Issana holds a bachelor degree in urban and regional planning from Universitas Brawijaya in 2008 and a master of urban planning (First Class Honor) from the University of Melbourne in 2012. She is currently teaching in the Urban and Regional Planning Program, under the Department of Architecture and Planning, Unsyiah. She is part of the Urban Design and Planning Laboratory which focuses on researches related to land use, transport, urban form, and public spaces. She has particular interest on sustainable transport, urban metabolism, green infrastructure, and ecosystem services.

Despite being in academia, she is also a certified urban planner, assisting local government in Aceh for the spatial planning, strategic planning, and sector masterplan. She works on diverse projects from slum upgrading to green city, mostly focuses on comprehensive planning as it allows a holistic approach to community issues and opportunities with different set of skills and work on projects that are different every day. As an urban planning enthusiast, she is active as a member of Indonesia Association of Planners (IAP) and as a supporter/casual specialist for several pro-environment movement groups like WALHI.

She also has always been interested in intercultural learning, youth and community empowerment. For more than 15 years she volunteers for Bina Antarbudaya, the Indonesian Foundation for Intercultural Learning, and now acts as a Director for Chapter Banda Aceh. She initiated the establishment of Polyglot Indonesia Chapter Aceh, a platform for Indonesians in the fields of culture and languages, facilitating language practice activities that support personal development, career, and education.