Defne Soyer completed her studies at the Faculty of Arts at the Sorbonne University in France. 

This academic background has enabled her to develop as a lawyer  specialising on environmental justice. 

In July 2025 her father, writer and previous mayor of İzmir Tunç Soyer, was arrested. The resolute statements she made and the advocacy she developed on her father’s behalf resonated widely with the public, establishing her as a courageous and steadfast young voice in Turkey.