Mesut Yilmaz

Adjunct Assistant Professor, History

0000-0002-6064-8859

Dr. Mesut Yılmaz is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at McMaster University and a researcher at the Centre for Human Rights and Restorative Justice (CHRRJ). His interdisciplinary expertise spans international economics, maritime trade, economic history, human rights, and restorative justice.

His research examines the historical and institutional development of global trade, particularly deep-sea shipping, containerization, and international supply chains. His work explores how institutions, legal frameworks, and social capital shape global markets, with particular attention to global inequalities and trade, economic development, and sustainable development. He also investigates the right to development and international trade in relation to issues addressed by UNCTAD and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Dr. Yılmaz holds a PhD in International Economics from Marmara University and a Foundation Diploma from the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (London, UK). His international academic experience spans Europe, Africa, Central Asia, and North America, including appointments at the University of Birmingham (UK), Nile University (Nigeria), Regent University College of Science and Technology (Ghana), and Süleyman Demirel University (Kazakhstan).

At McMaster, his interdisciplinary research includes truth and reconciliation commissions, historical injustices, and the relationship between institutional structures and social justice. He is also involved in Participedia, an SSHRC-funded international research initiative focused on democratic innovation, public participation, and participatory governance. His work brings together economics, history, and public policy to examine institutional change, globalization, and equitable development.