Ata Mert Aladağ was born in Eskişehir, Turkey in 1994. He obtained his BA degree in International Relations from Bilkent University in 2017. Aladağ studied at University College Maastricht, Netherlands during the 2015-2016 Spring term as an Erasmus exchange student, and interned at The Diplomatic Observer Magazine in the following summer as researcher and correspondent. For his senior project, he conducted research on the effectiveness of non-violent civil movements and their impact on long-term social, political and economic development by focusing on Solidarity and Otpor movements in Poland and Serbia. After graduation, Aladağ attended the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London and received an MSc degree in Politics of Conflict, Rights, and Justice. His Master’s dissertation analyzed the impact of human rights norms on state behavior, and received a distinction. Returning to Turkey in late 2018, Aladağ is currently working at GRF as a Program Director. He is fluent in English and Turkish.