Nick van de Giesen is the co-director of Trans-African Hydro-Meteorological Observatory. Since 2004, he has been with Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands where he holds the Van Kuffeler Chair of Water Resources Management. Since April 2009, he has served as chairman of the Delft Research Initiative Environment. Van de Giesen holds bachelor's and master's degrees in land and water management from Wageningen Agricultural University and a doctorate in agricultural and biological engineering from Cornell University.
Lake Victoria is the considered the world's most dangerous stretch of water. An effective early warning systems, along with education of users on how to use the technology, can save lives and livelihoods in the area.