Biography
Abdullah Konak is a distinguished professor of information sciences and technology at Penn State Berks. Dr. Konak also teaches graduate courses at the Master of Science in Cybersecurity Analytics and Operations program at the College of Information Sciences and Technology.
Dr. Konak received the bachelor of science in Industrial Engineering from Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey; the master of science in Industrial Engineering from Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois; and the Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Prior to his time at Penn State, Dr. Konak taught at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. He also has held visiting positions at Lehigh University and Cornell University, as well as at the Chinese University of Hong Kong where he taught engineering innovation for over a decade.
Dr. Konak’s primary research interest is in the modeling, analysis, and optimization of complex systems using computational intelligence combined with techniques from probability, statistics, and operations research. His research also involves active learning, entrepreneurship education, and the innovation mindset. He has published numerous academic papers in leading journals, such as Operations Research Letters, Informs Journal on Computing, and European Journal of Operations Research, on a broad range of topics including network design, reliable system design, cybersecurity, facilities design, green logistics, production management, and data sciences. He has been a principal investigator in sponsored projects from the National Science Foundation, the National Security Agency, the U.S. Department of Labor, and Venture Well.
Dr. Konak currently teaches courses on database management systems, data mining, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, agent-based modeling, and entrepreneurship. He is a member of INFORMS and IEEE.
Publications
Liu, H., Kulturel-Konak, S., Konak, A. (2021). “A Measurement Model of Entrepreneurship Education Effectiveness Based on Methodological Triangulation,” Studies in Educational Evaluation, 70, 100987, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2021.100987
Xiao, Y., Zuo, X., Huang, J., Konak, A., & Xu, Y. (2020), “The continuous Pollution Routing Problem,” Applied Mathematics and Computation, 387, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amc.2020.125072.
Konak, A., Kulturel-Konak, S., Nasereddin, M., Bartolacci, MR. (2017). “Impact of Collaborative Work on Technology Acceptance: A Case Study from Virtual Computing,” Journal of Information Technology Education: Research, 16, 15-29.
Konak, A. and Bartolacci, MR. (2016). “Using a Virtual Computing Laboratory to Foster Collaborative Learning for Information Security and Information Technology Education,” Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice, Vol. 2016: No. 1, Article 2, 1-25.
Xioa, Y. and Konak, A. (2016). “The heterogeneous green vehicle routing and scheduling problem with time-varying traffic congestion,” Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 88, 146–166.
Education
Ph.D., Industrial Engineering, University of Pittsburgh
M.S., Industrial Engineering, Bradley University
B.S., Industrial Engineering, Yildiz Technical University, Turkey