He began his academic career in 1992, and has been working at Bahçeşehir University's Faculty of Architecture and Design since 2011. Özer had the opportunity to visit and study the Ottoman cities and architectural monuments in the Balkan countries starting with Macedonia while on a one year scholarship in 1994. Özer has pubÜshed many articles, conference proceedings and books on the topic of Ottoman architecture and its legacy in the Balkans. Among the books he has published are 'Turkish Architecture in Skopje,' 'The Selçuk Hatun Mosque in Edirne' and 'Sadullah Koloğlu Primary School in Kırklareli-Pınarhisar.'
Özer is involved in many projects to preserve the cultural heritage in Turkey and has been a member of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Board for the past nine years.
Starting from the time he was a student, Özer has participated in archaeological excavations in Turkey. Since 2009, Özer has been Directing the archaeological excavation, restoration and conservation of the Edirne Palace.