About Reşat

Reşat was born in Antakya but moved around Turkey with his family throughout his childhood. He studied economics and statistics at the Middle East Technical University, graduating around 1976, and came to the U.S. for graduate school at Binghamton University in New York. He applied to the University of Washington to be a professor and has kept the same job since 1985, later becoming director of the Jackson School of International Studies in 2010. He resides in Seattle with his wife and daughter and makes sure to keep strong relationships with friends and family. He has run a Turkish circle with graduate students interested in Turkish and Ottoman culture for close to 30 years, and is a part of the Turkish and Ottoman Studies Program at the University of Washington. He generally speaks English at home but continues to keep his Turkish language skills strong through reading and speaking with friends. He did not expect to stay in the U.S. for so long but enjoys the opportunity it has given him to make decisions about his future.