Menale Kassie has extensive experience in rural and agricultural development in Africa. He has made substantive contributions to advancing innovative methodological and scaling approaches around innovation bundles and gender that drive food systems transformation and foster sustainable food and nutrition security and environment. This strand of his work has advanced (1) how the adoption and impacts of bundles of sustainable intensification innovations are measured, and their impacts are evaluated and (2) in designing a holistic scaling approach for improving agricultural production, health, and resilience to climate change in a systematic manner.

His more than 90 published articles have been cited 12,869 times with an H-index of 55 [Publications]. Besides research, he is involved in policy advocacy and outreach, mentoring several young researchers and postgraduate students, research grants evaluation, and academic editorial and reviewing services.

His scholarly endeavors have earned him national, regional, and international accolades, including The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) Siwei Cheng award in Economic Sciences,  the African Academy of Sciences fellowship, the associate fellow of the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences, Chief Editor for Insect Economics, and highly Cited Researchers2022 released by Clarivate. 

He is the head of the Social Sciences and Impact Assessment Unit at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe). He holds a Ph.D. in Development Economics from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (Norway).