Dr. Deniz Gevrek

Education

Ph.D. in Economics, University of Texas at Austin
M.A. in Economics, University of Texas at Austin
B.A. in Economics, Bogazici University, Turkey


Joined the faculty in 2010

  • Research Interests: Applied Econometrics, Labor Economics, Regional Economics, Economics of Education, with a focus on labor supply, employee performance, human capital, education, migration, health outcomes, and economic impact studies.

  • Teaching Interests: Microeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Finance, Econometrics, and Managerial Economics in the MBA program.

Biography

   

Dr. Deniz Gevrek is the Director of the South Texas Economic Development Center (STEDC) and a Professor of Economics at the College of Business of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC). Since assuming the directorship in June 2025, she has led the continued expansion of STEDC as South Texas’s premier applied economic analysis, forecasting, and policy research hub, serving public- and private-sector leaders across the region. Under her leadership, the Center is supported by a team of four Ph.D. economists with more than 75 years of combined post-Ph.D. research and professional experience, delivering rigorous, objective, and data-driven economic consulting, impact analysis, and policy research to support strategic decision-making.

Dr. Gevrek’s expertise spans applied econometrics, labor economics, economics of education, regional economic development, and economic demography. In addition to her leadership in applied regional economics, she maintains an active and nationally recognized scholarly research agenda. Her academic work has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including the A* ranked Academy of Management Discoveries, and highly-ranked journals such as Labour Economics, Economics of Education Review, Economics and Human Biology, Personnel Review, Applied Economics Letters, and International Migration. Her research has also been featured in The Wall Street Journal and Wired magazine.

Originally from Turkey, Dr. Gevrek earned her B.A. in Economics from Bogazici University, one of Turkey’s leading institutions, and subsequently completed both her M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Texas at Austin. Her doctoral training in econometrics and labor economics continues to shape both her scholarly contributions and her applied economic consulting work.

As Director of STEDC, Dr. Gevrek leads major economic impact and policy studies across South Texas, including projects involving higher education, ports and maritime infrastructure, financial institutions, live music and tourism, school districts, real estate, energy and regional development initiatives. Her recent work includes leadership on major studies for the Port of Corpus Christi, local governments, school districts, and major community and industry partners. Her work regularly supports policy development, infrastructure planning, and economic development strategy throughout the Coastal Bend and broader South Texas region. She also served as an economist on the Texas Department of Transportation Maritime Division’s 89th Legislative Session Texas Port Mission Plan Project Scoring Committee, helping evaluate more than $9.5 billion in project applications for statewide port infrastructure funding in 2025.

Dr. Gevrek is also the National Vice President of Omicron Delta Epsilon, the International Honor Society in Economics, and remains highly active in university leadership, student mentorship, and professional service.

A highly awarded scholar and educator, Dr. Gevrek was named the “2025 College of Business Professor of the Year” and has received numerous recognitions for excellence in research, teaching, and service, including the Texas A&M System Chancellor’s Award for Teaching, the College of Business Research Enhancement Award, and the Faculty Service Excellence Award. Through her leadership, scholarship, and public engagement, Dr. Gevrek continues to advance TAMU-CC’s mission of excellence in research, education, and regional impact.

      

Selected Publications

  • “Just calling balls and strikes: The impact of business travel on individual performance,” Academy of Management Discoveries, 2025. (with Ryan Terry, Jeffrey E. McGee, David G. Collings) (ABDC ranking: A*) 
  • Commentary Beyond Balls and Strikes: Response to Commentary On “Just Calling Balls and Strikes: The Impact of Business Travel on Cognitive Performance.” Academy of Management Discoveries, 2025. (with Ryan Terry, Jeffrey E. McGee, David G. Collings) (ABDC ranking: A*)
  • Lead Author “International Organizations and Gender Parity in Education: Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)” Forum for Social Economics, 2024. 53(3), 358–377. (with Selin Ece Guner) (ABDC ranking: C)
  • “Social Norms and the Gender Gap in Labor Force Participation: Evidence from Turkey” Applied Economics Letters, 2023. 30(15), 2102–2107 (with Z. Eylem Gevrek). (ABDC ranking: B)
  • Lead Author “The Relationship between Early-Life Conditions in the Home Country and Adult Outcomes among Child Immigrants in the United States” Economics and Human Biology, 2022, 45(101069). (with Eylem Gevrek and Cahit Guven), (ABDC ranking: A) IZA Discussion Paper DP13602.
  • “Social Norms and the Gender Gap in Labor Force Participation: Evidence from Turkey” Applied Economics Letters, July 11, 2022 (with Z. Eylem Gevrek). (ABDC ranking: B)
  • “Explaining the Gender Test Score Gap in Mathematics: The Role of Gender Inequality,” Economics of Education Review. 2020, 76(3), 1-31. (with Z. Eylem Gevrek and Christian Neumeier). (LEAD PAPER IN THE VOLUME/ISSUE) (ABDC ranking: A) IZA Discussion Paper DP11260.
  • Lead Author “Detecting a shade of Schadenfreude in employee satisfaction with salary raises,” Applied Economics Letters, January 8, 2020 DOI: 10.1080/13504851.2020.1711506 (with Marilyn Spencer and David Hudgins). (ABDC ranking: B)
  • Lead Author “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction: The Power of Perceived Differences in Employee Retention and Turnover,” Personnel Review, 2017, Volume 46, Issue 5, 1019-1043. (with Marilyn Spencer, David Hudgins and Valrie Chambers) (ABDC ranking: A)
  • Lead Author “Globalization and Women’s and Girls’ Health in 192 UN-Member Countries: Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,” International Journal of Social Economics, 2016, 43(7), 692-721. Lead Author (with Karen Middleton). (ABDC ranking: B)
  • Labor Supply and Productivity Responses to Non-Salary Benefits: Do They Work? If So, at What Level Do They Work Best?” Personnel Review, 2016, 45(5), 1047-1068. (with Spencer, Marilyn, Valrie Chambers and Randall Bowden). (ABDC ranking: A)
  • “Dynamic Labor Scheduling in Japan: Underemployment Reduction and Karoshi Avoidance through Optimal Tracking Control,” at Global Economic Review: Perspectives on East Asian Economies and Industries, 2016, 45(2), 134-169. (with David Hudgins). (ABDC ranking: C)
  • “A Labor Utility Index to Measure Worker Welfare and Labor Market Performance,” Theoretical and Applied Economics, 2015, Fall Issue, 22(3), 155 – 170. (with David Hudgins). (ABDC ranking: C)
  • Lead Author “Benefits of Education at the Intensive Margin: Childhood Academic Performance and Adult Outcomes among American Immigrants Eastern Economic Journal,” 2015, 41(3), 298 – 328. r (with Eylem Gevrek and Cahit Guven). (ABDC ranking: B)
  • Sole Author “Interracial Marriage, Migration and Loving,” Review of Black Political Economy, 2014, 41(1), 25 – 60. (ABDC ranking: C)
  • “Culture, Intermarriage, and Differentials in Immigrant Women’s Labor Supply,” International Migration, 2013, 51(6), 146 – 167. (with Z. Eylem Gevrek and Sonam Gupta). (ABDC ranking: A)
  • Lead Author “Nepotism, Incentives and the Academic Success of College Students,” Labour Economics, 2010, 17(3), 581 – 591. (with Eylem Gevrek). (ABDC ranking: A)


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