Expertise: Human-Robot Interactions, the Use of AI in Hospitality and Tourism, Digital Marketing, Information Technology Adoption, Destination Marketing, Research Methodology, and Statistical Analysis.
Dr. Ahmet Bulent Ozturk is an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator for Innovation at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management. He served as the Lead Faculty Technology Fellow from 2025 to 2026, providing guidance to eight faculty fellows as they developed projects focused primarily on teaching, research, and instructional innovation. Dr. Ozturk also serves as a Research Faculty member at the UCF Institute for Simulation and Training.
Dr. Ozturk holds a Ph.D. in Hospitality Administration with a concentration in Information Systems from Oklahoma State University and a Master of Science degree in Tourism and Hotel Management with a concentration in Destination Marketing from Mersin University, Türkiye.
Dr. Ozturk’s research primarily focuses on Human-Robot Interactions, the Use of AI in Hospitality and Tourism, Digital Marketing, Information Technology Adoption, and Destination Marketing. He is the author of more than 100 refereed papers published in leading academic journals and international conference proceedings. His publications have appeared in high-impact, indexed journals, including International Journal of Information Management, Computers in Human Behavior, Information Systems Frontiers, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, and Current Issues in Tourism. Additionally, Dr. Ozturk edited a book titled Digital Marketing and Social Media Strategies for Tourism and Hospitality Organizations, published by Goodfellow Publishers.
Dr. Ozturk serves as the Coordinating Editor of the International Journal of Hospitality Management (IJHM), a leading SSCI-indexed journal. He also serves on several editorial and advisory boards for international academic journals and conferences. Additionally, he served as Guest Editor for a special issue spanning two volumes, titled “Online Social Media in Hospitality and Tourism,” in the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology.
Dr. Ozturk’s teaching areas include Management Information Systems, Destination Marketing, Research Methods, and Statistical Analysis. In his current position, he teaches courses in Digital Marketing, Social Media, Information Systems, and Big Data Management at both the bachelor’s and master’s levels. Additionally, he teaches Quantitative Statistics at the doctoral level. Dr. Ozturk has been a WAC Fellow Scholar since 2015, a role in UCF’s Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) faculty development program that supports the development of research-based writing outcomes and assessment strategies.
Dr. Ozturk is ranked among the top 2% of scholars in the world in the field of Sport, Leisure & Tourism and has received several awards for his research and teaching contributions, including the Research Excellence Award from Oklahoma State University, the Best Paper Award from the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, the Best Paper Award from the International Hospitality Information Technology Association (iHITA), the Emerald/EFMD Outstanding Doctoral Research Award (Highly Commended), and the Research Incentive Award and Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award from the University of Central Florida.