Tamam Jafarova was born on April 5, 1959, in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan. In 1976, she graduated with highest honors (Gold Medal) from Secondary School No. 180 in Baku and was admitted to the Faculty of History at Lomonosov Moscow State University. She graduated from Moscow State University in 1981 and subsequently began her academic career as a lecturer at the Azerbaijan Institute of Oil and Chemistry named after M. Azizbayov (currently Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University).
From 1987 to 1990, she pursued full-time postgraduate studies at Azerbaijan State University (currently Baku State University). In 1991, she successfully defended her dissertation and was awarded the academic degree of Candidate of Historical Sciences (equivalent to a PhD in History). Since 1996, she has held the academic title of Associate Professor.
Until 2007, she served as Associate Professor at the Department of Political History, Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University. From 2007 to February 2019, she served as Associate Professor at the Department of Diplomacy and Modern Integration Processes of the Faculty of International Relations and Economics at Baku State University.
She currently serves as Associate Professor at the Department of International Relations of Azerbaijan University of Languages and holds the position of Vice-Rector for Social Affairs and Public Relations.
From 2006 to 2016, Tamam Jafarova was a member of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
She is a Deputy of the 6th and 7th convocations of the Milli Majlis (National Assembly) of the Republic of Azerbaijan.