Ioanna Kuçuradi was born in 1936, in Istanbul. She studied Philosophy at the University of Istanbul. She started her career as Assistant Professor at the same University. After receiving her PhD in 1965, she became lecturer at Atatürk University, Erzurum. In 1968, she joined Hacettepe University, Ankara, where she founded and chaired the Department of Philosophy until 2005. She was also the Founding Director of the Centre for Research and Application of the Philosophy of Human Rights of Hacettepe University, which was established in 1997, and Director of the MA and PhD programmes of human rights. She is holder of a UNESCO Chair on Philosophy and Human Rights since 1998. In 2006, Ioanna Kuçuradi was appointed Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Centre for Research and Application of Human Rights at Maltepe University, Istanbul.

Among the numerous honours she received figure the Prize of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (1996), the Goethe Medal (1996), the Freedom of the Press 1999 Prize of the Journalists Association of Turkey (2000), the Grosses Verdienstkreuz des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (2001), the Honourable Mention of UNESCO Human Rights Education Prize (2002) and the UNESCO Aristotle Medal (2003). She is also Huésped Illustra de la Ciudad de La Habana (2002) and Doctor honoris causa of the University of Crete (2006) and of Ricardo Palma University, Lima (2006).

Ioanna Kuçuradi is, and had been, a member of several associations and bodies, among which are the Philosophical Society of Turkey (founding member, Secretary General between 1974-1980 and since 1980 President), the Afro-Asian Philosophy Association (President since 2010), the International Federation of Philosophical Societies (FISP, member of the Steering Committee since 1983, General Secretary between 1988-1998, President between 1998-2003, Former President between 2003-2008 and since 2008 Honorary President), the High Advisory Council for Human Rights of the Prime Ministry of Turkey (Chairperson, 1994-1996), the International Institute of Philosophy, Paris (President between 2014-2017 and since then Honorary President), the National Advisory Council for Human Rights of Turkey (2002-2005), the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia, Vienna (Observer, 2004-2007) and the Turkish National Committee of the UN Decade for Human Rights Education (Chair, 1997-2005).