Diriba Bekere Kumssa

Contact

• workRoom B08 North Lab
  Sutton Bonington Campus
  Sutton Bonington
  Leicestershire
  LE12 5RD
  UK
• Diriba.Kumssa1@nottingham.ac.uk

Biography

Diriba B Kumssa is an interdisciplinary research scientist with international experience. He is experienced in quantitative and qualitative mixed science research in human and ruminant livestock mineral nutrition, geographic information science, agroforestry, forestry and restoration ecology. As a Leverhulme Research Fellow, he aims to establish the nutritional and biochemical profiles of several wild woody plant edible fruits growing in the Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hot Spot region.

Expertise Summary

• Biogeochemistry
• Geographic information science and remote sensing (ArcGIS, QGIS, ERDAS)
• Statistical data analyses (SPSS, MINITAB, R)
• Visualizations (Tableau, R, QGIS, ArcGIS)
• Database development and management (MS Access)
• Survey design and implementation (KoBoToolBox)

Teaching Summary

Diriba teaches the Biofortification session of the Plants and the Soil Environment (PSE) module.

Research Summary

As a Leverhulme Research Fellow, Diriba aims to establish the nutritional and other important biochemical profiles of several wild woody plant edible fruits growing in the Eastern Afromontane… read more

Recent Publications

• ROSANOFF, ANDREA and KUMSSA, DIRIBA B, 2020. Impact of rising body weight and cereal grain food processing on human magnesium nutrition Plant and Soil. 1-19
• KUMSSA, DIRIBA B. AND PENROSE, BETH AND BONE, PETER A. AND LOVATT, J. ALAN AND BROADLEY, MARTIN R. AND KENDALL, NIGEL R. AND ANDER, E. LOUISE, 2019. A reconnaissance survey of farmers’ awareness of hypomagnesaemic tetany in UK cattle and sheep farms PLOS ONE. 14(10), 1-14
• PHIRI, FELIX P., ANDER, E. LOUISE, BAILEY, ELIZABETH H., CHILIMA, BENSON, CHILIMBA, ALLAN D. C., GONDWE, JELLITA, JOY, EDWARD J. M., KALIMBIRA, ALEXANDER A., KUMSSA, DIRIBA B., LARK, R. MURRAY, PHUKA, JOHN C., SALTER, ANDREW, SUCHDEV, PARMINDER S., WATTS, MICHAEL J., YOUNG, SCOTT D. and BROADLEY, MARTIN R., 2019. The risk of selenium deficiency in Malawi is large and varies over multiple spatial scales SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. 9,
• KUMSSA, D. B., JOY, E. J. M., YOUNG, S. D., ODEE, D. W., ANDER, E. L. and BROADLEY, M. R., 2017. Variation in the mineral element concentration of PLOS ONE. 12(4), e0175503

• View all publications

Current Research

As a Leverhulme Research Fellow, Diriba aims to establish the nutritional and other important biochemical profiles of several wild woody plant edible fruits growing in the Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hot Spot region.

Past Research

• Global incidences of human dietary mineral undernutrition and alternative ways to tackle them
• Hypomagnesium tetany in the UK ruminant livestock
• Forestry and agroforestry in Ethiopia
• Restoration ecology following natural or anthropogenic disturbances
• Remote sensing of forest fire

Future Research

Using his interdisciplinary research experiences, Diriba would like to explore how underutilized and locally available natural resources can assist in reducing the widespread micronutrient deficiencies in sub-Saharan Africa.

• ROSANOFF, ANDREA and KUMSSA, DIRIBA B, 2020. Impact of rising body weight and cereal grain food processing on human magnesium nutrition Plant and Soil. 1-19
• KUMSSA, DIRIBA B. AND PENROSE, BETH AND BONE, PETER A. AND LOVATT, J. ALAN AND BROADLEY, MARTIN R. AND KENDALL, NIGEL R. AND ANDER, E. LOUISE, 2019. A reconnaissance survey of farmers’ awareness of hypomagnesaemic tetany in UK cattle and sheep farms PLOS ONE. 14(10), 1-14
• PHIRI, FELIX P., ANDER, E. LOUISE, BAILEY, ELIZABETH H., CHILIMA, BENSON, CHILIMBA, ALLAN D. C., GONDWE, JELLITA, JOY, EDWARD J. M., KALIMBIRA, ALEXANDER A., KUMSSA, DIRIBA B., LARK, R. MURRAY, PHUKA, JOHN C., SALTER, ANDREW, SUCHDEV, PARMINDER S., WATTS, MICHAEL J., YOUNG, SCOTT D. and BROADLEY, MARTIN R., 2019. The risk of selenium deficiency in Malawi is large and varies over multiple spatial scales SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. 9,
• KUMSSA, D. B., JOY, E. J. M., YOUNG, S. D., ODEE, D. W., ANDER, E. L. and BROADLEY, M. R., 2017. Variation in the mineral element concentration of PLOS ONE. 12(4), e0175503
• KUMSSA, DIRIBA B., JOY, EDWARD J. M., YOUNG, SCOTT D., ODEE, DAVID W., ANDER, E. LOUISE, MAGARE, CHARLES, GITU, JAMES and BROADLEY, MARTIN R., 2017. Challenges and opportunities for Moringa growers in southern Ethiopia and Kenya PLOS ONE. 12(11),
• JOY, EDWARD J. M., AHMAD, WAQAR, ZIA, MUNIR H., KUMSSA, DIRIBA B., YOUNG, SCOTT D., ANDER, E. LOUISE, WATTS, MICHAEL J., STEIN, ALEXANDER J. and BROADLEY, MARTIN R., 2016. Valuing increased zinc (Zn) fertiliser-use in Pakistan: Plant and Soil Plant and Soil. 1-12
• KUMSSA, D. B., JOY, E. J. M., ANDER, E. L., WATTS, M. J., YOUNG, S. D., ROSANOFF, A., WHITE, P. J., WALKER, S. and BROADLEY, M. R., 2015. Global magnesium supply in the food chain: Crop & Pasture Science Crop & Pasture Science. 66(12), 1278-1289
• KUMSSA, D. B., JOY, E. J., ANDER, E. L., WATTS, M. J., YOUNG, S. D., WALKER, S. and BROADLEY, M. R., 2015. Dietary calcium and zinc deficiency risks are decreasing but remain prevalent: Scientific Reports Scientific Reports. 5, 10974
• JOY, EDWARD J. M.AND KUMSSA, DIRIBA B.AND BROADLEY, MARTIN R.AND WATTS, MICHAEL J.AND YOUNG, SCOTT D.AND CHILIMBA, ALLAN D. C.AND ANDER, E. LOUISE, 2015. Dietary mineral supplies in Malawi: spatial and socioeconomic assessment BMC Nutrition. 1(1), 42
• KUMSSA, D. B., VAN AARDE, R. J. and WASSENAAR, T. D., 2004. The regeneration of soil micro-arthropod assemblages in a rehabilitating coastal dune forest at Richards Bay, South Africa: African Journal of Ecology African Journal of Ecology. 42(4), 346-354