Budi Agustono was born in Deli Serdang on August 5, 1960. He is a Professor of History at Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) and a lecturer in the Department of History, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Sumatera Utara.

He earned his Doctorate in Humanities from Universitas Gadjah Mada in 2010. In addition to his academic responsibilities, he currently serves as the Head of the Center for Cultural and Ethnic Studies at Universitas Sumatera Utara.

His research and publications focus on Indonesian history, ethnic history, and socio-political history, covering both the colonial and contemporary periods. His primary research interests include ethnic history, socio-economic history, and socio-political history.