Kifle Hagos

Fisheries, Animal & Veterinary Science
vita

Kifle Woldesilassie Hagos is an IGERT fellow in his first year Ph. D. program at the Department of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences. His research work involves on-bottom mussels’ development in Narragansett Bay with Prof. Barry Costa-Pierce.
 
Kifle started his professional career at the age of 21 as an industrial chemist working for a Dutch international sugar production enterprise operating in East Africa. Inspired by his four years of experience and the then prevailing political situation in his home country, Eritrea, Kifle decided to pursue higher education.

He studied geological prospecting and graduated with a Diploma from a Geological Prospecting Institute in Moscow, Russia. As a student Kifle had the opportunity to travel to various geological sites in Russia, including the Crimean Peninsula, Central Russian plains, and an iron ore mine in Western Siberia where he worked on his thesis. During his stay in Moscow Kifle was politically active in support of his country’s independence movement.

A degree in geology could have enabled Kifle to take a professional career or to pursue advanced studies. Instead, he elected to devote his time working for his community and his homeland among immigrant youth where he believed he could make a difference. He was elected to the leadership of an association of Eritrean immigrant students in Europe. Stationed first in Stockholm, Sweden, and later in Frankfort, Germany, he took on the task of organizing, mentoring and networking Eritrean immigrant youth in European countries. His duties demanded extensive travel within Western Europe. Four years later, Kifle assumed an executive position and moved to the head office of the youth organization in Eritrea. He continued his services for five years until independence was achieved in May 1991.

In 1992, Kifle joined the Ministry of Marine Resource and served diligently for 9 years, holding various positions in fisheries management, adapting to multiple requirements of the Ministry, as well as his newly emerging country. Kifle contributed in the areas of policy formation and execution, resources development, community empowerment, and nature conservancy. Among his assignments: project management (UNDP/FAO funded fisheries rehabilitation program); coordination of international cooperation; policy enforcement; and preparation of short- and long-term work plans. His most recent position, prior to his departure for the US, was Director of Fisheries Management. Among other responsibilities, Kifle coordinated an integrated seawater farming/aquaculture project in Massawa along the Red Sea coast. This was a joint-venture investment project aimed at creating wealth by commercially producing shrimp, tilapia and salicornia oil seeds. In addition, it was designed to restore the barren coastal ecosystem of Eritrea long degraded by natural and human factors.

 As his assignments became more complex and demanding, Kifle felt the need to upgrade his level of education to effectively carry out his multiple tasks. He completed a Master’s program in Environmental Studies at Brown University.  He is currently enrolled in a graduate program at the University of Rhode Island, where he optimistically anticipates sharing experiences and establishing networks in the profession.

Kifle is conversant in Italian, Russian, German and Arabic. In private life, Kifle is a happily married family person and father to two young boys.