Esmael Habtamu is a public eye health academic and clinical trialist with research interests in trachoma elimination and primary eye care. He is an Assistant Professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), UK; Co-Founder and Executive Director of Eyu-Ethiopia; and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia.

Esmael Habtamu is a public eye health academic and clinical trialist with research interests in trachoma elimination and primary eye care. He is an Assistant Professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), UK; Co-Founder and Executive Director of Eyu-Ethiopia; and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia.

He trained as an Ophthalmic Officer at the University of Gondar, graduating with Great Distinction, and completed the MSc in Public Health for Eye Care at LSHTM, where he graduated top of his class and received the Gordon Johnson Prize. He obtained his PhD from LSHTM in 2016, focusing on trachomatous trichiasis surgery and quality of life, and was awarded the LSHTM Woodruff Medal for the most outstanding doctoral thesis of the year. Dr Esmael has led multiple large-scale eye health projects, including clinical trials, cohort studies, and implementation research, securing 11 research grants totalling approximately USD 4.5 million and publishing over 50 peer-reviewed articles.

In 2021, he was awarded a Wellcome Trust International Intermediate Fellowship to develop sustainable Primary Eye Care interventions integrated within Primary Health Care systems. He serves on several national and international advisory committees related to trachoma and eye health and contributes to guideline development, ethics review, and journal editorial activities.