Mesut Akdere, Ph.D.

Professor & Director, Purdue HRD VR Lab

Contact Info

765-494-1213

Young 355

West Lafayette

Dr. Mesut Akdere is a Professor of Human Resource Development at �鶹��Ʒ, West Lafayette. He is also the founding faculty and the program lead of the Purdue's Human Resource Development undergraduate program. As the director of the Purdue HRD Virtual Lab and Purdue HR Analytics Interactive Learning Lab, Dr. Akdere’s research focuses on leadership development through simulated training in augmented reality and virtual reality platforms, workforce development in STEM fields, and human resource analytics in the age of big data. Dr. Akdere is the director of the Cyber Resilience Adaptive Virtual Reality Experiences (CRAVRE) project sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s. He has received over $16 million in funded external research grants from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the US Department of Agriculture, and other federal and state agencies. He published in business, management, human resources, technology, and education journals. He teaches courses in human resource development, leadership, training, organization development, cross-cultural management, and strategic planning. Dr. Akdere is currently serving as the co-editor of .

Research Interests

Technology and HRD
STEM Workforce Development
Intercultural Competence Development
Human Resource Development
Human Resource Analytics
Leadership Development
Soft Skills Development
Simulated Training

Education History

Ph.D., University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, MN

Honors and Awards

CURRENT GRANTS

(2020-2023). Cyber Resilience Adaptive Virtual Reality Experiences (CRAVRE). The U.S. Department of Homeland Security. PI. $1,500,000.
(2019-2024). Purdue Cyber Apprenticeship Program. U.S. Department of Labor. Co-PI. $12,000,000.
(2020-2023). Collaborative Research: Developing Business Communication Skills in Manufacturing Technician Education. The National Science Foundation. PI. $580,511.
(2021-2025). Developing Virtual Reality Training Simulations to Advance Agricultural Safety Curricula for Safer and Immersive Learning Experiences. The U.S. Department of Agriculture. Co-PI. $500,000.
(2018-2022). Archives Leadership Institute @ Purdue. The National Archives and Records Administration. PI. $250,000.

RECENT HONORS & AWARDS

2021, Richard A. Swanson Research Excellence Award, Human Resource Development Quarterly.
2021, Outstanding Faculty in Engagement Award, �鶹��ƷInstitute.
2021, Outstanding Leadership in Globalization Award for Faculty, Purdue Office of Global Partnerships.
2020, The Seed for Success Award, �鶹��Ʒ.
2020, �鶹��ƷInstitute, Outstanding Faculty in Discovery Award.

Publications and Presentations

SELECT REFEREED JOURNAL ARTICLES

Akdere, M., Jiang, Y., & Lobo, F. (Accepted). Evaluation and assessment of virtual reality-based simulated training: Exploring the human-technology frontier. European Journal of Training and Development.
Xie, B., Liu, H., Alghofaili, R., Zhang, Y., Lobo, F., Jiang, Y., Li, C., Huang, H., Akdere, M., Mousas, C., & Yu, L. (Accepted). A review on virtual reality skill training applications. Frontiers in Virtual Reality.
Akdere, M., Top, M., & Tarcan, M. (Accepted). The impact of transformational leadership on employee attitudes: Implications for human resources. Middle East Journal of Management.
Akdere, M., Acheson, K., & Jiang, Y. (2021) Examining the effectiveness of virtual reality technology for intercultural competence development. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 82(3), 109-120. .
Akdere, M., & Egan, T. M. (2020). Transformational leadership and human resource development: Linking employee learning, job satisfaction and organizational performance. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 31(4), 393-421.

SELECT REFEREED BOOK CHAPTERS

Akdere, M. (Accepted). HRD in the age of digitalization, automation, big data, and artificial intelligence. Foundations of Human Resource Development. (3rd Ed.). San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
Akdere, M., & Acheson, K. (Accepted). Effective leadership across cultures: Achieving intercultural excellence. In , (I. Stolz & S. Scherrer, eds.). Wiesbaden, Germany: Springer Gabler.
Coskun, A. & Akdere, M. (2017). Exploring leadership development in Turkey: Implications for technology & innovation. In Alexandre Ardichvili & Khalil Dirani (eds.). Leadership Development in Emerging Market Economies, pp. 261-280. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Coskun, A. & Akdere, M. (Accepted). Turkey. Ethical business culture in Turkey: Implications for leadership in a Global Economy. In Douglas J Jondle & Alexandre Ardichvili (eds). Ethical Business Cultures in Emerging Markets, pp. xx-xx. Cambridge University Press.
Garavan, T. N., & Akdere, M. (2016). Human resource development in CIVETS. In Thomas N. Garavan, Alma Mc Carthy, & Michael Morley (eds.). Global Human Resource Development: Regional and Country Perspectives, pp. 393-415. New York: Routledge.

SELECT REFEREED CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

Akdere, M., Jiang, Y., Lobo, F. (2021). Evaluation and assessment in virtual reality-based simulated training. Refereed Proceedings of the AHRD International Research Conference in the Americas. Virtual.
Akdere, M., Egan, T., & Lobo, F. (2021, February). The Career and Aptitude Assessment for Cybersecurity: Exploring linkages to employee KSAs. Refereed Proceedings of the AHRD International Research Conference in the Americas. Virtual.
Akdere, M., & Egan, T. M. (2020). Examining the impact of transformational leadership practices on organizational outcomes: The case of healthcare. Refereed Proceedings of the 2020 AHRD International Research Conference in the Americas. Atlanta, Georgia.
Jiang, Y. & Akdere, M. (2020). A literature review of human resource analytics: Implications for human resources. Refereed Proceedings of the 2020 AHRD International Research Conference in the Americas. Atlanta, Georgia.
Akdere, M. & Hickman, L. (2018). My kingdom for time to reflect: Developing global leaders through critical self-reflection. Refereed Annual Proceedings of the Academy of Management.

SELECT INVITED KEYNOTE SPEECHES & PRESENTATIONS

Akdere, M. (2020, October). Using virtual reality technology for developing intercultural leadership competence: A pedagologic approach. Southern Management Association Annual Meeting. Virtual.
Akdere, M., Egan, T., & Lobo, F. (2021, February). The Career and Aptitude Assessment for Cybersecurity. Purdue Technology Showcase. Virtual.
Akdere, M. (2020, June). (Re)Skilling employees for future work: How G20 countries can utilize artificial intelligence-based learning technologies to scale up workplace training. Think20 of Saudi Arabia of G20 Conference for Policy Recommendations for a Post-COVID-19 World. Virtual.
Akdere, M. (2019, October). Technological Innovations Shaping the Workplace: Developing Intercultural Competency through Adaptive Virtual Reality Simulations. Future Work Live HR Conference, New York City, NY.
Akdere, M. (2019, May). Exploring the Workplace of the Future: Implications of Technology on Human Resources. Human Resources Leadership Forum, Chicago, IL.