Dr. Lisa Gao joins the School of Hotel and Tourism Management as an Assistant Professor in 2017 from the Pennsylvania State University, where she earned her Ph.D. degree and served as an instructor.

Her research focuses on consumer behaviour, services marketing, and corporate social responsibility issues. Her research is published in top-tier hospitality and business journals such as the International Journal of Hospitality Management, Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, Journal of Business Research and Journal of Business Ethics. Dr Gao also serves as an editorial board member for International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, and Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, and as a reviewer for hospitality and tourism journals and conferences.

Dr. Gao received the Annual ICHRIE Research Reports award at the Annual ICHRIE Conference (2018), the best paper award at the 22nd Annual Graduate Education and Graduate Student Research Conference in Hospitality and Tourism (2017), Chinese Government’s Award for Outstanding Students Abroad (2015) and Richard A. Benefield and Elinor Vinson Benefield Endowment in the School of Hospitality Management (2015). Her master’s thesis was nominated for the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools Master’s Thesis Award. Prior to joining Penn State, she worked for the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, USA and the British Consulate-General Shanghai, China.

• PhD (Pennsylvania State University)
• MSc (Pennsylvania State University)
• BMgt (Dalian University of Foreign Languages)

• CHE (Certified Hospitality Educator) (2016)
• CHIA (Certificate in Hotel Industry Analytics) (2018)

• Food and Beverage Management, Hospitality and Hotel Management