Deborah Edwards

Deborah Edwards is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Business School, specializing in sustainable tourism, urban tourism, and business events. Her roles include Adjunct Fellow and former Acting Associate Dean of Research at UTS. She holds a PhD from Western Sydney University and has led numerous research projects funded by entities such as Business Events Sydney Ltd and the Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre.

Her research focuses on innovation in sustainable tourism, tourist spatial behavior, and the socio-economic impacts of business events. Key publications include Collaboration for Sustainable Tourism Development (2018) and Networks for Innovation in Sustainable Tourism (2012). She has been inducted into the Urban Tourism Research Hall of Fame and recognized with the 2018 ‘Most Awesome Scholars in Tourism’ award.

Edwards has pioneered methodologies like GPS tracking for destination management and automated content analysis for tourism discourse. Her funded research explores legacies of business events, incentive travel impacts, and safety strategies for large venues. She actively mentors early-career researchers and coordinates collaborative projects across academia, industry, and government.

Her work emphasizes practical industry collaboration, with projects addressing urban tourism challenges, sport-for-development initiatives, and crisis management in post-pandemic tourism.