Ermias has just joined WRI Africa Regional Office in Addis Ababa at the position of Project Manager, Sustainable Agriculture. Ermias is a plant breeder and horticulturalist by training. Ermias had been working as a researcher in areas of horticulture, biotechnology, and plant breeding. He had also served as Deputy Director General of the Amhara Agricultural Research Institute (ARARI) with principal role of providing technical and strategic leadership in areas of crop, livestock, forestry, soil and water management research and development. Ermias has made several innovative contributions in research and development capacity building; and has authored and co-authored several research articles in international and local scientific publications.

Ermias has his BSc in Plant Sciences from the then Alemaya Agricultural University, in Ethiopia. He obtained his MSc in horticulture and crop protection from the University of Jordan, Amman, in the Middle East. He got his PhD from University of KwaZulu Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa in plant breeding. Ermias is married and a father.