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Faculty

Our faculty are a unique blend of researchers, educators and professionals who are proven experts in their fields. 

Gregory DeYong, Associate Professor

Greg DeYong is an Associate Professor of Operations Management at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. In addition to over 15 years of industrial experience in purchasing, scheduling, ERP systems and factory management.



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Gregory DeYong

Office: Rehn Hall, 207C
Phone: 618-453-7888
gdeyong@siu.edu

MD Shariful (Sharif) Islam, Assistant Professor

Sharif Islam is an Assistant Professor in School of Accountancy in Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He completed his doctorate in Computer Information Systems and Accounting from Louisiana Tech University and obtained MBA from Eastern Illinois University. He is a licensed CPA in Illinois and a CMA in Bangladesh. His research interest includes data breaches, data analytics, and network centrality of Audit Committees and CEOs and their effects on audit outcomes.



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MD Shariful (Sharif) Islam

Office: Rehn Hall, 216A
Phone: 618-453-1400
mdshariful.islam@siu.edu

Omid Kamran Disfani, Assistant Professor

Omid Kamran Disfani joined the faculty at SIU College of Business in 2019 after earning his PhD in Business Administration (Marketing) from the University of Missouri. Dr. Kamran has also received a Master’s degree in advertising and marketing from University of Leeds (England), a graduate certificate in applied statistics from University of Kentucky, and a BSc in industrial engineering from AmirKabir University of Technology (Iran).



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SIU Omid Kamran Disfani

Office: Rehn Hall, 225A
Phone: 618-453-7784
omid.kamrandisfani@siu.edu

Ali Mehrabani, Assistant Professor of Economics

Ph.D., 2021, Economics, University of California - Riverside
Fields: Econometrics



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Office: Faner Hall, 4134
Phone: 618-453-5062
ali.mehrabani@siu.edu

Bill Mishk, Assistant Lecturer

Bill comes to SIU after a multi-year career as a senior executive in the airline industry. After relocating to the Midwest for college, Bill settled in the St. Louis area and started work in the airline business for a Midwest airline that was eventually acquired by American Airlines.



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Office: Rehn Hall, 212A
Phone: 618-453-7452
william.mishk@siu.edu

Jim Nelson, Associate Professor, Analytics Program Coordinator and Director of The Pontikes Center for Advanced Analytics and AI

Jim Nelson, Ph.D., joined SIU in 2005 after more than ten years of industry experience and more than fifteen years of teaching and research experience.  He earned a bachelor of science in computer science from California Polytechnic State University and worked as an “operating system pathologist” at IBM Santa Teresa Labs and then as a project manager at a California software startup.  He went back to school at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in information systems.



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SIU Jim Nelson

Office: Rehn Hall, 208A
actjn@siu.edu

Curriculum Vitae

Timothy Tyson Perry, Clinical Assistant Professor

Timothy Tyson (Ty) Perry was born in Missouri and grew up in Texas, Mississippi, and North Carolina. His background is heavily influenced by studies in finance, and he has a genuine passion for discovery and knowledge creation in finance. He holds a B.S. in finance from Appalachian State University, M.B.A. in finance from East Tennessee State University, Ph.D. in finance (with minor in statistics) from Texas Tech University, and is a CFA® charterholder.



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Office: Rehn Hall, 130A
Phone: 618-453-1417
timothy.perry@siu.edu

Kevin Sylwester, Professor and Director, School of Analytics, Finance, and Economics

Ph.D. 1997, Economics, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Fields: Macroeconomics, Economic Growth, Development



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SIU Kevin Sylwester

Office: Faner Hall, 4141
Faner Phone: 618-453-5075
Office: Rehn Hall, 138A
Phone: 618-453-1421
ksylwest@siu.edu

Tomcy Thomas, Visiting Assistant Professor

Dr. Tomcy Thomas holds a BE in Electronics Engineering, an MBA with a specialization in Operations Management, an MS in Engineering Management, an MS in Statistics, and a PhD in Industrial Engineering. He has industrial experience in both Manufacturing and Retail. His research areas are Analytics, Project Management, Quality Management, Logistics, Operations, and Supply Chain Management.



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Office: Rehn Hall, 124
Tomcy.Thomas@siu.edu

Tyson Van Alfen, Assistant Professor

Tyson Van Alfen, Ph.D. joined the College of Business and Analytics in 2019. He earned his Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Kentucky and his M.S. and B.S. in Financial Economics from Utah State University.

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SIU Tyson Van Alfen

Rehn Hall, 126A
Office: 618-453-1418
Dept: 618-453-2459
tyson.vanalfen@siu.edu

Curriculum Vitae

School of Analytics, Finance, and Economics | College of Business and Analytics | 618-453-2459 |