Tigist Y. Engdaw

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT TIGIST Y. ENGDAW

Dr. Tigist Yeshiwas Engdaw. Core Competencies & Key Skills: Strategic Policy Development & Governance Reform Mediation, Dialogue Facilitation & Peacebuilding Gender, Peace and Security Humanitarian Affairs & Post-Conflict Recovery Program Design, Assessment & Impact Evaluation Academic Leadership – Teaching Graduate & Undergraduate Courses Policy–Practice Linkages: Bridging Research, Fieldwork & Advisory Expertise Institutional Strengthening & Partnership BuildingDr. Engdaw is a Senior Policy Advisor, international consultant, and academic with almost two decades of experience in peacebuilding, governance, gender equality, human rights, and development policy. She combines academic depth with practical field experience—working at both grassroots and senior levels to link research, policy, and implementation.She currently serves as Teaching Assistant Professor in the African Studies Program at Penn State University (USA), teaching graduate and undergraduate courses on governance, gender, human rights, and peacebuilding. She has also taught at Howard University (Washington, D.C.) and the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (Addis Ababa University), where she coordinated the PhD Program in Peace and Security Studies.Dr. Engdaw has served as Senior Advisor with UNDP, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Peace, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, leading initiatives on peacebuilding, dialogue, gender inclusion, and migration. As a consultant, she has partnered with USAID, UNESCO, UN Women, IOM, GIZ, the African Union, and International IDEA, delivering strategic policy advice and capacity-building programs.She has held visiting scholar positions at Brown University (USA), Hiroshima University (Japan), the University of Leipzig (Germany), and the Danish Institute for International Studies (Denmark).With experience across Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America, Dr. Engdaw brings both local insight and global perspective.EducationPh.D. in Peace and Security Studies – Addis Ababa UniversityM.A. in Gender and Peacebuilding – University for Peace, Costa RicaLL.B. in Law – Addis Ababa UniversityAwards & HonorsTestified before the U.S. Congress on the Humanitarian and Political Crisis in Ethiopia (2023)Global Goodwill Ambassador on Humanitarian Efforts (2018–Present)UNESCO Young African Researcher Award, Paris (2014)Social Science Research Council – African Peacebuilding Network Grant (2014–2016)Dr. Engdaw remains open to global partnerships and leadership opportunities advancing peace, governance, and gender equality.