Cakmak received his Ph.D. in plant nutritional physiology from the University Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany. He is currently Professor of Plant Nutrition at the Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey.
He has published 190 peer-reviewed articles which have been widely cited. In 2017 and 2019, he was named among the “highly cited researchers” in agricultural sciences by clarivate analytics (Thomson Reuters). He has received the IFA-International Crop Nutrition Award in 2005, the Australian Crawford Fund “Derek Tribe Award Medal” in 2007, the Germany-Alexander von Humboldt Foundation-Georg Forster Research Award in 2014, the International Plant Nutrition Institute-IPNI Science Award in 2016 and the World Academy of Sciences Agricultural Science Prize in 2016.
He was elected as a member of The Academy of Europe and The Science Academy of Turkey. He is Marschner Review Editor, Plant and Soil (Springer), and a Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the International Magnesium Institute and the World Iodine Association. He was also President of the International Plant Nutrition Council (2009 -2013). Since 2009 Professor Cakmak has been coordinating the International HarvestZinc project (www.harvestzinc.org) in 12 countries, exploring the role of fertilizer strategy (i.e., agronomic biofortification) in the enrichment of food crops with micronutrients, especially zinc and iodine.