Lealem Mersha is a research consultant based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She holds an MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Oxford, an MA in Human Rights and a BA in Political Science and International Relations from Addis Ababa University, where she has lectured in the Department of Political Science and International Relations and served as Head of the Gender Office for the Faculty of Social Sciences. She has worked with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and Colombia University and taught on the RVI Horn of Africa course. Her research interests include civil-military relations, political economy, migration, human rights and governance, and gender.