Tourism and Leisure Studies Research Network

Justyna Liro is an assistant professor at the Institute of Geography and Spatial Management at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland. Her work is situated at the intersection of behavioral geography and mobility studies, examining how religious and spiritual practices transform within postmodern and postsecular societies. She investigates changing forms of mobility, sacred place attachment, and faith-based tourism as dynamic modes of identity-making, belonging, and experience across generations. Justyna has led and contributed to research projects funded by the National Science Centre (NCN) and participates in Horizon Europe–related international collaborations. She works with partners from the University of Padua, Wageningen University & Research, and Roma Tre University. She is a three-time recipient of the Emerging Scholar Award. Her research mission is to examine how people negotiate meaning and belonging through mobility experiences, decision-making practices, and evolving relationships with places in a rapidly transforming contemporary world.

Dr. Ekaterina Shebanova (ORCID: 0000-0003-1620-4772) is a Research Investigator with the TURCiT Research Group in Tourism, Culture, and Territory, and Professor at CETT – Barcelona School of Tourism, Hospitality and Gastronomy. She earned her PhD at the University of Girona, funded by a competitive grant, with research on Russian-speaking mobilities. Holding Bachelor’s and Masters’s degrees in International Relations and Tourism Product Development, her work explores human geography, mobilities, and migration in tourism. She is editor of the Tourism and Heritage Journal, and active in European projects and international academic initiatives

Dr. Alexandra Maris has a PhD from the University of Toronto at the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education in collaboration with the Women and Gender Studies Institute. She has completed her Master of Arts in Women and Gender Studies at the University of Toronto and has an Honorary Bachelor of Arts with High Distinction. Her research focus is at the intersections of health, sport, tourism, gender, race and class. Her work has a transnational lens to include looking at sporting tourism in the form of martial art camps abroad, she examines destination training camps through critical race theory and post-colonial theory to complicate racial sporting projects. Alexandra has won several awards, scholarships and fellowships for her strong academic record and for being an outstanding candidate in her field. She is a Lecturer at State University of New York in the Global Public Health Program.

Varvara Bravou is a hospitality professional and PhD Candidate at the University of Patras. With more than fourteen years of experience in the tourism and hospitality sector, she has held senior management roles, including serving as Managing Director and contributing to the establishment and operation of a new hospitality enterprise. Her research focuses on soft skills development, blended learning, and training methodologies for front-office staff in urban hospitality environments. She has taught hospitality-related courses in private higher education and has delivered seminars on tourism topics to external participants. Her doctoral work centers on designing and evaluating an in-service blended training program for hospitality employees.

Dr. Matthew C. Ogwu is an interdisciplinary environmental scientist and Faculty member in the Sustainable Development Department at Appalachian State University, USA. His research explores sustainability science, environmental health, and integrated ecology through the One Health and EcoHealth frameworks. With a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Seoul National University, South Korea, Dr. Ogwu’s work examines human–environment interactions, natural resource management, and community resilience. An award-winning mentor and globally engaged scholar, he promotes participatory, inclusive, and decolonial approaches to sustainable development and tourism-linked environmental stewardship.

Matthew Retana is a hospitality scholar with a strong background in global logistics and operations. He is completing his Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management and works professionally as an event sommelier, blending service expertise with international beverage knowledge. His academic interests center on tourism development, global hospitality systems, and beverage supply chain management. Matthew plans to pursue a Master’s in Global Hospitality followed by a PhD, with long-term aspirations of becoming a Master Sommelier and contributing to hospitality research and education.