A Professor of Immuno-Hematology at Addis Ababa University, is a passionate Educator and Researcher who started her career as a clinical laboratory service provider in a National Referral Laboratory. She has advised and co-advised more than 150 graduate students and published over 120 peer-reviewed articles. Her leadership experience ranges from

Department head, Ethio-Netherlands HIV/AIDS project laboratories manager, School dean, National HIV Laboratory Research and Training coordinator and CEO of the largest teaching hospital of the country. She is currently leading implementation science research (PROVE) on the Impact of COVID-19 on the Health programs and the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination as well as determinants of vaccine uptake among health workers in 12 African member states funded by the Mastercard Foundation through Africa CDC and the African Union.

Cognizant of the underrepresentation of women in science, she is also engaged in bringing more women in research being a founder and past president of the Ethiopian Women in Science and Technology (SEWiST).

Aster is the recipient of awards for outstanding contributions to the field of Medical Laboratory Science Profession; outstanding contribution in HIV/AIDS training from JHPIEGO; outstanding female researcher of her College, Ministry of Education and associations; profiled on Nature Journal, and a branch named by her name by Enat Bank. She has PhD in HIV Immunology from University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Aster is an acting Chair of the Research Committee of the African Forum for Research and Education in Health (AFREhealth); Fellow and Executive Board of the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences