He received his first degree in Forestry from Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Indonesia. His PhD was obtained from the Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, UK. He is a Professor at the Department of Geophysics and Meteorology, IPB.

His research works are related to land-use change and biogeochemical cycles, climate change mitigation and adaptation. He has published more than 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals. Dr Murdiyarso has served in a number of Nobel Prize winning IPCC as Convening Lead Author of Reports, including the IPCC Third Assessment Report; the IPCC Special Report on Land-use, Land-use Change and Forestry; and the IPCC 2013 Supplement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines on GHG Inventory: Wetlands. Also as Review Editor of the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report.

In 2000 he served the Government of Indonesia as Deputy Minister of Environment for two years, during which he was also the National Focal Point of the UNFCCC and CBD. Since 2002 Professor Murdiyarso is a member of the Indonesian Academy of Sciences.