Could you please explain your scientific background in a couple of words?
For more than 15 years, I have been working continuously in the fields of hydrology and water management in different governmental organizations and universities in Vietnam, South-East Asian countries and Germany. As a lecturer, I worked for 5 years at Danang University for Science and Technology in Vietnam. I gave lectures in hydrology, river training and coastal engineering, and participated in various research projects in the field of water resources. During this time, I joined the Network for Sustainable Hydropower Development in the Mekong river countries (NSHD-M) as a stakeholder and trainer to conduct workshops and trainings for local stakeholders in Vietnam. This network was organized by the MRC-GIZ Cooperation Programme (2011-2015). I came to Germany in autumn 2015 for my PhD at Kiel University (CAU) and have been working as a scientific researcher since early 2020 at the Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG, Germany).
What made you apply at ICWRGC?
The key mandates of ICWRGC, i.e. a focus on research, education and promoting cooperation between (inter-)national experts, stakeholders and scientist, as well as supporting many operational hydrological services. They exactly match my qualifications. ICWRGC’s topics also cover my research interests, where hydrological alteration under global changes is my main study subject. What I also bring into the ICWRGC team is a strong international background as well as my longtime working experience in interdisciplinary teams, not only in scientific fields but also in terms of practical aspects.
What are your main responsibilities at ICWRGC?
I am involved in a joint project funded by BMBF to develop an operational, multi-sectoral global drought hazard forecasting system (OUTLAST) and responsible for the coordination between WMO, German project partners and stakeholders from Lake Victoria Basin (Africa) and Central Asia. I establish an automated workflow and develop a concept to enable long-term operationalization and implementation of a drought hazard forecasting system. My tasks also include organizing workshops in local regions and at the BfG to present and evaluate the developed product from OUTLAST.
What do you expect from your time at ICWRGC?
During my time here, I hope to sharpen my professional skills (building concept and co-design for long-term operational inter-institute global models) and strengthen other coordination skills (e.g. stakeholder dialogue, networking with other (inter-)national organizations such as UN, WMO, GIZ, GWP…). These will complete my profile and expand my capacity in terms of interdisciplinary collaboration under global changes.
