A PhD candidate at the Africa Center of Excellence for Water Management, Mathewos Hailu Worku, has successfully defended his doctoral dissertation

His dissertation, titled “Microplastic Pollution in Ethiopian Rift Valley Lakes: Catchment Drivers to Food Web Function,” investigates the growing challenge of microplastic contamination in the Rift Valley lake ecosystems and examines how catchment-level drivers influence aquatic food web dynamics.

The research was primarily supervised by Prof. Tadesse Fetahi of Addis Ababa University, with co-supervision from Prof. Seyoum Mengistu, also of Addis Ababa University.

The defense session was chaired by Prof. Feleke Zewge from Addis Ababa University. Dr. Andualem Mekonnen of Addis Ababa University served as the internal examiner, while Prof. Zinabu Gebremariam from Hawassa University participated as the external examiner.

The successful defense highlights the growing body of research addressing environmental challenges in Ethiopia’s Rift Valley lake systems and underscores the role of academic institutions in advancing knowledge on emerging pollutants such as micro plastics.