معرفی
Professor Caroline Scarles is Vice Dean for Research and Professor of Technology in Society at Brunel Business School, Brunel University London, within the College of Business, Arts and Social Sciences. She holds invited Visiting Professor positions at Wakayama University (Japan) and the University of Surrey (UK), underscoring her international academic influence.
- Brunel Business School, Brunel University London
- Visiting Professor, Wakayama University, Japan
- Visiting Professor, University of Surrey, UK
Her research lies at the intersection of technology, society, tourism, and wellbeing, with a strong emphasis on technology for social good. Key areas include immersive and mixed reality technologies in arts and heritage, multisensory and embodied engagements, and the role of green and blue spaces—both physical and virtual—in enhancing mental health and wellbeing. She is particularly known for her work on augmenting visitor experiences through augmented reality and virtual reality, especially in contexts of healthy ageing and community engagement.
Her recent publications span high-impact journals such as Journal of Travel Research, Tourism Management, Annals of Tourism Research, and Landscape and Urban Planning. Collectively, these works reveal a consistent trajectory toward understanding digital mediation in human experiences of place, nature, and memory, with a growing focus on mental health, sustainability, and inclusive design. Themes include social media storytelling, destination branding, ethical tourism, and the psychological impacts of immersive technologies.
Caroline Scarles has secured approximately £2.5 million in research funding from prestigious bodies including ESRC, EPSRC, AHRC, InnovateUK, DEFRA, and NESTA. Her projects often involve collaboration with public and private partners such as Natural England, the Environment Agency, Smartify, and Bradt Travel Guides. She serves on the editorial boards of Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Sustainability, and Digital Geography and Society, and regularly reviews for UKRI and other international funding agencies.
She actively supervises PhD students on topics including phygital visitor engagement, AR for hearing-impaired visitors, vlogs as destination promoters, and virtual travel for social connection. Her former PhD students have explored areas such as urban art, polar tourism, digital collaboration, and ethical behavior in tourism.
Caroline is deeply engaged in external advisory roles, including as Director of Visit Surrey, Member of the Environment Agency Blue Space Forum, and Strategic Board Member for the Surrey Cultural Partnership. She also co-hosts Mental Health Swims, supporting open-water swimming for mental wellbeing, and is an exhibiting artist exploring water, immersion, and community through mixed media and soundscapes.
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