Dr. Dinku received a B.Sc. in physics from Addis Ababa University and a post-graduate diploma in meteorology form India. He worked at the National Metrological Agency of Ethiopia for over a decade mainly in the satellite applications unit. Then he joined the University of Connecticut where he obtained M.Sc. (2001) and Ph.D. (2005) in Civil Engineering/hydrometeorology. Dr. Dinku had also an opportunity to work as a visiting scientist at the National Space and Aeronautics Administration/Goddard Space Flight Center. Dr. Dinku joined IRI in 2005. His main research interest is remote sensing of climate variables such as precipitation and temperature. His current research includes identifying global climate data sets (both satellite and conventional), assessing their quality, making adjustments whenever possible, and adapting these products for specific applications.His current work focuses on the optimal combinations of satellite climate proxies with national observations from meteorological stations in Africa.