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Staff Members CV

The Center has more than 45 senior-level faculty from national, regional, and international institutions. ACEWM affiliated 38 faculty who are engaged in teaching, research, joint supervision of students, and offering short courses.

Adey Feleke

Assistant Professor of Applied Microbiology at Addis Ababa University
Water Science & Technology
Personal Information
  1. Full Name: Adey Feleke Desta
  2. Title: Assistant Professor of Applied Microbiology at Addis Ababa University
Professional Preparation/Educational Background
  1. PhD in 1989 at Iowa State University, Ames, IA
  2. MSCE in 1985 at Memphis State University, Memphis, TN
  3. BSCE in 1981 at University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
Experiences And Appointments
  1. As of November 2019, Chair of the Department of Microbial, Cellular and Molecular Biology, AAU.
  2. As of July 2014, Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbial, Cellular and Moleculer Biology and Institute of Biotechnology, AAU
  3. March 2004 – June 2014, Lecturer, Department of Biology, AAU
  4. June – Sept 2003, Research assistant in Ghibe-Tolley station, International Livestock Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Selected Publications/Conference Participation/Pertinent
  1. Bitew K. Dessie, Samuel Melaku, Sirak Robele Gari, Birhanu T. Ayele, Adey F. Desta, Adane Mihret, (2020). Evaluation of toxic elements in nails of tannery workers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  Microchemical Journal, 159, 105589, ISSN 0026-265X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.microc.2020.105589. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0026265X20328563)
  2. Stephen Nayfach , Simon Roux , Rekha Seshadri , Daniel Udwary , Neha Varghese , Frederik Schulz, Dongying Wu, David Paez-Espino, I-Min Chen, Marcel Huntemann, Krishna Palaniappan, Joshua Ladau, Supratim Mukherjee, T. B. K. Reddy, Torben Nielsen, Edward Kirton, José P. Faria, Janaka N. Edirisinghe, Christopher S. Henry, Sean P. Jungbluth, Dylan Chivian , Paramvir Dehal, Elisha M. Wood-Charlson, Adam P. Arkin, Susannah Tringe, Axel Visel, Helena Abreu, Silvia G. Acinas, Eric Allen, Michelle A. Allen, Gary Andersen, Alexandre M. Anesio, Graeme Attwood, Viridiana Avila-Magaña, Yacine Badis, Jake Bailey, Brett Baker, Petr Baldrian, Hazel A. Barton, David A. C. Beck, Eric Becraft, Harry Beller, Michael Beman, Rizlan Bernier-Latmani, Timothy D. Berry, Anthony Bertagnolli, … Adey Desta, Hebe Dionisi, Jeremy Dodsworth, Nina Dombrowski,… Jamie Woolet, Kelly Wrighton, Jun Ye, Erica B. Young, Noha Youssef, Feiqiao Brian Yu, Tamara I. Zemskaya156 and Ryan Ziels18, Tanja Woyke, Nigel J. Mouncey, Natalia N. Ivanova, Nikos C. Kyrpides and Emiley A. Eloe-Fadrosh (2020). A genomic catalog of Earth’s microbiomes. Nature Biotechnology, DOI: 10.25982/53247.64/1670777
  3. Tesfaye A Abate, Adey F Desta and Nancy G Love (2020). Evaluating tannery wastewater treatment performance based on physicochemical and microbiological characteristics: An Ethiopian case study. Water Environment Research, in press https://doi.org/10.1002/wer.1364
  4. Daniel Hussien Reta, Tesfaye Sisay Tessema, Addis Simachew Ashenef, Adey Feleke Desta, Wajana Lako Labisso, Solomon Tebeje Gizaw, Solomon Mequanente Abay, Daniel Seifu Melka, Fisseha Alemu Reta (2020) Molecular and Immunological Diagnostic Techniques of Medical Viruses, International Journal of Microbiology, Article ID 8832728, 19. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/8832728
  5. Misganaw AS, Bika AT, Desta AF (2020) Quality Rapid Diagnostic Laboratory Test: A Way for Curving COVID-19 Global Inferno. J Med Diagn Meth 9:292. doi: 10.35248/2168-9784.2020.9.292
  6. Zerihun Tsegaye, Adey Feleke, Tesfaye Alemu and Fassil Assefa (2019). Screening and biochemical identification of tef (Eragrostis tef zucc. trotter) endophytic bacterial species with plant-growth-promoting, biotic and abiotic stress tolerance properties. JSc EUSL. 10:2, 21 – 38.
  7. Yonas Kassahun Hirutu, Meseret D. Bayeleygne, Adey F. Desta, Tewdros Tariku and Markos Abebe (2019). Bioinformatics in action: Training workshop    on    Mycobacterium     wholegenome sequence data analysis. EMBnet Journal 24: e920. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.14806/ej.24.0.920 
  8. Hemen Tesfaye, Haile Alemayehu, Adey F. Desta and Tadesse Eguale (2019). Antimicrobial susceptibility profile of selected Enterobacteriaceae in wastewater samples from health facilities, abattoir, downstream rivers and a WWTP in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control 8:134 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-019-0588-1
  9. Alebachew Mesele Kebede, Fitsum Girma Tadesse, Adey Feleke Desta, Lemu Golasa and Endalamaw Gadisa (2019). Effect of low complexity regions within the PvMSP3alpha block II on the tertiary structure of the protein and implications to immune escape mechanisms.  BMC Structural Biology 19 (6) DOI/10.1186/s12900-019-0104-0.
  10. Zerihun Tsegaye, Birhanu Gizaw, Genene Tefera, Adey Feleke, Solomon Chaniyalew, Tesfaye Alemu and Fasil Assefa (2019). Isolation and Biochemical Characterization of Plant Growth Promoting (PGP) Bacteria Colonizing The Rhizosphere of Tef Crop During the Seedling Stage. Biomed J Sci & Tech Res 14(2). BJSTR. MS.ID.002534.  
  11. Desta AF., Nzioki J, Maina S. and Stomeo F (2017). Molecular biomonitoring of microbial communities in tannery wastewater treatment plant for the removal of retanning agents. In: Biological Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recovery. Farook R. and Ahmed Z. InTech Publiishers, Croatia, ISBN: 978-953-51-3046-8
  12. Desta AF, Assefa F, Leta S, Stomeo F, Wamalwa M, Njahira M and Djikeng A (2014). Microbial community structure and diversity in an integrated system of anaerobic-aerobic reactors and constructed wetland for the treatment of tannery wastewater in Modjo, Ethiopia. PLOS-ONE 9(12):e115576. DOI: 10.1371.
  13. Christin Koch, Susanne Günther, Adey F. Desta, Thomas Hübschmann & Susann Müller (2013). Cytometric fingerprinting for analysing microbial intra-community structure variation and identifying sub-community function.  Nature Protocols 8: 190- 212
  14. Adey F. Desta, Gunnel Dalhammer and Gunatrana R. Kittuva (2010). A modified   culture-based study of bacterial community composition in a tannery wastewater treatment plant.  Water Sci. Technol. 62: 2543-2549. 
  15. Ema, P.J.N, Manjeli, Y., Meutchieyie, F., Keambou, C., Wanjala, B., Desta, A. F., Ommeh, S., Skilton, R. and Djikeng, A. (2014). Genetic diversity of four Cameroonian indigenous cattle using microsatellite markers. J. Livestock Sci. 5: 9-17.
  16. Adey Feleke, Beyene Petros, Woudyalew Mulatu, Hailemariam Lemecha, Abebe Wossene and Rege J.E.O. (2008). Study on monthly dynamics of ticks and seroprevalence of Anaplasma marginale, Babesia bigemina and Theileria mutans in four indigenous breeds of cattle in Ghibe valley of Ethiopia. SINET: Ethiop. J. Sci., 31:11-20.
  17. Adey Feleke, Beyene Petros, Woudyalew Mulatu, Hailemariam Lemecha, Abebe Wossene and Rege J. E. O. (2007). Resistance of Abigar, Guraghe, Horro and Sheko Breeds of Cattle to Tick Infestation in Ghibe - Tolley Valley. Bull. Anim. Hlth. Prod. Afr. 55: 163 - 174.
  18. Tadesse Eguale, Getachew Tilahun, Asfaw Debella, Adey Feleke and Eyasu Mekonen (2007) Haemonchus contortus: In vitro and in vivo anthelmintic activity of aqueous and hydro- alcoholic extracts of Hedera helix. Experimental Parasitology 116, 340-345.
  19. Tadesse Eguale, Getachew Tilahun Asfaw Debella, Adey Feleke and Eyasu Mekonnen (2007) In vitro and in vivo anthelmintic activity of crude extracts of Coriandrum sativum against Haemonchus contortus, Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 110, 428-433.
  20. Tadesse Eguale, Asfaw Debella and Adey Feleke (2006) In vitro anthelmintic activity of crude stem bark extracts of Albizia gummifera on Haemonchus contortus, Bull. Anim. Hlth. Prod. Afr. 54, 168-174.
Participation In Research Projects And Community Engagement Participation In Research Projects
  1. 01 January 2021 – 31 December 2022 , PI of a research on “Detection and Characterization of SARS-CoV2 in water and sanitation system of Addis Ababa” funded by NRF/RISA.
  2. Nov 2019 – Oct 2020, PI of a research on “Childhood diarrhoea in Butajira Health and Demographic Surveillance System: Risks, bacterial agents and antimicrobial resistance profile in human-animal-water interface” supported by the University of Liverpool via HORN SANDPIT project.
  3. Oct 2017 – 2020 PI of a Research on “Promoting Resource- Oriented Sanitation in Periurban Ethiopia through the Production of Struvite from Digested Sludge Filtrate”, by PEER (Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research), a program jointly funded by USAID, NIH, NSF, National Academies.
  4. Oct 2016 – 2019 PI of a Research on “Nutrient Reclamation form Source- Separated Urine in Ethiopia”, granted by the Office of Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer, Addis Ababa Uniersity, Ethiopia.
  5. Jan 2015 – Dec 2017, African Women in Agriculture and Development (AWARD) Fellow.
  6. August 2015 – February 2016, University of Michigan- African Presidential Scholarship (UMAPS) Fellow.
  7. Sept 2009 – August 2012, DAAD In-Country/ In-Region Fellow.
Community Engagement
  1. Associate editor of Ethiopian Journal of Biological Sciences (EJBS), Since Oct 2019
  2. Member of the management committee of Microbial Ecology and Wastewater Engineering (MEWE) specialist group of International Water Association (IWA) since September 2019.
  3. Royal Society of Biology (RSB), Member since 2016.
  4. Ethiopian Young Academy of Sciences (EtYAS). founding fellow since 2015 and treasurer of the executive committee since 2018.
  5. International Water Association (IWA), member since 2006.
  6. Biological Society of Ethiopia (BSE), member since 1999 and member of the Executive committee of BSE from 2003- 2005, 2019 - 2021.
Training and Professional Development
  1. Harnessing resource-oriented sanitation through the development of automated struvite reactor from public urinals in Addis Ababa: Pilot-scale optimization and impact assessment, funded by OVPRTT, Addis Ababa University, from Dec 2019 – Jun 2022.
  2. Promoting Resource- Oriented Sanitation in Peri-urban Ethiopia through the Production of Struvite from Digested Sludge Filtrate, funded by PEER (Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research) program from Oct 2017 – 2020.
  3. Reclamation of nutrients from source- separated urine in central and southern parts of Ethiopia, funded by OVPRTT, Addis Ababa University, from Oct 2016 – Jun 2019.
  4. Metagenomic Analysis of the fate of antibiotic resistance genes and pathogens in source- separated urine undergoing sanitization at the University of Michigan, USA from Sept 2015 – Feb 2016.
  5. Metatranscriptomic and metagenomic analysis of microbial community in an integrated biological Tannery wastewater treatment system in BecA hub- ILRI Nairobi from Feb – Aug 2014.
  6. Microbial community structure and diversity in a sequencing batch reactor integrated with constructed wetland for the treatment of Tannery wastewater in BecA hub- ILRI Nairobi from Feb –May 2012.
  7. Molecular fingerprinting- and Flow cytometry- based characterization of microbial community for the treatment of tannery wastewater: fate of two selected retanning chemicals in a bench-scale SBR in UFZ, Germany, from Mar. - Sept 2010.
  8. Culture- based characterization of microbial community in a Tannery Wastewater Treatment Plant in KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden funded by SIDA from Feb. 2006 – Jan 2007.
  9. Characterization of bacteria degrading phenolic compounds from industrial effluents- funded by OVPGSR, AAU from October – May 2009.
  10. Comparative Study of four Indigenous Cattle Breeds of Ethiopia to Tick and Tick- borne Diseases, as M.Sc research project from .
  11. The Molluscicidal Potency of three Endod (Phytolacca dodecandra) Berries as a 4th year research project. May –Sept. 1999.
Main Research Activities/Inters
  • My research interest is in applied microbiology.

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