Cihan Cobanoglu, PhD, is the McKibbon Endowed Chair Professor of the College of Hospitality & Tourism Leadership (CHTL) at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee (USFSM), and he also serves as the director of the M3 Center for Hospitality Technology and Innovation and coordinator of International Programs for the College of hospitality & Tourism Leadership. He is a renowned hospitality and tourism technology expert. Dr. Cobanoglu is a Fulbright Specialist commissioned by the Fulbright Commission, which is part of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and World Learning (2018-2021). He is a Certified Hospitality Technology Professional (CHTP) commissioned by Hospitality Financial & Technology Professionals (HFTP) and the Educational Institute of American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA). He is editor of the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Technology (JHTT) (Indexed in ESCI and Scopus), editor of the Journal of Global Business Insights (JGBI), co-editor of the Journal of Global Education and Research, associate editor of Tourism Review (world’s oldest tourism journal, indexed in SCCI and Scopus) and a co-author of six books and 10 conference proceedings. He currently serves as president of the Association of North America Higher Education International (ANAHEI). In addition, he serves as publisher of ANAHEI Publishing. Dr. Cobanoglu served as the chair of the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s (AHLA) Technology and E-Business Committee from 2009 to 2011 and as a member of the CHTP Advisory Council and Editorial Advisory Board of HFTP.
In addition, Dr. Cobanoglu is a visionary board member of Hospitality Technology magazine and an editorial board member of Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration, Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Cases, and Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education. Dr. Cobanoglu also serves the industry as a consultant. He is the founder and chair of the Global Conference on Business and Economics (GLOBE), the Global Conference on Education and Research (GLOCER), the Global Conference on Business, Hospitality & Tourism Research (GLOSEARCH) and the Global Conference on Services Management (GLOSERV). Dr. Cobanoglu created curriculum for the following hospitality software: innRoad Property Management System, M3 AccKnowledge Hotel Accounting System, and M3 Link Hotel Business Intelligence System.
His research involves the use and impact of technology in the hospitality industry. He founded and managed the eXperimental Guestroom (X-Room) at the University of Delaware’s Courtyard by Marriott from 2007 to 2009. Dr. Cobanoglu’s work has been featured in national and international media outlets such as BBC, NBC, ABC, CN8, Futurist magazine, The New York Times, Boston Globe and Lodging magazine. His work has been published in scholarly journals such as Tourism Management, The Service Industries Journal, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, International Journal of Hospitality Management and International Journal of Market Research. His articles have been cited more than 3,800 times, and he has made numerous presentations at national and international conferences. He received the “Excellence in Research -- Tenured” award from the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee in 2016. He has taught courses in six different countries. He has been invited as a keynote speaker to more than 15 conferences. He received 13 best paper awards from international conferences. In 2013, he was named as a “Fellow” by the Academy for Global Business Advancement (AGBA).
Prior to joining the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, Dr. Cobanoglu served as an Associate Professor of hospitality information technology at the University of Delaware. Dr. Cobanoglu is the recipient of the University of Delaware’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 2009 and the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education’s (I-CHRIE) John Wiley & Sons, Innovation in Teaching Award in 2009. He received his undergraduate degree from Cukurova University, Turkey, and his master's degree and doctorate from Oklahoma State University.