Since working on her post-doctoral research at USF, Seden Dogan鈥� now an Assistant Professor of Instruction in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at USF鈥� has received four awards this year for her work.
Most recently, her paper titled 鈥淓thical Intelligence: Responsible AI Integration in Challenge-Based Learning鈥� was awarded as a Best Paper at the 5th Global Conference on Education and Research (GLOCER) recently hosted on the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus.
Dogan鈥檚 journey at USF began in October 2019, when she arrived at the university from Turkey through the Overseas Postdoctoral Research scholarship provided by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey. 鈥淒uring that time, I had the opportunity and pleasure to attend master's classes, work on different projects with multiple faculty members and international academic conferences,鈥� Dogan says.
She was recognized with the Outstanding Visiting Scholar Award. After her postdoctoral work, she kept in touch with Dr. Cihan Cobanoglu, who is currently the dean of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, and other faculty members. Cobanoglu invited Dogan back to USF to teach and conduct research. She returned in 2002, adding: 鈥淚鈥檝e been enjoying every single moment of working with amazing faculty and inspirational leadership since then.鈥�
This year, the USF School of Hospitality and Tourism Management ranked 28th in the world and 12th in the U.S.
This year, the USF School of Hospitality and Tourism Management 28th in the world and 12th in the U.S. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a true reflection of the faculty and staff鈥檚 passion for quality in education, research and community service,鈥� Dogan says.
鈥淗ospitality means the act of being friendly and welcoming me. It means making people feel like they are at home,鈥� Dogan says. 鈥淚 feel like I鈥檓 a member of a family鈥� since every single faculty member in the school welcomed me with open arms. It is a blessing for a person who is 10,000 kilometers away from family and friends.鈥�
Dogan currently teaches Introduction to Hospitality and Management and is responsible for the student internships. 鈥淪howing my students what the industry offers, since I have 15 plus years of industry experience, I am able to attract my student鈥檚 attention by giving them examples from my own experiences,鈥� Dogan says. 鈥淚 also host guest speakers from different companies, which means I am combining theory and practice.鈥�
Earlier this year, Dogan as one of the 2024 USF Women in Leadership & Philanthropy Dr. Kathleen Moore Faculty Excellence Award recipients for her research about glass ceiling syndrome in the hospitality and tourism industry. 鈥淭his award is especially important and special because this USF WLP is the first time they have recognized a visiting scholar in USF history,鈥� Dogan says.
In March 2024, Dogan won first place at the International Visiting Scholar Research Competition for her project, 鈥淗armonizing Human-Robot Synergy: Exploring the Impact of Anthropomorphism on Collaboration Efficiency in the Hospitality Sector.鈥� She was also recognized as an outstanding reviewer and awarded the by Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes journal.
Regarding her future, Dogan is quite hopeful. She plans to explore different sides of this field, especially thinking about how to use artificial intelligence ethically and responsibly, as well as the impact of AI on the hospitality and tourism industry. 鈥淩ight now, technology is evolving so fast,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd it will continue to grow and evolve, and people will never stop using or trying technologies.鈥�
鈥淚 have one goal in my professional life, which is to be remembered by my passion for teaching and my publications in the field,鈥� Dogan says. 鈥淪o, USF is 100% the right place to work.鈥�