Born in Konya, Ateş began his education in Akşehir, where he completed his primary and secondary schooling, and continued his high school studies in Konya. He graduated from the Department of Public Administration at the Faculty of Political Science, Ankara University, in 1992. Pursuing an academic career, Ateş completed his master’s degree in Public Administration at Durham University in 1995 and his doctorate at the University of Liverpool in 1999. He began his academic career as a Research Assistant at Sakarya University and was appointed Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Kocaeli University, in 2000. Between 2001 and 2003, he served as Vice Dean of the faculty and earned the title of Associate Professor in 2004. In 2011–2012, he joined Istanbul Medeniyet University and, in the same period, was awarded the title of Professor. He is currently serving as Chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Kocaeli University, where he continues his academic work.