Esma Vatandaş graduated from the Faculty of Theology at Marmara University and the İLEM Education Program in 2015. Between 2015 and 2025, she held various positions, including Assistant Education Coordinator at İLEM, member of the technical team for the Atlas of Islamic Thought Project, intern assistant at IKAM, and researcher at the MARUF Foundation.

She has contributed articles to İLKE Analiz and Islamiktisadi.net on current issues, and has written scholarly articles on topics such as Syrian migrants, public sector waste, professional ethics, and Islamic banking. She has also authored book chapters published internationally on the political economy of Oman, cybersecurity, and economic transparency.

Esma Vatandaş, who is married and the mother of one child, currently teaches the "Islamic Economics Readings" course at the MARUF Foundation, serves as the field editor for Maruf Economics Journal, and is a member of the Board of Directors at İLEM. Since 2021, she has been pursuing her PhD in Islamic Economics and Finance at Istanbul University.