Mehmet Özkan is Executive Director of Maarif Foundation USA and Assoc. Professor of International Relations. Previously I have taught at universities in Colombia, Turkey, Bosnia & Herzegovina in Turkish, English and Spanish.

He has extensive experience in academia, think-tanks and government where he worked as founding Regional Director for Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) in Colombia (2015-2018) and Director of International Center for Terrorism and Transnational Crime (UTSAM) in Turkey (2014-2015). Özkan held fellowships positions at SETA Foundation in Ankara; Institute for Defense and Security Analysis (IDSA), New Delhi, India; Center for Global Policy in Washington DC, USA and Cairo University in Egypt.

After studying in Turkey, South Africa, Sweden, India and Egypt, he completed his Ph.D. at Sevilla University, Spain and his academic interest focuses on politics of Global South, religion and politics, Middle East, Horn of Africa, Latin American politics, radicalization, civil-military relations, foreign policy of emerging powers, development, and more specifically Turkish foreign and domestic policy.