Negash has been a Ph.D. fellow at UNU-MERIT, Maastricht University, since 2020. He holds an MSc degree in applied economics from Addis Ababa University and an advanced MA degree in economics of globalization and European integration (EMJMD) co-organized by the University of Antwerp (Belgium), University of Lille (France), and University of Economics Prague (Czechia). Before joining UNU-MERIT, he worked as a lecturer and researcher in the Department of Economics at Dilla University, where he taught Microeconomics, Econometrics, Managerial economics, and mathematical economics.  

His work primarily focuses on understanding the role of institutions on the multinational firms’ strategies focusing on the firm heterogeneity. His Ph.D. research looks at the role of institutions in FDI location, innovation, and knowledge spillovers of MNEs focusing on firm heterogeneity. Negash is working under the supervision of Prof. Dr. René Belderbos and Prof. Dr. Alvaro CUERVO-CAZURRA.    

His research interests broadly cover firms’ innovation strategies and international business strategies, trade, and globalization, FDI and knowledge spillovers, institutional changes, structural changes and development, applied econometrics, and impact evaluation.