After receiving his Ph.D. from University of Florida, Semih Yılmaz worked as Assistant Professor at California State University, East Bay. He previously served as a specialist for Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, during which he worked on several UN and EU projects related to sustainable tourism and tourism education. He also holds a BA in Tourism Management from Boğaziçi University and an MBA from Bilkent University.

Yılmaz has presented his studies at many international conferences and published in academic journals such as Journal of Travel Research. His research focuses on sustainable tourism & hospitality, tourism ethics and sustainable consumer behavior. He is mainly interested in experimental investigations.

Yılmaz is a fan of arthouse cinema and a perpetual sufferer of cats. He is fascinated by immersive technologies and always open for culinary exploits.