Hopeful for the future: USF Sarasota-Manatee professor Seden Dogan honored for her work in hospitality and tourism management

• Katrina Sandefer
• January 6, 2025
• Accolades, Faculty & Staff

Since working on her post-doctoral research at USF, Seden Dogan- now an Assistant Professor of Instruction in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at USF- has received four awards this year for her work.

Most recently, her paper titled "Ethical Intelligence: Responsible AI Integration in Challenge-Based Learning" 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's 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. "During 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," 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: "I've been enjoying every single moment of working with amazing faculty and inspirational leadership since then."

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 ranked 28th in the world and 12th in the U.S. "It's a true reflection of the faculty and staff's passion for quality in education, research and community service," Dogan says.

"Hospitality means the act of being friendly and welcoming me. It means making people feel like they are at home," Dogan says. "I feel like I'm a member of a family… 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."

Dogan currently teaches Introduction to Hospitality and Management and is responsible for the student internships. "Showing my students what the industry offers, since I have 15 plus years of industry experience, I am able to attract my student's attention by giving them examples from my own experiences," Dogan says. "I also host guest speakers from different companies, which means I am combining theory and practice."

Earlier this year, Dogan was selected 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. "This award is especially important and special because this USF WLP is the first time they have recognized a visiting scholar in USF history," Dogan says.

In March 2024, Dogan won first place at the International Visiting Scholar Research Competition for her project, "Harmonizing Human-Robot Synergy: Exploring the Impact of Anthropomorphism on Collaboration Efficiency in the Hospitality Sector." She was also recognized as an outstanding reviewer and awarded the Emerald Literati Award 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. "Right now, technology is evolving so fast," she says. "And it will continue to grow and evolve, and people will never stop using or trying technologies."

"I have one goal in my professional life, which is to be remembered by my passion for teaching and my publications in the field," Dogan says. "So, USF is 100% the right place to work."