Muhammad Abduh obtained his bachelor degree in Agricultural Economics at Andalas University, West Sumatera, and spent the first year of his professional career as a dot.com economic journalist. He also worked for several years supporting the Ministry of National and Development Planning of Indonesia, especially in quantitative analysis. His expertise on Indonesian economic data enabled him to support the preparation of economic policy documents and other initiatives. There he was also involved in a project led by the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab as a data analyst.
After earning his Masters degree in Economics & Public Policy from the University Indonesia in 2016, he joined AmCham Indonesia in supporting its economic analysis team. Now as an independent researcher, Abduh is involved in many research projects funded by various donor institutions and NGOs.