Çiğdem has implemented projects in Asia focusing on fiscal policy, tax administration reform with IT applications, fiscal decentralization and local governance, financial sector development, financial inclusion and MSMEs development. Prior to ADB, she was an assistant professor of economics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and a lecturer of economics at the George Washington University. She also worked as a researcher on international trade and finance at the International Monetary Fund and at the ADB Institute.