Yonatan is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Indigenous Policy Research. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Otago and a Master’s in International and Development Economics from ANU, with foundational training in Economics from Addis Ababa University. Prior to joining ANU, he held teaching appointments at Bahir Dar University and the University of Otago, where he lectured in Econometrics and Development Economics.

Yonatan’s research sits at the intersection of applied microeconomics and Indigenous policy. His work spans key domains including labour markets and employment, education, housing, health, and social and emotional wellbeing. He specialises in quasi-experimental methods—such as instrumental variables, propensity score matching, and fixed-effects modelling—applied to large-scale longitudinal and administrative datasets to generate policy-relevant evidence.

Since 2018, he has developed a substantial and growing body of research on Indigenous socioeconomic outcomes. His work has been published in leading international journals, including Social Science & Medicine, The Journal of Development Studies, and BMJ Global Health. His recent research examines issues such as educational mismatch in Indigenous labour markets, the influence of teachers on higher education aspirations, spatial dynamics of Indigenous food (in) security, and the relationship between Indigenous language use and social and emotional wellbeing.

Yonatan is an active and sought-after collaborator, contributing to major research and evaluation projects commissioned by Commonwealth and state and territory governments, as well as community-controlled organisations. His work includes methodological contributions to assessing progress under the Closing the Gap framework, supporting national efforts toward accountability and evidence-informed policy.

Yonatan works extensively in multidisciplinary teams, collaborating with economists, public health researchers, geographers, linguists, and Indigenous scholars. These partnerships span academic, government, and community sectors, reflecting his capacity to operate effectively at the interface of research, policy, and practice.

Yonatan's research is unified by a commitment to methodological rigour, policy relevance, and responsiveness to the priorities and perspectives of Indigenous communities.

PhD Economics Otago; MA Int. & Dev't Economics ANU; BA Economics AAU

• Child/youth outcomes
• Labour market outcomes
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policy
• Health and wellbeing
• Impact evaluation of social policies
• Social capital and neighbourhood effects