Outstanding plant physiologist, academician Muzaffar Heydar oghlu Abutalibov worked as a laboratory technician, assistant, docent at the Department of Plant Physiology of the Azerbaijan Polytechnic Institute in 1931-1936. In 1936-1948 he was a senior researcher and deputy director for scientific affairs at the Institute of Botany of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences, in 1940-1947 he was the head of the plant physiology and biochemistry department of the Institute and in 1947-1950 he was the director, since 1950 he was the director of the Azerbaijan State University was a professor. In 1960-1962, he worked as the director of the Institute of Genetics and Breeding of Azerbaijan AS, in 1962-1978, again as the director of the Institute of Botany, and from 1978 until the end of his life, he worked as the head of the Department of Plant Physiology at the Institute of Botany.

    The main scientific activity of M.H. Abutalibov is dedicated to the study of mineral nutrition of plants, the entry, movement, distribution and reuse of chemical elements into the plant body. He is the author of more than 300 scientific articles, 5 monographs and the first two-volume "Plant Physiology" textbook in the Azerbaijani language, "Nutrition of plants with mineral substances" textbook.

    M.H. Abutalibov was active in the field of pedagogy in addition to scientific and research work and had an important role in the training of highly qualified biologists in Azerbaijan, 55 candidates of sciences and doctors were trained under his leadership.

    M.H. Abutalibov was a member of the Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Photosynthesis Problem Councils of the USSR Academy of Sciences and the Chief Editor of the Azerbaijan Soviet Encyclopedia, the Chairman of the Botanical Scientific Society.