He completed his PhD at Tel-Aviv University in Middle East studies in 1991 and his post-Doctorate at Cornell University in the USA 1992-93. His main fields of interest are Egypt, inter-Arab relations, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and education and culture in the Middle East.

He is a senior research fellow at the Harry S. Truman Institute for the advancement of Peace.

He has published and edited several books, such as The Quest for Hegemony in the Arab World: The Struggle Over the Baghdad Pact (1995); The Decline of Arab Unity: The Rise and Fall of the United Arab Republic (1999); The Arab-Israeli Conflict in Israeli History Textbooks, 1948-2000 (2002; Arabic version, 2006); Rethinking Nasserism: Revolution and Historical Memory in Modern Egypt (edited with Onn Winckler, 2004); Arab-Jewish Relations: From Conflict to Resolution? Essays in Honor of Professor Moshe Ma'oz (edited with Asher Kaufman, 2006); Britain and the Middle East: From Imperial Power to Junior Partner (edited with Zach Levey, 2007); The Politics of National celebrations in the Arab World (Cambridge, 2011).

Professor Podeh is a frequent commentator in the Israeli daily Ha'aretz and also on various TV programmes.

His current research deals with missed opportunities in the Arab-Israeli conflict.