Yizhi Li (Ian)

Dr. Yizhi "Ian" Li serves as an Assistant Professor in the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Administration at the University of New Orleans, where he investigates gender and sexuality dynamics within hospitality service encounters while maintaining an active research agenda in 19th century French literary studies. His industry background includes significant roles at Marriott International and The Walt Disney Company prior to his academic career.

• Ph.D. in Consumer Sciences, The Ohio State University
• M.S. in Hospitality Management, Michigan State University
• B.S. in Tourism Administration, Donghua University, China

Dr. Li's interdisciplinary research program uniquely bridges hospitality management and literary scholarship. In hospitality, he examines how gender and sexuality influence consumer experiences and employee performance within service management frameworks, with publications in Tourism Management and International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. Concurrently, his literary work analyzes Balzac and Zola through feminist and cultural lenses, exploring identity construction, rape culture narratives, and Franco-German intellectual history. His dual expertise enables innovative cross-disciplinary perspectives on experiential marketing and narrative theory.

His recent scholarly output reveals distinct thematic clusters: hospitality research focuses on diversity management and experiential marketing, while literary publications demonstrate deep engagement with 19th century French novels, particularly examining gender representation in Balzac's La Comédie Humaine and Zola's naturalist works. Recurring motifs across both domains include identity performance, power dynamics in service encounters, and the intersection of personal and institutional narratives.