Cihan Cobanoglu is the dean of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. He holds the McKibbon Endowed Chair Professor of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at USF's Muma College of Business in Sarasota-Manatee. He also serves as the director of the M3 Center for Hospitality Technology and Innovation and is the coordinator of international programs for the college. Additionally, Cobanoglu is the director of international partnerships for the college, responsible for coordinating global affairs.

Cobanoglu is a renowned hospitality and tourism technology expert and a Fulbright specialist. He is a Certified Hospitality Technology Professional and is editor of the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Technology , the Journal of Global Business Insights; is associate editor of Tourism Review and a co-author of six books and 10 conference proceedings. He serves as president of the Association of North America Higher Education International. He is a board member of Hospitality Technology magazine and an editorial board member of Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, among many others.

His research involves the use and impact of technology in the hospitality industry. His work has been featured in national and international media outlets such as BBC, NBC, ABC, and Futurist magazine, The New York Times, the 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, and many others. His articles have been cited more than 4,000 times, and he has made numerous presentations at national and international conferences. He received the “Excellence in Research -- Tenured” award from USF in 2016. He received 14 best paper awards from international conferences.

Cobanoglu earned a PhD and master's degree from Oklahoma State University and an undergraduate degree from Cukurova University in Turkey.