He received his bachelor's degree in city and regional planning from METU in 2003, a master's degree in urban design from METU in 2006, and his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Denver's design and planning program in 2012. Between the years of 2012 and 2014, he was a lecturer at the University of Colorado Boulder and a research affiliate with the Children, Youth, and Environments Center for Community Engagement. His research focuses on various topics including sustainable urban design and urban regeneration, industrial heritage conservation, healthy community development, and participatory planning and design. His most recent articles have been published in the Journal of Architectural and Planning Research and International Planning Studies.