Maria Gebbels

Dr Maria Gebbels joined the University of Greenwich in August 2016. She was awarded a PhD for a study entitled, "Career Paths in Hospitality: A Life History Approach" at the University of Brighton. She had previously gained an MSc in Food Services and Wellbeing Management, and holds a BA (Hons) in International Hospitality Management from the University of Brighton.

Before joining Greenwich, Maria was a lecturer at the School of Sport and Service Management, University of Brighton teaching a range of undergraduate modules.

Her research focuses on gender dynamics and career progression within the hospitality industry, professionalism, and perceptions of hospitality as a career of choice. She also engages with critical hospitality studies, using this lens to explore social dynamics and issues of justice and inclusion. She challenges conventional conceptualisations of hospitality by investigating phenomena such as hospitality in carceral settings and in adventure tourism. She is a co-author of 'The Adventure Tourist: Being, Knowing, Becoming'.

Maria is currently serving as the the Vice-Chair at the Council for Hospitality Management Education, and a Vice-Chair of the Institute of Hospitality’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Council, which champions addressing disability, equality, diversity, and inclusion issues across the hospitality industry.

Besides her work in academia, Maria had worked in the hospitality industry for 10 years in roles such as a front of house manager and an operations manager in various sectors of the industry.