Mehmet Özer
Mehmet Ozer is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Truman School of Government & Public Affairs. He was born and raised in Turkey in a military family and moved from one region to another mainly growing up in conflict zones – from the eastern region of Turkey plagued by PKK violence in the 1990s to the disputed territory of Northern Cyprus. After completing his bachelor’s degree at Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey in International Relations, he worked in the private sector in management roles for one of the biggest companies in the world, Kodak.
Funded by a competitive scholarship from the Turkish Ministry of Education, he completed his master’s degree in Global Affairs at George Mason University in 2016. After completing his master’s degree, he established a new department of International Relations along with four colleagues at Korkut Ata University in Osmaniye, Turkey. Between 2018 and 2023, he has designed and taught several undergraduate-level courses in face-to-face, blended, and online formats, including Turkish Foreign Policy, Society and Politics in the Middle East, Foreign Policy Analysis, Politics in Central Asia, Contemporary International Issues, and Diplomatic English. He has also given presentations on cyber security and migration issues at international conferences and has been guest lecturer on cyber terrorism and cyber diplomacy at several institutions.
He completed his Ph.D. in Political Science and Public Administration at Mustafa Kemal University in Hatay, Turkey. His dissertation is titled “Digitalization and Cybersecurity based on National and International Security Policies: A Legal and Administrative Assessment” and evaluates cyber security in terms of how it is administered both in national law and at the institutional level. Along with cyber security, his research examines policy aspects of migration, specifically Turkey's role in the ongoing Syrian crisis.
Dr. Ozer takes an analytical approach to international relations, security issues, and politics in the Middle East, informed by his national military service as a sergeant in the Turkish Gendarmerie Force under the command of the Public Security and Intelligence Branch and five years of experience teaching and advising government institutions in Turkey. He has been consulted on issues of security and safety regarding migration, intelligence and cyber security by the Provincial Department of Migration Management and Directorate of Security in Osmaniye, Turkey. Ozer’s wok has appeared as peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, conference proceedings and international peer-reviewed presentations.
