Professor Novosad worked for Environment Canada, Water Policy and Coordination Directorate in Québec before moving to Lesotho, where he served as an advisor to the Ministry of Finance's macroeconomic unit, while his wife, a pediatrician, worked in an HIV/AIDS clinic. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Calgary and received an MPA/ID (Master in Public Administration/International Development) and a PhD from Harvard University.