Inês Carvalho

Inês Carvalho is an Associate Professor at Universidade Europeia in Lisbon, where she serves as Research Coordinator at the Faculty for Social Sciences and Technology. She is also an Integrated Member of CETRAD (Center for Transdisciplinary Development Studies) and a Collaborator at GOVCOPP Research Unit (Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies) at the University of Aveiro. Her academic journey spans across tourism, languages, and gender studies, with a strong commitment to interdisciplinary research.

Her educational background includes a PhD in Tourism and a Master's in Tourism Management and Planning from the University of Aveiro, a degree in Modern Languages and Literatures (English and German Studies) from the University of Coimbra, and she is currently pursuing a PhD in Management at ISEG Lisbon School of Economics and Management. She completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Online Teaching and Digital Competencies from Universidad Europea de Madrid SLU in 2021 and was a visiting doctoral student at Linköping University in Sweden.

Carvalho's research focuses on the intersection of tourism with language, gender, and technology. She has pioneered work on language tourism, gender equality in tourism management, and the application of large language models in tourism contexts. Her work often employs qualitative methodologies to explore complex social dynamics in tourism sectors. She has significantly contributed to understanding how language learning motivates travel, how gender affects career trajectories in tourism, and how AI technologies are reshaping tourism experiences and communications.

Her recent publications reveal a strong trend toward examining the impact of AI and large language models on tourism, with particular attention to ethical considerations, practical applications, and limitations. She also continues research on gender dynamics in tourism management and the evolving nature of language tourism in a digital age. Her work bridges theoretical insights with practical applications for the tourism industry.

• Multiple Research Awards from Universidade Europeia (2023)
• Merit Grant, University of Aveiro (2009)
• Prize Engineer António de Almeida, University of Coimbra (2006)
• Curricula Prize Feijó, University of Coimbra (2006)
• Several merit grants and student support prizes from University of Coimbra (2003-2005)

Carvalho has secured significant research funding from Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and Turismo de Portugal, including her current project 'Breaking Language Barriers: The Role of Natural Language Processing Technologies in Intercultural Communication in the Context of International Tourism' (2024-2026). She actively mentors doctoral students, including Sanghamitra Bhaduri in the Doctoral Seminar in Economic and Organizational Sociology at ISEG. Her leadership extends to organizing conferences and scientific committees, particularly in gender and tourism research.

She leads research initiatives at CETRAD and collaborates with GOVCOPP, focusing on transdisciplinary approaches to tourism development. Her work often involves international collaboration, as evidenced by her publications with researchers from multiple countries, and she regularly participates in global conferences on tourism, hospitality, and gender studies.