Ozgun C. Demirag, Ph.D.

Ozgun C. Demirag is the Samuel A. and Elizabeth B. Breene Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management. She holds a Ph.D. in industrial and systems engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. She has previous teaching and research experiences at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and industry experience as a research intern at Norfolk Southern, Inc.

Dr. Demirag earned her Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology (2007).

Her research interests include applications of game theory in supply chain management, revenue and promotions management in the operations and marketing interface, and design and analysis of transportation, logistics, and inventory systems. Dr. Demirag’s research has appeared in a number of prestigious journals such as Operations Research, Production and Operations Management, European Journal of Operational Research, Naval Research Logistics, and Omega: The International Journal of Management Science. She teaches in the areas of operations management, supply chain management, logistics, and statistics. She has previous teaching and research experiences in simulation and engineering economy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and industry experience in scheduling at Norfolk Southern, Inc. Dr. Demirag serves on the editorial review board of academic journals such as Production and Operations Management and Transportation Research Part E. She received the Early Career Scholarship Excellence Award by Black School of Business in 2015 and the Best Reviewer Award for Omega - The International Journal of Management Science in 2012. She was also a finalist in the 2006 Manufacturing & Service Operations Management (MSOM) best student paper competition and was awarded General Motors Manufacturing scholarship in 2006-2007.
 

Teaching 

• Excellence in Teaching Award, National Society of Leadership and Success, Penn State Erie. (2015)
• Nominee, Council of Fellows Excellence in Teaching Award, Penn State Erie. (2015)
• Third Place, Case and Teaching Materials Competition, Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences. (2011) 

Teaching Philosophy

I find teaching to be one of the most exciting, fulfilling, and essential aspects of an academic career. Being able to convey my knowledge and experiences to the students and having the opportunity to influence their careers truly excite me.

I believe that learning can take place when students are strongly motivated to learn and are actively participating in discovering new knowledge. Teachers can facilitate this by providing all the means necessary to make students feel confident and excited about taking their individual journeys to discovery. My teaching philosophy is centered on four main goals: (1) motivate students to learn (2) help them achieve active-learning and thereby promote deep understanding and critical thinking, (3) create a learning-conducive environment that offers an enjoyable yet challenging learning experience, and (4) spark long-term interest.

To motivate the students to learn, I illustrate the relevance/importance of the topic, explain how the subject matter can be used in real-life situations, and provide opportunities to help them build their confidence to master the particular topic. Once all my students are ready, I hold them responsible for their own learning by utilizing active-learning strategies. In this direction, I challenge them by assigning tasks or theoretical/practical problems which require identifying the type of information that is needed, and learning where to look for this information and how to make the best use of it. I believe that active learning is well supported by group work. Several activities in my courses are done by working in groups. My goals include inducing collaborative learning, offering customized guidance for each of my students’ individual learning process, and reducing the stress of graded work. 

My objective to foster critical-thinking is reflected in the way of assessing students. I do not want my students to memorize any concept or solution procedure in my courses. Open note/text, or single-page personal notes are generally permitted in the exams. This allows me to design questions to test whether the students became proficient in applying their knowledge to different situations, performing sound analysis, and making logical evaluations. I aim to create a safe and stimulating learning atmosphere, and I put effort in getting to know my students individually, starting with learning their names and specific needs or problems.

I believe that my mission in teaching is not limited to what I can give the students about the specific subject matter, but it also requires helping them build perspective and develop tools toward how they should identify, approach, and solve problems arising in different practical settings.

Courses Taught

• B ADM 503: Integrated Business Analysis
• B ADM 513: Global Operations and Supply Chain Management
• SCM 301 (formerly SCM 310): Introduction to Operations Management
• SCM 445: Operations Planning and Control
  
   

Research 

• Early Career Sholarship Excellence Award, Black School of Business. (2015)
• Member, Editorial Review Board, Production and Operations Management (2015-)
• Member, Editorial Review Board, Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review (2014-)
• Member, International Editorial Review Board, International Journal of Information Systems and Supply Chain Management (IJISSCM) (2012-)
• Invited to be an Academic Visitor, Department of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, Chinese University of Hong Kong. (December 2012 - January 2013).
• Recipient, Best Reviewer Award. Omega - International
   

Service 

Participation in Seminars and Workshops

• Participant. 
  • INFORMS Future Academician Colloquium, Pittsburgh PA (2006)
  • Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) Doctoral Colloquium, Orlando FL (2006)

Continuing Education Programs

• "Effective Online Teaching by World Campus Faculty," Penn State, World Campus. (June 2014).
• "College Teaching Workshop Certificate," Penn State Erie, Center For Teaching Initiatives, Erie, PA, Penn State Erie, Center for Teaching Initiatives, College Teaching Workshop Certificate. Erie, PA, USA. (October 2010).

Workshops

• "Erie Regional Colloquy - Connect, Engage, Innovate,", Center for Teaching Initiatives, Penn State Erie, Penn State Behrend Teaching Seminar Series. Erie, PA. (May 2015).
• "Advising Workshop,", Career Planning Center, Penn State Adviser Training Workshops. Erie, PA. (December 2014).
• "Exploring Hybrid and Online Learning Colloquy,", Center for Teaching Initiatives, Penn State Erie, Penn State Behrend Teaching Seminar Series. Erie, PA. (May 2012).
• "Advising Workshop,", Career Planning Center, Penn State Adviser Training Workshops. Erie, PA. (March 2011).

Membership in Professional and Learned Societies

• Production and Operations Management Society - Hong Kong Chapter. (January 2013 - December 2013).
• Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS)- Junior Faculty Interest Group Forum. (2014 - Present).
• Production and Operations Management Society. (2014 - Present).
• Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, Supply Chain Management Special Interest Group. (2012 - Present).
• Institute for Supply Management. (2012 - Present).
• Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS). (2005 - Present).
• Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) Forum on Education. (January 2012 - December 2012).
• Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) - Analytics Section. (January 2011 - December 2011).
• Decision Sciences Institute. (2009 - 2011).
• Midwest Decision Sciences Institute. (2012 - 2013).

Participation in Professional and Learned Societies

• Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences
• Forum for Women in Operations Research and Management Sciences, Senior Vice President. (March 2012 - 2013).
• Forum for Women in Operations Research and Management Sciences, Junior Vice President. (March 2011 - March 2012).
• Panel co-organizer, Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, Annual Meeting. (San Francisco, CA).
• Session chair and organizer, POMS Annual Meeting, Production and Operations Management Society, Atlanta, GA, (May 2014).
• Session chair and organizer, Institute of Operations and Management Science Conference, annual meeting, 2010.
• Session co-chair, Managing Capacity and Demand in Decentralized Systems, Institute of Industrial Engineers, annual conference, Atlanta GA, 2005.

Administrative Support Work and Committee Work

• Black School of Business Research Committee, Member. (August 2014 - August 2017)
• Annual Evaluation Committee, Committee Member, Elected. (August 2013 - August 2015)
• SCM Faculty Recruiting Committee, Member. (February 2014 - June 2014)
• MIS Faculty Recruiting Committee, Member. (August 2013 - December 2013)
• Curricular Affairs Committee, Member, Elected. (2011 - 2013).
• Industrial Engineering Faculty Search Committee, Member. (August 2012 - June 2013).
• International Student Recruitment and Retention Ad-hoc Committee, Member. (August 2012 - December 2012).
• Faculty Council Research Committee, Member, Elected. (2010 - 2012).
• Academic Administrative Evaluation Committee, Member. (August 2011 - December 2011).
• Faculty Adviser to Project and Supply Chain Management Student Club, Advisor. (August 2014 - Present)
• Faculty Adviser to The National Society of Leadership and Success Erie Chapter, Advisor. (May 2015 - Present).
• Quantitative Business Analysis Assessment Team, Curriculum Assessment Team, Member. (November 2009 - September 2012)
• SCM Faculty Recruiting Committee, Member. (August 2011 - March 2012)
• Center for Teaching Initiatives, New Faculty Orientation – Faculty Session, Presenter. (August 2013 - Present).
• Penn State Behrend-Sigma Xi Undergraduate Research and Creative Accomplishment Conference, Judge. (April 2012, 2013).