Phiona Stanley

Dr. Phiona Stanley (PhD, MEd, MA (hons)) is an Associate Professor at the Business School, Edinburgh Napier University, specializing in intercultural communication, tourism, and critical autoethnography. Her work interrogates cultural authenticity, subjectivity, and social justice in educational and mobilities contexts.

• Education: PhD, MEd, MA (Hons), RSA Dip
• Awards: Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS)

Research interests include autoethnographic methodologies, cultural authenticity, gender and mobility, and critical pedagogy. Recent projects explore 'unlikely hikers' (e.g., fat, women, and people of color), the paradox of 'study abroad' binaries, and tourism's role in cultural adaptation.

Her 15 most recent articles (2025–2023) span intercultural education, queer mobilities, tourism ethics, and autoethnographic writing. She supervises PhD projects on topics like Chinese students' agency in Sino-French universities and mindfulness in interculturality.

• Scientific Awards
  • Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)
  • Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS)

As a critical intercultural educator, she mentors students and collaborates on initiatives like Spring into Methods 2024, funded by the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science. Her work bridges tourism studies, autoethnography, and social justice in global contexts.