He graduated from the Department of City and Regional Planning at METU in 1982. In 1984, he received his Master's degree from the same department and obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1994. Barlas has held several academic and administrative roles, including Chair of the Environmental Design and Control Committee at the Faculty of Architecture, Chair of the City and Regional Planning Department's Scholarship Committee, and Vice Chair of the City and Regional Planning Department from 2000 to 2003. From 1994 to 2013, he was a faculty member in the City and Regional Planning Department at METU.

Barlas taught courses such as CRP 201-202 Planning Studio III-IV, CP 552 Theories and Principles of Urban Design, CRP 333-334 Urban Design Workshop I-II, and UD 501-502 Urban Design Studio I-II. His research has focused on urban design, environmental psychology, and symbolism.