Ross William Francis Alexander Curran

Ross William Francis Alexander Curran is an Associate Professor at the School of Social Sciences, Heriot-Watt University Dubai Campus. His work intersects tourism management, marketing, and volunteer engagement, with a focus on cultural heritage and leisure studies. He actively contributes to academic conferences and consults on retail merchandising and entrepreneurship education.

His research explores volunteer tourism dynamics, including communitas-driven engagement and the hedonistic aspects of religious travel. He has pioneered experiential learning initiatives like the Global Board Games Project, fostering cross-border collaboration in entrepreneurship education. Curran’s work emphasizes cultural intelligence in classrooms and the role of digital platforms in global business.

Notable achievements include a 2018 award for research on serious leisure and authentic travel recommendations. He has advised organizations in Dubai and contributed to media discussions on cultural tourism and AI/VR in travel experiences.

His publications span 15 peer-reviewed articles between 2014–2024, addressing topics such as brand heritage, qualitative data methodologies, and diaspora engagement in volunteer tourism.