Mustafa Demir's Life and

Academic Background

Resume

Mustafa Demir was born in Kayseri in June 12, 1982. He lived in Kayseri until graduation of high school. While he was still in high school, he studied at the Department of Computer Numeric Control (CNC) at Hürriyet Industrial and Technical High School in Kayseri, Turkey.           

After graduation of high school, Demir enrolled in the Department of Mechanical Education at Dumlupınar University. The Bachelors of Science degree extended across both mechanical engineering and education fields. Through his studies in Turkey, he was first exposed to research in the area of Computer Numerical Control (CNC), which is understood as a highly automated manufacturing machine which uses Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) programs. While working on this research, he improved his design and simulation ability in engineering and manufacturing models. Furthermore, Demir focused his studies in the area of pedagogic formation, and received an internship to teach at Kutahya Industrial and Technical High School in Turkey in the spring of 2002. While obtaining his Bachelor’s degree, Demir attended several economic classes as general interest, which led to studying the stock exchange market and the Turkish manufacturing industry. His involvement in the local industrial and financial economy led him to pursue a Master’s of Science (MS) in Economics.

At the University of Erciyes, in Kayseri, Turkey, Demir investigated the relationships between technological inputs and export performance in the manufacturing industry by econometric analysis, encompassing statistical and mathematical research and economic theories. His experience in econometric models led him to generate quantitative forecasts of aggregate economic activity. The development of econometric models was the foundation of his thesis: “The Importance of Innovation from the Perspective of Export Performance: The Case of Turkish Manufacturing Industry” under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Nisfet Uzay. In conducting specialized research for his thesis, he gained valuable skills in the utilization of statistical software. His thesis's unique perspective and focus led to its being accepted for  publication in the Dogus University Journal in 2012.

Upon completion of his first MS degree, Mustafa Demir enrolled in Arizona State University in 2010 to pursue a second MS degree in Management of Technology. In addition to his studies, he worked on several projects as a Research Assistant for almost two years, and he taught two courses as a Faculty Associate. He has also completed several interdisciplinary courses such as “Statistical Quality Control Applications”, “Six Sigma Methodology” and “Principles of Software Programming with C++”. His advisor was Prof Dr. Gary Waissi. His research interests focus on the development of the strategic assessment model and software for Aerospace and Defense (A&D) Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to help them become more competitive globally within the aerospace and defense cluster.

Mustafa Demir completed his MSTech degree in Management of Technology in 2012. His thesis entitled “Standardized Strategic Assessment Framework for Small Medium Enterprises in High-Tech Manufacturing Industry” was approved by graduate school. The focus area of the thesis is how companies achieve sustainable competitive advantage by utilizing strategic models such as Resource Based Model (RBM) and Market-Oriented Theory (MOT).

Upon his completion of his MSTech degree, Mustafa Demir started his doctoral degree in Simulation, Modelling and Applied Cognitive Science in the department of Human and Environmental Systems at Ira. Fulton Engineering College at ASU 2013. His advisor is Prof. Dr. Nancy Cooke, and he is currently working as her research assistant on the Synthetic Teammate Project.   

Additially, Mustafa Demir actively working in three organizations at ASU, including in the Graduate and Professional Students' Association (as an assembly member and grant reviewer), in the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (as a President) and in the Turkish Students Association (as a Secretary).

In his free time he enjoys hiking, studying ancient, medieval and contemporary history, and exploring foreign cities.