About
Can Koçak
I'm an incoming Ph.D. student in Management at UCLA Anderson, specializing in Decisions, Operations and Technology Management (DOTM) — working at the intersection of operations research, optimization, and data-driven decision making. I graduated from Koç University with a double major in Industrial Engineering and Computer Engineering (GPA 3.92/4), ranking second in my Industrial Engineering class, and bring industry experience in analytics and data science from Mastercard, Pegasus Airlines, Simon-Kucher, and Amazon.
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01
Education
University of California, Los Angeles — Anderson School of Management
2026 – PresentPh.D. in Management, Decisions, Operations and Technology Management
- Research focus at the intersection of operations research, optimization, and data-driven decision making.
Koç University
2020 – 2026B.S. in Industrial Engineering & Computer Engineering (Double Major)
- Full scholarship · GPA: 3.92/4 · Ranked 2nd in the Industrial Engineering graduating class
University of Southern Denmark
Feb 2024 – Jun 2024Erasmus Exchange Program
- Odense, Denmark
Nanyang Technological University
Jun 2023 – Jul 2023Summer Exchange Program
- GPA: 5/5 · Singapore
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Industry Experience
Associate Consultant Intern · Mastercard
Jun 2025 – Jul 2025- Applied data analysis and machine learning methods to model and predict customer attrition for a leading Turkish bank.
Data Analysis Specialist · Pegasus Airlines
Sep 2024 – May 2025- Conducted research on an overbooking project to gather information on how to build an effective no-show model.
- Collaborated with the Data Science team on forecasting and modeling studies to support evidence-based decision making.
Associate Consultant Intern · Simon-Kucher
Mar 2024 – Aug 2024- Conducted research on global expansion strategies across the US, Mexico, and South Africa, covering over 1,000 products.
- Assisted in developing data-driven insights to evaluate customer value perception and competitive positioning of brands.
Vendor Manager Intern · Amazon
Aug 2023 – Jan 2024- Analyzed sales data to identify growth opportunities like direct importing of well-known brands.
- Conducted in-depth sales data analysis to inform deal strategy and generate analytical reports for decision-making.
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Teaching
Founder and Lecturer · Kuchess Society
Founded the Koç University Chess Club and led the team for 5 years.
Teaching Assistant · Comp125 — Introduction to Python and Programming
Instructor: Beren Semiz.
Instructor · Baims Company
Designed and delivered a 10-hour course, Introduction to Python and Programming, and prepared and taught a 20-hour Calculus I course.
Private Tutor
Provided private tutoring to students preparing for the International Baccalaureate (IB) exams.
Mentor
Assisted freshman students with their coursework.
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Awards & Honors
- 3× Vehbi Koç Honor Award (SPA above 3.75), 3× Dean's Honor Roll
- Koç University full-tuition undergraduate merit scholarship ($30k/yr) — ranked 982nd of 2.5M+ students, Turkey National University Entrance Exam
- Government Top 100 Scholarship ($200/mo) — ranked 54th of 2.5M+ students, Turkey National University Entrance Exam
- 3rd place of 100+ projects, TÜBİTAK High School Student Research Project Competition
- 2019 U18 Turkish Chess Champion; honored National Chess Player
- 200+ professional international chess tournaments, 40+ medals and cups; FIDE Standard ELO 2042 (top ~21,000 worldwide); experienced in blindfold chess
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