Mekonnen Firew Ayano is a visiting assistant professor of law at Missouri University School of Law, where he teaches immigration law and natural resources law. His teaching and research interests include property, housing, law and development. He holds LL.B from Addis Ababa University, LL.M from American University in Cairo, and SJD from Harvard Law School. He worked as a high court judge in Ethiopia and a legal associate at the World Bank. Professor Ayano has accepted an associate professor position at the University at Buffalo School of Law.