Ilhami holds a Master’s degree in International Human Rights Law from Lund University (2002) and a PhD from Kent University, UK (2007). He completed his postdoctoral research on the international climate change regime at SOAS, University of London. For eight years, he served as a lecturer in international law at Istanbul University. From 2017 to 2022, Ilhami was the Turkey Country Director for the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights. During and after this period, he has lectured and mentored in various international education programs, focusing on children's rights to education; the impact of digitalization on human rights; and localization of international human rights.