MOSTAFA BANITALEBI

My name is Mostafa Banitalebi, and although I already have a PhD in "Water Resources Engineering", I am currently a Master's student in "Environmental Hazards and Risk Management" at the University of Cote d'Azur. My previous Master was also in “Water Resources Engineering” with a focus on sedimentation of debris floods. In addition, my bachelor's degree was in the field of water engineering, as well.

I have completed a 3-month internship at MSc RISKS - Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France (2022), consist of:

• Extracting parameters for hydrological modeling using satellite imagery and ancillary data
• Comparing soil texture contents of different databases
• Three equations to estimate the contents of clay, silt, and sand, which can be used to estimate the contents of soil texture or to improve the GISSOL database

I also, along with some of my colleagues, had established a company that was active in the field of hydraulics, pipelines, light construction, establishment and maintenance of greenhouses, and consulting in the field of designing and operating irrigation systems. Working in this company helped me to improve my teamwork skills, project management and scheduling, feasibility assessment, and cost and benefit assessment of the projects. 

Upon completion of my doctoral thesis, I tried to find the optimal equilibrium of agricultural water consumption in one of Iran's basins using the game theory. To do that, I also performed cost-benefit calculations as well as economic assessments of the basin. Furthermore, in my previous master's degree, I simulated the sedimentation of debris floods by building a physical model; a phenomenon that is not far from expectation, considering the effects of climate change.

In addition, I worked part-time for 8 years for “Nagin-Bam-Siamak Company” in Iran. My responsibilities as a water resources engineer in this company include meteorological and climate review of the region, estimation of the regional discharge of the river and the floodwater within different return periods, estimation of qualitative characteristics of the flow, such as sediment rate and suspended solids, using mass transport methods and on-site analysis, rivers bed protection operations within different return periods, and determination of the exact location and dimensions of check structures, such as earth fill dams, check dams and gabions, to protect the river bed and prevent soil erosion.

I have more than 20 years of farming experience. My brother and I own a mixed crop and cattle farm and in addition to daily production of 1500 kg of milk, we cultivate 80 hectares of grain and maize. Considering the drought conditions in Iran, I have personally equipped some parts of the farm with a pressurized irrigation system. 

• M.Sc.

Environmental Hazards and Risk Management

Institute/University: University of Cote D’Azur, Nice, France

2021-Present

GPA: N/A

• Ph.D.

Water Resources Engineering

Institute/University: Urmia University, Iran

2014-2019

GPA: 18.67/20

Thesis title: Reducing Blue Water Footprint of Agriculture Using Game Theory, In Order to Restore Urmia Lake

Thesis highlights:

• Evaluation of Urmia Lake basin’s water balance
• Implementing a novel method to estimate water consumption of agriculture sector and the basin natural renewable water resources
• Cost and benefit analysis of agricultural products of Urmia Lake Basin
• Application of Game Theory analysis to find the equilibrium of water usage in the Urmia Lake Basin in order to stop lake shrinkage

Thesis Grade: 19.5/20

• M.Sc.

Water Resources Engineering

Institute/University: University of Tehran, Iran

2007-2010

GPA: 17.51/20

Thesis title: Experimental study on trap efficiency of slit dams and detention dams

Thesis highlights:

• Experimental analyze of the trap efficiency of slit dams and detention dams in case of Debris Floods
• 150 experiments from combination of two types of dams (including detention and slit dams), three slope, five slit width (or outlet diameter) and five different sediment diameters 
• Estimation of trap efficiency and sedimentation profile of slit dams and detention dams reservoirs using Dimensionless Analysis

Thesis Grade: 19/20

• B.Sc.

Water Engineering

Institute/University: Shahre Kord University, Iran

2003-2007

GPA: 15.14/20