Habtamu completed his Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Technology at Jimma University, Ethiopia (2007) and his MSc at Addis Ababa University (2011). Habtamu has undertaken research and teaching roles in biomedical filed (from 2007–2017). In 2017, Habtamu was awarded the prestigious Monash International Graduate Scholarships and started his PhD at Monash University under the supervision of Professor Peter Meikle and Professor Dianna Magliano. He completed his PhD at Monash University in May 2021. Habtamu is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Metabolomics laboratory located at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute.

Habtamu’s current focus is metabolic profiling, particularly in large clinical cohorts to understand the biology of lipid metabolism at population level. Habtamu is also interested in developing metabolic risk scores to better asses the risk of cardiometabolic conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and to identify individuals who are at risk of developing these diseases.