My research area of interest is renewable energy. Since energy is the engine of everything that does many works. For my research specifically on Organic Solar Cells’ power conversion performance using Plasmonic Nanoparticles at different layers of inverted Organic solar cells, I am studying the title “Unraveling Plasmon-Coupled Power Conversion Efficiency Enhancement in Wide-Band Gap Polymers-Based Organic Solar Cells: Both Experimental and Computational Approaches” at Addis Ababa University under the supervisors of Prof. Newayemedihin Aberra Tegegn and Dr. Nika Bekri Abdullah from Ethiopia. This study aims to solve the world’s energy problem and the Horn of Africa, which will contribute to the future of the rift specifically Ethiopia because Ethiopia is found in the Horn of Africa and is one of the parts of the rift.

I study functional anatomy of plio-pleistocene hominins’ shoulder with biomecanical modeling methods. Notably, I work with Omo Group Research Expedition from the lower Omo Valley.

Fluoride pollution in soil is often overlooked in comparison to heavy metals and organic pollutants, but it has negative impact to human health and plants when it exceeds the limits. Fluoride consumption beyond 1.5 mg/L in water can induce a variety of bone disorders, including tooth mottling and lesions of the endocrine glands, thyroid, liver and other organs to humans while on plants it causes necrosis and chlorosis. It is often overlooked because of its ability to affect humans and animal slowly compared to other pollutants like heavy metals. Once fluoride is accumulated in soils, it can appears in different forms and the soluble fluoride is up-taken by plants and finds its way into the food chain imposing health risks on higher trophic levels. The aim of this study was to investigate the spatial distribution of fluoride in cultivated and uncultivated soils and the effects of farming practices on fluoride availability and distribution along the slopes of Mount Meru – a volcanic mountain.

The study area lies in the rift valley zone and its waters is largely used for irrigated agriculture (horticultural crops) is rich in fluoride. Samples from cultivated land were collected from smallholder farms and samples from uncultivated land were collected from Arusha National Park. Soil and water samples were randomly collected from the study area and were analyzed for fluoride content. Results indicate that concentration of fluoride in water and soil samples are higher for cultivated land when compared to uncultivated land. Research is however, ongoing to understand the magnitude of contamination and distribution of fluoride along the landscape.

Study of volcanic activity and its impact on populations in the East African Rift, in particular, numerical and analogue modelling of magma propagation in rift zones. Recent project: E-DOOR (UNESCO-IGCP) (2023-2025).

I am interested in understanding the mechanisms behind the evolution of climate over the last 100 million years. At the continental scale, I am interested in the interactions between atmosphere and vegetation, and the impact of orographic barriers such as the Rift shoulders on atmospheric dynamics.

Climate and “Earth system” models are my daily tools, but I am particularly interested in interdisciplinary approaches, one of the fundamental questions of my research being to understand the interactions between paleogeography, climate and the evolution of biodiversity over geological time.