Kiya Kefeni Benti | Civil Engineering | Best Researcher Award

Kiya Kefeni Benti is a distinguished water resources engineer and academic with extensive expertise in hydrology, climate change, and environmental impact assessment. Currently a lecturer and researcher at Adama Science and Technology University, Ethiopia, he leads the Department of Water Resources Engineering and actively contributes to the Water Resources and Irrigation Engineering Center of Excellence. Kiya holds a Ph.D. (ongoing) in Civil Engineering (Water Engineering) from the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, where his research focuses on modeling climate change impacts on hydrological processes and estimating groundwater recharge in the Olifants River Basin for sustainable water resource management. He earned his MSc in Water Resources Engineering (Very Great Distinction) from Adama Science and Technology University, with a thesis on assessing climate change impacts on water availability in the Upper Awash Sub-Basin, Ethiopia, and a BSc in Water Resources and Irrigation Engineering (Distinction) from the same institution. Kiya is a registered professional engineer with APEGA and APEGS, recognized for his strong problem-solving skills, teamwork, and leadership in both research and teaching. His professional training includes advanced hydrologic and spatial analysis, remote sensing for agriculture, WaPOR-based water productivity analysis, and Python-based geospatial modeling. His research interests span hydrology, watershed management, integrated water resources management, hydro-informatics, climate change impact assessment, surface and groundwater modeling, irrigation water demand, and land and water productivity. Kiya has published impactful research, including the 2025 article “Assessing Streamflow Response to Climate Change Under Shared Socioeconomic Pathways in the Olifants River Basin, South Africa”. He has received multiple awards for academic excellence, including gold medal recognition for his MSc performance. His contributions have earned him an h-index reflecting scholarly impact, and he continues to mentor graduate students while advancing sustainable water management practices.