Ezgi Yazici was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey.  

Ezgi obtained her undergraduate degree in International Relations and Middle Eastern Studies in 2020 from Tufts University where she studied Arabic and wrote her thesis on Turkey's military and governance presence in Syria. 

Working as an open-source intelligence researcher for two years at the Institute for the Study of War in Washington D.C., Ezgi led the research efforts on Turkish foreign policy. Her work and publications focused on Turkey's relations with the US and Russia, and its role in Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, and the Caucasus. 

Prior to that, Ezgi studied history, doctrine, and theory of war with the Hertog War Studies Program and worked in youth education and leadership for children and young adults from Turkey and Afghanistan. 

Her interests lie in international security, refugee integration policies, and the intersection of data, technology, and policy.