Mesut Özcan received his B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from Marmara University in 2000 and his M.A. in 2002 from the same institution. He completed his Ph.D at Boğaziçi University Atatürk Institute in 2007. He studied at St. Antony’s College, Oxford University on the Jean Monnet Master Scholarship for one year in 2005-2006.,

He worked as a research assistant at Beykent University from 2000 to 2005. Özcan was a visiting scholar at Kuwait University’s Department of Political Science for a short period of time in 2009. He lectured at Istanbul Ticaret University’s Department of International Relations from 2007 to 2011.

Dr. Özcan served at the Center for Strategic Research (SAM) as the Deputy Chairman between 2011 and 2013   and as the Acting Chairman between 2013 and May 2014. He is currently the Director of Diplomacy Academy.

Özcan is the author of three books: Sorunlu Miras Irak (Istanbul: Küre, 2003), Harmonizing Foreign Policy: Türkiye, the EU and the Middle East (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2008), and Medeniyetler ve Dünya Düzen(ler)i, Mesut Özcan and Muzaffer Şenel (ed), (Istanbul: Klasik, 2010). He has published articles and book chapters on Turkish Foreign Policy, Middle Eastern Politics and Iraq. He serves on the editorial boards of Insight Türkiye, Divan and Perceptions journals.