Tamer Şanlıdağ was born on August 26, 1966, in the city of Lefke in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. He began his education at Lefke İstiklal-Gemikonağı Primary School and graduated from Lefke Gazi High School in 1984. He completed his undergraduate education in Biology - Basic and Industrial Microbiology at Ege University Faculty of Science in 1988.
Starting his academic career at Dokuz Eylül University Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Microbiology, Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ obtained his master's and doctoral degrees in the same field. Continuing as a research assistant, he took on various roles in his field of expertise at various universities and held various administrative positions. He became an associate professor and professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology at Celal Bayar University Faculty of Medicine.
In 2019, Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ started working at Near East University, and in 2023, he was appointed as the Rector of Near East University. During this period, he also assumed the presidency of the Viral Vaccine Research and Production Center. Alongside his administrative career, Şanlıdağ is a prominent expert in academic fields such as viral infections, HIV, mathematical modeling, molecular diagnostic methods, and artificial intelligence applications. Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ, with his expertise in medical microbiology, played significant roles in managing the COVID-19 pandemic on behalf of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Near East University.