Prof. Dr. Cihad DEMİRLİ was born in Sivas in 1978. He completed his primary and secondary education in Hatay. He graduated from the Faculty of Technical Education at Fırat University with a bachelor´s degree in the Computer Teaching Program in 2000. In the same year, he started to work as a research assistant in the Department of Educational Sciences at the Faculty of Technical Education, Fırat University. Then, in 2003, he received a master’s degree in the field of Educational Technologies from Fırat University, and in 2007, he obtained a PhD degree from the Department of Educational Sciences at Fırat University. Between 2007 and 2010, he worked as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technologies at the Faculty of Education, Fırat University. He took part in various national and international projects and also had a variety of administrative positions all through this time.

In 2010, he assumed the position of founding head of the Department of Educational Sciences at Istanbul Commerce University. He established the Lifelong Learning Coordination Office at Istanbul Commerce University in 2011. At this Coordination Office, he worked as the Director of the Continuing Education Research and Application Centre, the Distance Education Research and Application Centre, and the TOEFL Exam Centre until 2016. In addition, he received his second BA degree in Sociology from Anadolu University in 2014, and he obtained a non-thesis master´s degree in Applied Psychology from Istanbul Commerce University in 2015.

In 2014, he received the title of Associate Professor in the field of Curriculum and Instruction. He was appointed as a Professor in the Department of Educational Sciences at Istanbul Commerce University in 2020. On behalf of the Council of Higher Education, he was appointed to the Turkish Maarif Foundation´s Board of Trustees in 2016.

With the decision numbered 2021/426 published in the Official Gazette dated 25/08/2021 and numbered 31579, he was appointed as the President of the Board of Education. He is married and has two children.