He completed his undergraduate education in the Department of Economics at Eastern Mediterranean University in 1991. In 1993, he earned his master’s degree in Business Administration from the same university. In 1998, he completed his PhD in finance at Çukurova University with his dissertation titled “Financing Tourism Investments in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.”
Prof. Dr. Şafaklı began his academic career in 1991 as a Research Assistant at Eastern Mediterranean University and later held various academic positions at Near East University and Girne American University.
To date, he has supervised numerous master’s and doctoral theses at the graduate level, making academic contributions in fields such as tourism, banking, finance, tax awareness, cooperatives, and sustainable development.
Administratively, he has served as MBA Coordinator at Girne American University, Head of the Department of Business Administration at Near East University, Director of the Institute of Science and Social Sciences at European University of Lefke, Director of the School of Applied Sciences, and Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences. Between 2019 and 2023, he was a member of the Higher Education Supervision and Accreditation Board (YÖDAK).
As of 2024, he continues his academic work as a faculty member at the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences at the European University of Lefke and also serves as a Board of Trustees Advisor at International Alasia University.