Niaz Asadullah received his masters and doctoral degrees in Economics from Oxford University. Currently he is a Professor in the Faculty of Economics, Malaya University, Kuala Lumpur. He has previously held visiting positions at Reading, Harvard, Oxford, Kent, Manchester, Mindanao, Chulalongkorn, BRAC and Dhaka Universities.

His research interests include development economics, economics of education, labor economics and happiness economics. Current research draws upon data from South and Southeast Asia and focuses on female workforce participation; social norms (early marriage, purdah practice etc) and women's well-being; impact of poverty programs; life satisfaction and well-being in old-age; determinants of cognitive skills; social impact of Islamic faith schools (aka madrasahs); the rise of private schools in South Asia. His research has been supported by grants from AUSAID, Leverhulme Trust, International Growth Centre (IGC), South Asian Network of Economic Research Institutes (SANEI), UNU WIDER and the World Bank.

Niaz is a co-editor of the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, PLOS One, BMC Public Health and Singapore Economic Review. He is also on the editorial board of COMPARE, Poverty and Public Policy and International Journal of Educational Development.

He joined IZA as a Research Fellow in September 2007.