Chu Thai Hoanh

Dr Chu Thai Hoanh was chair of the SUMERNET Steering committee from 2014 to 2020. He has over 45 years of experience in research and management in agriculture and water management. 

In the early 70’s he was the chief hydrologist in charge of hydrological measurement and analysis for the Mekong River Delta, Vietnam. During 1976 - 1996, he was in charge of hydrological measurement, water modeling and remote sensing applications for water resources planning and management in South Vietnam. 

He joined the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines in 1997 to conduct research on rice and land use planning at regional level and national balancing of rice supply and demand in India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. In 2001, he was awarded a medal by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam in recognition of his contributions to Agriculture and Rural Development. 

From 2003 to 2014 he served with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) as both senior and principal Water Resources Specialist on water, agriculture-aquaculture management, and for analyzing climate change scenarios. During this period he served as an international specialist for the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to analyze climate change scenarios, as theme leader for irrigation for the Mekong Program on Water Environment and Resilience (M-Power) and as research coordinator of the Sustainable Mekong Research Network (SUMERNET).  

After retirement in 2014 he returned to Vietnam and continues as an IWMI Emeritus Scientist, a Research Associate of Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI). From 2014 to 2017 he was also an international research consultant for the Lower Mekong Public Policy Initiative (LMPPI). At present he is an advisor for two SUMERNET research projects on groundwater and Covid-19 water insecurity.