My name is Santosh Nepal. I have been working with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Nepal since March 2022. I have been responsible for managing water resources and climate change portfolio and managing projects related to hydrological assessment, climate change, climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and water, energy, food and ecosystems (WEFE) nexus. 

Before IWMI, I was working with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) from December 2012 to Feb 2021 as 'Climate and Hydrology Group Lead'. I was responsible for designing and implementing research activities on climate change and water resources in the Himalayan region. 

In the last 16 years, I have contributed to scientific advancement in Himalayan hydrology, climate change, and a better understanding of upstream-downstream linkages of land and water management of various scales. These collaborations have resulted in important scientific publications, including Science and Nature.

I did my PhD in mountain hydrology from the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Germany in 2012. I have two Master's degrees in Environmental Management from Pokhara University and Anthropology in natural resources management from Tribhuvan University. Both these academic degrees have enriched me with environmental management and human system interactions and the importance of integrated assessment of the natural environment and human systems. The dissertations of both degrees have looked at the watershed and irrigation linkages (Environmental Management) and governance of community forests (Anthropology). My bachelor's degree was in Environmental Sciences from Tribhuvan University.