Professor Mehmet Ozalp is an award-winning scholar of Islamic studies, a respected public intellectual, and one of Australia's most prominent community leaders, with over three decades of dedicated community service.

He is the Head of School at the Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation (CISAC), which he founded at Charles Sturt University in 2011. In 2009, he also founded the Islamic Sciences and Research Academy (ISRA) and continues to serve as its Executive Director. Under his leadership, CISAC and ISRA pioneered undergraduate and postgraduate Islamic studies programs in Australia, setting a national benchmark since 2011.

Since 2023, he has been leading a major and unique initiative to establish the Sydney Islamic Art Museum, a landmark project dedicated to showcasing Islamic art and culture in Australia.

Professor Ozalp is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Australian Journal of Islamic Studies, a peer-reviewed journal registered with Scopus.

He is also a co-founder of the Affinity Intercultural Foundation, established in 2000 to promote intercultural and interfaith harmony in Australia. In recognition of his work in social cohesion, he was appointed to the Harmony Reference Group by NSW Premier Bob Carr in 2003.

Mehmet is the recipient of the following awards:

• Australian Bluestar Award – Education (2011).
• Charles Sturt University Professional Excellence Award (2012)
• Muslim Role Model of the Year Award (2012)
• Lifetime Achievement Award (2018)
• Charles Sturt University Teaching Scholar of the Year Award (2023)

Mehmet is the author of over 60 publications including books 101 Questions You Asked About Islam, Islam in the Modern World, Islam between Tradition and Modernity: An Australian Perspective and God in Islamic Theology.