Deborah Edwards

Deborah Edwards is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Business School, affiliated with the Management Discipline Group. She holds a PhD from Western Sydney University and has held leadership roles including Acting Associate Dean (Research) and Director of Postgraduate Research. Her work bridges academia and industry, emphasizing co-produced research with stakeholders.

Education

• PhD, Western Sydney University
• Graduate Diploma, Western Sydney University

Research Focus

Her research spans business events, sustainable tourism, urban tourism, and volunteerism. Key themes include strategic flexibility, event legacies, spatial behavior analysis, and policy innovation. She has pioneered methodologies like ACA (Automated Content Analysis) in tourism discourse studies.

Key Awards

• 2023 Urban Tourism Research Hall of Fame (ITSA)
• 2018 Most Awesome Scholar in Tourism Award

Grants & Collaborations

She has led over 30 funded projects, including studies on business event impacts, incentive travel economics, and spatial tourism analytics. Major partners include Business Events Sydney and the Sustainable Tourism CRC.

Editorial & Leadership

Deborah serves on editorial boards for journals like International Journal of Tourism Cities and Urban Science. She mentors PhD candidates and early-career researchers, fostering collaborative research environments.