Dr. Salih Zeki Ozdemir is an Associate Professor of Strategy, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at the School of Management & Governance, UNSW Business School. He received his PhD from Chicago Booth School of Business in Organizations and Markets with support areas in Economics and Econometrics.

In his research, Salih is specifically interested in the role of social network relationships. He investigates how the overall structure of social networks and individuals', teams', or organizations' positions within these networks affect the strategic decisions they undertake and the performance they achieve. He also researches the evolution of these networks based on the actions individuals and organizations perform.

Salih has widely published research that investigates innovation, entrepreneurship, internationalization, corporate governance, and emergence of new organizational forms through the lenses of sociology and social network theory. His research on social structures and innovation performance received 2007 Academy of Management Best Paper Award from Technology and Innovation Management Division of AOM for his research. He also received 2011 Best Paper Award from Strategy Stream of ANZAM for research on how entrepreneurs can design better social networks, 2014 Corporate Governance – An International Review Best Paper Published award for his research on board composition, governance bundles, and national institutional structures, 2020 Best Paper Award (Empirical) from ACERE for research on the impact of overseas social network experiences on returnees' intentions to become entrepreneurs, and 2022 Best Paper Award from Strategy Stream of ANZAM for research on impact of central network positions on knowledge transfer.

Salih is also the recipient of 2008 and 2011 AGSM MBA Teaching Excellence in a Core Course Award at the UNSW Business School and the 2017 AGSM Blue Star service and display of values award.​