Ki-Joon Back

Ki-Joon Back is a Professor at the University of Houston, College of Global Hospitality Leadership. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in Hotel Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a Ph.D. in Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management from The Pennsylvania State University.

• Education
  • B.S. in Hotel Administration, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
  • M.S. in Hotel Administration, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
  • Ph.D. in Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management, Pennsylvania State University

His research focuses on ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Strategies in hospitality, brand image analysis across hotel, restaurant, convention, and casino industries, customer satisfaction metrics, and gambling impact studies. He has significantly contributed to understanding consumer behaviors within hospitality and tourism sectors.

Back has been recognized as a World Top 2% Most Cited Scientist across his career by Stanford University and ranked among the World Top 1% of scientists in Business and Management by Research.com. His scholarly work includes over 170 publications spanning manuscripts, book chapters, and proceedings.

• Scientific Awards
  • ICHRIE Lifetime Research Achievement Award
  • Founder's Award for the Lifetime Hospitality Graduate Education
  • Multiple international research awards at conferences and journals
  • Elected member of National Honor Society Phi Kappa Phi

As a leader in hospitality education, he founded the Consortium of Global Sustainability with 68 academic members across 17 countries and serves in editorial roles for top-tier hospitality and tourism journals.