Masresha Fetene
FAAS Function as a service (FaaS) is a category of cloud computing services that provides a platform allowing customers to develop, run, and manage application functionalities without the complexity of building and maintaining the infrastructure typical ...
(, born 15 December 1954) is an Ethiopian professor of Plant Ecophysiologist at the Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management,
Addis Ababa University
Addis Ababa University (AAU) ( am, አዲስ አበባ ዩኒቨርሲቲ) is a national university located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is the oldest university in Ethiopia. AAU has thirteen campuses. Twelve of these are situated in Addis Ababa, ...
.
Early life and education
Masresha Fetene was born in
Mertolemariam,
Gojjam,
Amhara Region, Ethiopia in 15 December 1954.
He obtained a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
in Biology from the Department of Biology, Addis Ababa University (1976–1982) with a distinction, followed by a
Master of Science
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...
from the same institute (1983–1985). He then completed a PhD in Plant
Ecophysiology (1987–1990) from the Institute of Botany,
Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany, on German Academic Exchange Service (
DAAD) PhD Fellowship, before becoming a Research Assistat until 1992 at the
University of Bayreuth on a Research Fellowship funded by German research Foundation.
Career and research
Fetene returned to Ethiopia to join the Department of Biology, Addis Ababa University, as an Assistant Professor (1993–1996), before being promoted to an Associate Professor and Head of the Department (1996–2002), and a Professor of
Ecophysiologist
Ecophysiology (from Greek , ''oikos'', "house(hold)"; , ''physis'', "nature, origin"; and , ''-logia''), environmental physiology or physiological ecology is a biological discipline that studies the response of an organism's physiology to environm ...
in 2002.
He was the Director and General Editor of Addis Ababa University Press (2006–2011), and the Associate Dean (2001–2004) and Vice President (2009–2013) of the Research and Graduate Studies, Faculty of Science, Addis Ababa University.
Between 1996 and 2004, Fetene was the Editor-in-Chief of
SINET: Ethiopian Journal of Science, a journal published by the Faculty of Science, Addis Ababa University since 1971.
Fetene research and policies focuses on
Biodiversity
Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...
,
Stress (biology),
photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored i ...
and
ecophysiology.
He obtained the International Professional Certificate of STI Policy Management from the International Science, Technology and Innovation Center for South-South Cooperation,
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
. Fetene visited the Scientific Advisory Board,
Umeå University
Umeå University ( sv, Umeå universitet; Ume Sami: ) is a public research university located in Umeå, in the mid-northern region of Sweden. The university was founded in 1965 and is the fifth oldest within Sweden's present borders.
As of 2015 ...
on a Summer Research Fellowship in 2006.
Fetene was key in the formation of the
Ethiopian Academy of Sciences The Ethiopian Academy of Sciences is a national academy founded on April 10, 2010. Pediatrician Demissie Habte served as its inaugural president. The founding class of fellows included 50 people across the natural and social sciences. It was starte ...
in April 10, 2010,
and he serves as the Executive Director since 2014. Fetene was appointed as a member of the National Council for Science, Ethiopia, in 2015. He co-founded the African Forestry Network, the Ethiopian Institute of Water Resources, and the Biological Society of Ethiopia.
Personal life
Fetene is married to Selome Bekele, a Lecturer at the Addis Ababa University, and they have 3 children.
Awards and recognitions
Fetene is a Founding Fellow of the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences in 2010,
and was elected a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences in 2015.
In 2016, Fetene received UNESCO-ICRO – Short-term Research Fellowship Award in 1994,
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation's Research Fellowship in 2000,
and a DAAD Summer Research Fellowship in 1994 and 2003.
Selected publications
* Birhane, E., FJ Sterck, M Fetene, F Bongers, TW Kuyper (2012)
''Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi enhance photosynthesis, water use efficiency, and growth of frankincense seedlings under pulsed water availability conditions'' Oecologia, 169: 895-904.
* Tesfaye G, Teketay, D., Fetene M., Beck, E. (2010). ''
Regeneration of seven indigenous tree species in a dry Afromontane forest, southern Ethiopia''. Flora: Plant Morphology, Distribution and Functional Ecology 205: 135-143.
* Getachew Tesfaye, Demel Teketay, Masresha Fetene (2002/1/1).
''Regeneration of fourteen tree species in Harenna forest, southeastern Ethiopia''. Flora-Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants 197: 461-474.
*
Aster Gebrekirstos
Aster Afwork Gebrekirstos FAAS TWAS is an Ethiopian scientist and a professor of agroforestry at World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF).
Early life and education
Aster Gebrekirstos was born in Shire, Tigray, Ethiopia as the first child of a famil ...
, Demel Teketay, Masresha Fetene, Ralph Mitlohner (2006).
''Adaptation of five co-occurring tree and shrub species to water stress and its implication in restoration of degraded lands''. Forest Ecology and Management 229:259–267.
References
External links
The Transformational Agenda of an African University, Masresha Fetene, YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fetene, Masresha
Living people
1954 births
Fellows of the African Academy of Sciences
Ethiopian scholars
Ethiopian scientists
Addis Ababa University alumni