Asrul Sidiq is a PhD scholar at the Crawford School of Public Policy. His research interests include regional and rural development planning, urban planning, environmental policy, community development, economic geography, and disaster management.

Asrul is also a lecturer at the Department of Architecture and Planning, Syiah Kuala University, Banda Aceh, Indonesia. He holds an M.Sc in Regional and Rural Development Planning from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand (2013), and a bachelor's degree in Regional and City Planning from Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Bandung (2010). He is also part of several research institutions, such as the International Centre for Aceh and Indian Ocean Studies (ICAIOS) and the Resilience Development Initiative (RDI) Bandung.

Asrul has experience working with several government organizations, such as Aceh Public Works Department and Aceh Development Planning Agency. Alongside his work and studies, Asrul has been engaged in various Indonesian civil society organizations focusing on youth development, civic engagement, and environmental sustainability. He also co-founded a social business called Kota Tanyoe (kotatanyoe.com).