CW, including a hydraulic model to account for the varying water saturation. The model was tested on the pilot-scale vertical flow CW, and simulated the fate of two different pesticides.

Due to the nature of mechanistic model, the developed model is readily configurable using existing chemical property values that can be retrieved from the literature, and will become a versatile tool in terms of the applicability to other pesticides.

Dr. Stanislas not only immersed himself in the rich Ethiopian culture but also displayed an extraordinary cultural integration; where he and his French wife gave their two kids Ethiopian names called Eden and Zekarias.

His supervisor Prof. Feleke Zewge said throughout his studies, Stanislas’s Amharic fluency became a key asset in his interactions enabling him to delve deeper into his chosen field of study and engage in meaningful discussions.

The day of Stanislas’s dissertation defense was a significant circumstance, filled with a sense of pride and achievement. As he stood before the esteemed panel of examiners, consisting of the Chairperson Dr. Beteley Tekola, Deputy Director of ACEWM, his internal examiner Prof., Dr.-Ing Esayas Alemayehu of Jimma University and his external examiner, Prof. Nigus Gabbiye of Bahir Dar University, he presented his research with confidence and fluency in Amharic, impressing all those in attendance.

Prof. Feleke Zewge, the Director of ACEWM is the main supervisor of Dr stanisles’s Dissertation where as Dr. Yoshihiko Inagaki from Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan is Co supervisor.

Prof. Feleke Zewge said Dr. Stanisles’s story serves as an inspiration to all who face barriers of language, cultural differences, and distance. He further stated ACEWM will continue being Regional Center of Excellence by producing international water experts.

As Dr stanislas go a head in his professional journey, armed with his PhD in hand and his fluency in Amharic, he expressed his readiness to contribute to the international discourse on water science and technology.