Ghemawat previously served on the faculty of Harvard Business School, where he was the youngest person ever appointed a full professorship.

[citation needed] Ghemawat received his bachelor's degree in Applied Mathematics and his Ph.D. in business economics from Harvard University.

[citation needed] After a two-year stint at McKinsey & Company in London,[3] he spent 25 years on the full-time faculty at Harvard Business School.

In 2013, he was appointed as distinguished visiting professor of global management at Stern School of Business, New York University.

[7] Beginning in 2016 Ghemawat has turned his attention to the effects of isolationist and nationalist movements such as the United Kingdom's Brexit vote and the policies of President Donald Trump on trade, globalization, and economic growth.