Tobias Siegfried

Resume / Vita / C.V. / Curriculum Vitae

 

Address
Short Bio
Research
Qualifications
Additional Qualifications
Consulting
Awards
Publications: Books
Publications: Journals Publications: Other
Invitied Talks
Personal Information
Varia
Reviewer

 Address

Dr. Tobias Siegfried
Columbia University
918 S.W. Mudd Building
Mail Code 4711
5000 W. 120th St.
New York, NY 10027

email: ts2392@columbia.edu
Phone: +1.212.854.1695
Fax: +1.212.854.7081
skype: tobisiegfried
NYC, 2006

 Short Bio

Currently, Tobias Siegfried is a fellow at the Earth Institute and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at SIPA, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University in the City of New York. He investigates the problems of freshwater depletion and degradation in the context of demographic and economic development. His work is focused on regions where resources such as soil and water are scarce and where the implementation of efficient and sustainable management strategies is difficult due to inadequate economic and political as well as institutional environments. By coupling physical resource models with agent-based game theoretic, Siegfried investigates adequate place-specific institutional mechanisms that help to successfully address these issues. He uses methods from surface and groundwater flow and transport modeling, stochastic discrete multi-objective optimization as well as statistical learning etc.. At the moment, Siegfried's main work focuses on

> Upstream-/Downstream conflicts in the Aral Sea Basin, Syr Darya River.

> The current and future water challenge of India - Development of novel approaches to sustainable water resources development.

> Groundwater markets in India – Impacts on the environment and the welfare distribution of the rural population.

During his professional career he has worked on water supply problems in rural Botswana and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Furthermore, while working on his PhD he visited Tunisia and Libya on several occasions for fieldwork. Tobias Siegfried studied environmental physics at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ), Switzerland where he got a Master of Science Degree. He went on to study International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science where he got another Master of Science degree. He carried out his PhD at the Institute of Environmental Engineering at ETHZ with Prof. Wolfgang Kinzelbach. Tobias Siegfried published his interdisciplinary scientific work in leading journals of the respective fields. He reviews papers and proposals sent to National Science Foundation, Water Resources Research, Computational Optimization and Applications and Journal of Hydrology.

Current Research Interest / Expertise
  • Agent-Based modeling using statistical learning methods and its application to water management problems
  • Freshwater resources and soil management in arid zones
  • Numerical transport and flow modeling
  • Stochastic search methods / Evolutionary algorithms
  • Game theory
  • Agent-based modeling
  • Decision theory and risk management
  • Reinforcement learning

Academic Qualifications

06.2007-09.2007 SIPA, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University Adjunct Assistant Professor
09.2006-09.2008 Earth Institute, Columbia University Earth Instiute Fellow
10.2005-08.2006

Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, Columbia University

Visiting Research Scientist (Prof. Upmanu Lall)
5.2005 - 9.2005

Center for Comparative and International Studies, International Relations, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich

Postdoctoral Research Scientist (Prof. Thomas Bernauer)
7.2004 - 4.2005 Institute of Hydromechanics and Water Resources Management, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich Postdoctoral Research Scientist (Prof. Wolfgang Kinzelbach)
06.07.2004 Dissertation in Environmental Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich PhD
3.2000 – 7.2004 Institute of Hydromechanics and Water Resources Management, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich Research Assistant (Prof. Wolfgang Kinzelbach)
11.1998–11.1999 London School of Economics and Political Science, London, MSC Post-Graduate Study: History and Theory of International Relations
10.1992– 9.1997 Environmental Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, MSC Graduate Studies, deepening in the field of Aquatic Physics


Additional Qualifications

Languages
  • German, native language
  • English, written and spoken, excellent
  • French, written and spoken, good
 
Programming
  • Extensive knowledge in numerical modeling as well as in programming with symbolic and numerical toolkits (Matlab, Mathematica, Maple)
  • Knowledge of object-oriented programming (JAVA, Matlab).
 

 Consulting Work

2007 UNDP, in collaboration with Lucas Beck, ETHZ. Options for Water Resources Management in Darfur, Sudan
2004 ARMINES in collaboration with Ecole des Mines, Paris, France Groundwater Modeling Expert, Arlit Water Supply, Niger
2002, 2003 Addis Ababa Water and Sewerage Authority,
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia                        
Groundwater Modeling Expert, Addis Ababa Water Supply Project, Stage III A Groundwater Phase II
1997-1998 Institute of Hydromechanics and Water Resources Management, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich Development of a sustainable water management practice in Botswana, Khurutse Area, Botswana
1996 Ernst Basler + Partner Quantification and consequences of nitrate pollution in Switzerland
1995-1996 Ernst Basler + Partner Environmental assessment report in the Lake Ohrid area (on behalf of the World Bank)

 Scholarships and Awards

2007 Named a Revolutionary Mind for 2007 by Seed Magazine
2006 Earth Institute Researchers Award, USD 30'000
2006-2008 Earth Institute Fellowship, Columbia University, New York
2005 Postdoctoral Fellowship of the Swiss National Science Foundation
2004 Nomination for ETH silver medal for an outstanding doctoral thesis
1998

ETH-Award and Medal for an outstanding diploma thesis

1998 Scholarship of the “Emil Boral-Stiftung für Postgraduierte aus Oesterreich und der Schweiz”
1989 Swiss Winner of a European Space Agency (ESA) competition on occasion of ESA’s 25th Birthday

 Publications: Books
2005 Tobias Ulrich Siegfried, Optimal utilization of a non-renewable transboundary groundwater resource - Methodology, case study and policy implications, Schriftenreihe des Instituts fuer Hydromechanik und Wasserwirtschaft, Zuerich 2005, ISSN 1423-7997 (download pdf)

 Publications: Peer-Reviewed Journals

[1]
2008 Lall U., Heikkila T., Brown C., Siegfried T., Water in the 21st century: Some Aspects of a Global Resource and Environmental Challenge, Journal of International Affairs, accepted for publication;
[2]
2007 Foshee J. R., Gosh A., Graham C., Murray W., Ruben-Salama C., Siegfried T., Thirsty for Change: Considering Water Privatization in Developing Nations, Consilience: Journal for Sustainable Development, accepted for publication;
[3]
2007 Kwon, H., Khalil, A., Siegfried, T., Analysis of Extreme Summer Rainfall Using Climate Teleconnections and Typhoon Characteristics In South Korea, JAWRA, accepted for publication;
[4]
2007 Balloumi, M., Siegfried, T., Matoussi, M., Kinzelbach, W., An efficiency comparison of two institutional types of farms, Agricultural Systems, submitted;
[5]
2006 Bernauer, T. and Siegfried, T., On Cooperation, Compliance and Performance in International Water Management, Global Governance, accepted for publication;
[6]
2006

Siegfried, T. and Bernauer, T., Estimating the performance of international regulatory regimes: Methodology and empirical application to international water management in the Naryn / Syr Darya Basin , Water Resour. Res., 43, W11406, doi:10.1029/2006WR005738;

Russian translation: Тобиас Зигфрид и Томас Бернар, Оценка выполнения международной политики

[7]
2006 Siegfried, T. and Brown, C., Game-theoretic Framework for Water Allocation Decisions using Stochastic Learning Methods, in preparation;
[8]
2006 Siegfried, T., and W. Kinzelbach, A multiobjective discrete stochastic optimization approach to shared aquifer management: Methodology and application, Water Resour. Res., 42, W02402, doi:10.1029/2005WR004321;
[9]
2005 Siegfried T., Kinzelbach W. Spatial Economic Aspects of Groundwater Management, Water Resources Research, in preparation;
[10]
2005  Siegfried, T., Bleuler, S., Laumanns, M. Zitzler, E., Kinzelbach, W. Multi-Objective Groundwater Management Using Evolutionary Algorithms, IEEE Transactions on Evolutionary Computation, accepted for publication;
[11]
2005 Zammouri M., Siegfried T., El Fahem T., Kriaa S., Kinzelbach W., Salination of Groundwater in the Nefzawa Oases (Tunisia): Results of a Regional–Scale Hydrogeologic ApproachHydrogeology Journal, 2007, doi: 10.1007/s10040-007-0185-x;
[12]
2003 Kinzelbach W., Bauer P., Siegfried T. And Brunner P., Sustainable Groundwater Management Problems and Scientific Tools, Episodes, Vol. 26, No. 4, December 2003
[13]
2002 Siegfried T., Kinzelbach W., Management of Internationally Shared Groundwater Resources in Semiarid and Arid Regions - The Northern African Aquifer System, In: Hydrology of Mediterranean and Semiarid Regions, IAHS Publication, no. 278, 2002;
[14]
2002 Kunstmann H., Kinzelbach W., Siegfried T., Conditional first-order second-moment method and its application to the quantification of uncertainty in groundwater modeling, Water Resources Research, Vol. 38, No. 4, 2002
[15]
1996 Schläpfer D., Siegfried T., The Lake Ohrid Conservation Project, World Water and Environmental Engineering, April 1996;
[16]
1990 Siegfried T., Benz R., Wachter G., Astronomie im Weltraum, Orion, 48. Jahrgang, Nr. 237, April 1990;

 Publications: Other

2006 Kinzelbach, W., Brunner, P., Siegfried, T. 2006, Concepts and methods for sustainable water resources management, Proceedings of the XXIV Nordic Hydrological Conference, Vingsted Centret, Denmark 6 - 9 August 2006. NHP report Nr. 49, p.29-36
2006 Siegfried, T. and Bernauer, T., Measuring International Policy Performance, The International Workshop on Governance and the Global Water System: Institutions, actors and scales of water governance facing the challenges of global change, 20-23 June, 2006, Bonn, Germany
2004 Kinzelbach, W., Bauer, P. & Siegfried T., Nachhaltige Wasserwirtschaft in ariden und semiariden Regionen, Warnsignal Klima: Genug Wasser für alle?, Wissenschaftliche Auswertungen, J. L. Lozán et al. (Hrsg.), Hamburg 2004
2004 El-Fahem, T., Siegfried T., Kinzelbach W., Pfeiffer, S. and Ben Baccar B.; Isotopic and hydrochemical investigation in the origins of groundwater salination in the Nefzawa Oases (Southern Tunisia), In: Conference Proceedings of the International Conference on Soil and Groundwater Contamination – Risk Assessment and Remedial Measures, Hyderabad, India, 2004
2004 Kinzelbach, W., P. Bauer, P. Brunner & T. Siegfried, Sustainable water management in arid and semi-arid environments, In: Water Resources of Arid Areas, Stephenson, Chemang & Chaoka (eds.), Taylor & Francis Group, London, p. 3-16, 2004
2003

Kinzelbach, W., P. Bauer, T. Siegfried, P. Brunner, Sustainable water management in arid environments, In: Research Basins and Hydrological Planning. Proceedings of an international conference. Hefei, China, Xi, Gu and Seiler (eds), Taylor & Francis Group, London, p. 27-34, 2003

2003 Kinzelbach W., Bauer P., Siegfried T. und Brunner P., Nachhaltige Grundwasserwirtschaft Probleme und wissenschaftliche Werkzeuge, Österreichische Wasser- und Abfallwirtschaft, Heft 3/4, März/April 2003, Springer Verlag
2003 Siegfried T., Knappe Ressource im Nördlichen Afrika, Bulletin ETH Zürich, Nr. 289, Mai 2003
2002 Siegfried, T., Die Wüste wächst, Gegenworte, Zeitschrift für den Disput über Wissen, Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften (Hrsg.), 10. Heft, Herbst 2002
2000

Rumbou, A., Alberich, C., Kessler, P., Siegfried, T., The Nile – Addressing Future Water Scarcity, Research Paper, ETH Zürich, 16.6.2000

1997 Siegfried T., Mock R., Fuzzifizierung von Schadensindikatoren, Report, Inst. for Energy Technology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich, 1997
1997 Siegfried, T. and W. Kinzelbach, Modelling of Groundwater Withdrawal and its Consequences to the Aquifer, A Case Study in Semi-Arid Botswana, Report, Inst. of Hydromechanics and Water Res. Management, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich, 1997
1995 Siegfried T., Schubert R., Umweltorientierte Entwicklungspolitik, Centre for Economic Research, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich, August 1995

Recent Invitited Talks

April 2007 Water: A 21st Century Challenge for Sustainable Development (Panel) , Earth Institute, Columbia University
October 2006 Sustainable Water and Soil Management in Arid Zones, Many Problems, Few Solutions - The Case of Northern Africa , CERC, Columbia University
July 2006 Multi-objective Groundwater Management , FIVA - Research School of Water Resources, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
June 2006 Estimating the Performance of International Regulatory Regimes, Application to Syr Darya River / Toktogul Reservoir, Technical University of Denmark, Lynby, Denmark
May 2006 Sustainable Water Resources Management in Second-Best Environments, Dept. of Political Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA
Oct. 2005 Multi-Objective, Transboundary Aquifer Management, School of Earth Sciences, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
Dec. 2004 New Approaches to Managing Groundwater Resources, Earth Institute, Columbia University, New York City, USA
June 2005 Optimal Groundwater Management Using Discrete Stochastic Multi-Objective Opimization, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
March 2004 Optimal Utilization of Groundwater Resources, Ecole des Mines, Fonainbleau, Paris, France
Feb. 2004

Optimal Utilization of Groundwater Resources, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna

June 2003 Sustainable Management of Internationally Shared Groundwater Resources - The North-West Sahara Aquifer System, Observatoire du Sahara et du Sahel, Tunis, Tunisia

Downloads

Summer 2007 Political Economy of Freshwater - SIPA Course Summer 2007
Lecture 1 Introduction to Hydrology and the Hydrological Cycle
Lecture 2 Global Water Balance and Global Water Crisis
Lecture 3 Principles of Water Resources Management - Sustainability, Optimality, Equity and Risk / Introduction to Groundwater
Lecture 4 Groundwater Flow and Transport / Urban Hydrology, Water Challenges of Megacities and Wastewater Treatment
Lecture 5 Understanding Conflicts and Cooperation in Freshwater Resources Allocation

Varia

Reviewer

 Personal Information
Citizen:
Born:
Swiss
16.09.1970
Site Statistics

Locations of visitors to this page

Last edited: 01/30/2008, Tobias Siegfried