Prof. Dr. Mehmet Dursun Erdem

Rector of International Balkan University

Mehmet Dursun Erdem was born in 1977 in Karamanli, a village in Ordu, Turkey. He completed his primary and secondary education in Aybasti and finished his high-school education with a scholarship granted by the government of the Republic of Turkey, in the Ordu boarding school.

He received his Bachelor’s degree in 1998 at the Department of Turkish Language and Literature, at Ondokuz Mayis University in Amasya. At the same year, he was accepted as a research assistant at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Turkish Language and Literature, in the field of Contemporary Turkish Languages.

He received his MA in 2001 and his Ph.D. degree in 2005. In 2008 he received the Associate Professor title, in 2013 he has bestowed the title, Professor. With this title, he became the youngest Professor in his field in Turkey.

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Dursun Erdem has been a member of various foundations and NGO’s in Turkey, as well as a columnist for the education section, at the Milli Gazette newspaper. Currently, he is writing for the Journal of Turkiye Verimlilik Vakfi, where he is the academic advisor. In addition, he is the editor of various International Journals, as well as an academic advisor for BICEP TIBITAK.

Throughout his academic career, he served as the Head of Department, Vice-Dean, Dean, Senate, and executive board member at the University.

He is the founding Editor-in-Chief and publisher of the Turkish Studies (ISSN 1308-2140).

Dr. Erdem has organized numerous International Conferences in Rome, Andalusia-Spain, Jerusalem, Bosnia, Bahara, and Serbia, as well as many national conferences in his native Turkey.

He has published more than 100 scientific research papers in prestigious Journals in Turkey, U.S.A, and Korea. He is the author of more than 40 scientific books. His most recent book was translated into Albanian and various other languages. His research on the Samsun Dialect was awarded by the Swedish Institute of Turkish Studies, for the most detailed research conveyed by a single researcher.

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Dursun Erdem is married and a father of four children.