Deborah is an Adjunct Professor with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Business School. She is an inductee to the Urban Tourism Research Hall of Fame by the International Tourism Studies Association (ITSA) and the International Journal of Tourism Cities. As a leading researcher in the fields business events and tourism she has published extensively in a wide variety of areas including business events, urban tourism, tourism sustainability, and visitor experiences. She is co-author of a number of publications that report on the benefits of business events including, Business Events Case Studies, the global Business Event Legacies Project Report, The Power of Conferences and the Beyond Tourism Benefits Series.

An extensive industry experience underpins my philosophy as a researcher and educator and drives her to ensure that academic research is co-produced with, and communicated to, industry and relevant stakeholders in a meaningful way. I view industry liaison as integral to maintaining and building cooperative and strategic partnerships between industry, government, and academia for the benefit of colleagues, students, and the University. Deborah has varied research interests in sustainable tourism, tourist’s spatial behaviour, urban tourism, business events, volunteerism, and visitor experiences. She has led a number of large research projects and teams (including transdisciplinary) and excels at building research capacity through collaborative practices. 

In undertaking her various responsibilities, she has actively mentored PhD Candidates, early career researchers, and colleagues on collaborative research projects. Deborah takes great joy in providing a supportive and productive working environment for colleagues. She was recognised through the Women Academics in Tourism ‘Most Awesome Scholars in Tourism’ award (2018).