He was an Assistant Professor of Economics at Fordham University and a Consultant in the Development Economics Research Group of the World Bank prior to joining the University of Hawaii. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Maryland at College Park and B.A. and M.A. degrees from Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey. His main research interests are in international trade, political economy of trade policy, and development economics. His publications include articles in International Economic Review and Journal of International Economics.