Dr. Fajar earned a Ph.D. in Economics from School of Economics at Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Sydney, Australia, supported by Australia Awards Scholarship. He completed his Master degree in Development Studies at Faculty of Economics, University of Rome “La Sapienza,” Italy, and his Bachelor degree in Economics at Faculty of Economics, University of Indonesia. Prior to joining Faculty of Economics and Business, Indonesian International Islamic University (FEBUIII), he has been serving as a Researcher at Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Indonesia, the prominent think tank in Indonesia and the Southeast Asia-Pacific region, since 2006. His research mainly focuses on how to improve the economy in the global world, including related to the issue of food security, international trade, creative/digital economy, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), rural-urban poverty, and any issues in development economics. His research appears in various journals including CSIS Indonesia, Agricultural Development, Trade and Regional Cooperation in Developing East Asia, Jakarta: Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, Jurnal Ekonomi dan Pembangunan Indonesia.