Samy Uguy was a career government employee of Indonesia. His previous works include a planner on housing and urban development for the National Development Planning Agency, as a Deputy Assistant for Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Disadvantaged Areas Development, and as a Secretary of the Directorate General for Rural Areas Development, in Indonesia, and lecturer.
His current interest includes strategic issues on inter-governmental relations, comparative public institutions, transmigration and local economic development, and empowering local community and government through the adoption of applied technology. He studied planning at the Institute of Technology Bandung, then he went to Carleton University for his Master's degree in Development Studies. He holds a Ph.D in Public Policy and Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.