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Faculty Profile - Ozde Oztekin

Thursday, January 14, 2010

BY WAYNE LARSON

Assistant Professor Ozde Oztekin is one of the KU School of Business' newest faculty members. She joined the faculty at the beginning of the fall 2009 semester and she is excited to be here. "KU offers an incredibly collegial workplace environment," said Oztekin. "I had a single dream job," when she was a child, "and it was being an academician at a highly respected, top notch research and teaching institution."

"I deeply enjoy teaching and for me, teaching is a delightful adventure that allows me to participate in the development of competent young students," said Oztekin. She will begin teaching undergraduate and graduate classes in the spring 2010 semester that cover topics such as financial, debt and money markets as well as financial institution analysis.

These topics fall in line with her largest academic interests. "I am particularly keen on understanding how and why firms choose their capital structure," said Oztekin. "My research, therefore, aims to pave the way to a comprehensive model of firms' financing choices."

Oztekin is originally from Istanbul, Turkey and earned a Bachelor's Degree and Master's in Economics while attending Bogazici University in her hometown. She went into the professional realm for two years working for Garanti Bank, one of the largest banks in Turkey. She explained her reasoning behind straying from the academic realm after achieving her Master's. "Although I highly valued the merits of the theoretical work, I believed that I should not be totally detached of the realities of the actual life." Two of what she called "restless years" at Garanti moved her to begin pursuing her Ph.D. She moved to the United States and began working on her Ph.D. at the University of Florida, in Gainesville, Fla. She was awarded her Ph.D. in Finance in May 2009.

Her academic track played a large role in where she is now, but she makes sure she does not forget who helped her get here. "My family substantially contributed to my success in life with their faith and support," said Oztekin.

Positive family influence has also made an impact on her career choices. Oztekin grew up in a family that was "mostly composed of outstanding academically-orientated engineers," she said. That intellectual atmosphere is what drove her "to solve the mysteries of the economics via the powerful language of mathematics."

When Oztekin is not pursuing the mysteries of economics, she enjoys everything that Lawrence, Kan. has to offer. "Lawrence is a lovely college town," she said, but she admits she will have to prepare for the Kansas winters. They will be a lot different from the ones she experienced in Gainesville for the past six years.