Prof. Karasar worked previously in the International Relations Departments of Atılım University (2013–2017) and Bilkent University (2003–2013), where he taught courses mostly on Central Asia and Eurasia-related topics. He served as the first General Secretary of the Bilkent Centre for Russian Studies (2005–2013), and chaired the Central Asian Studies department of the Ankara-based think-tank Centre for Eurasian Studies. (2003–2005). Since 1996 he has regularly been deployed as an observer by the OSCE election monitoring missions in the former Soviet republics. He has carried out studies of various archives related to Eurasian and Central Asian history and politics in Turkey, the Russian Federation, Kazakstan, Uzbekistan, Hungary, Japan and the United States. Focusing primarily on Central Asian history and politics, and ethnic and religious issues, as well as Turco-Russian relations since the early 1990s, Prof. Karasar has published articles in numerous scholarly journals, including Central Asian Survey, Europe Asia Studies and Cornucopia. He has gained extensive field research experience through his studies in the former Soviet Central Asia, Caucasus and Volga-Ural region of the Russian Federation. Aside from his native Turkish, Prof. Karasar speaks also English and Russian.