Eray Aktepe, who graduated from the International Relations Department of Kırıkkale University in 2009, completed his master's degree in the United States, Texas, with a scholarship from the Ministry of National Education in 2011. He received his education at Rice University and the University of St. Thomas, achieving the highest overall GPA. In the fall of 2015, he started his doctoral studies in Urban Policy Planning and Local Governments at the Middle East Technical University Institute of Social Sciences, and successfully completed his Ph.D. in 2019, once again earning the highest overall GPA (4.0) among doctoral students.
Having been awarded the TÜBİTAK 2219 Overseas Postdoctoral Research Scholarship, Aktepe conducted research on the sustainability of alternative urban transportation modes at Texas Tech University in the state of Texas, USA, between 2022 and 2023 as a postdoctoral researcher. He currently holds the position of Associate Professor at Kastamonu University and has published works on urban governance, local governments, urban public services, and urban transportation policies in books, peer-reviewed journals, and national/international scientific symposiums.