I completed my BA International Studies with French at Queen's University Belfast. I then went on to successfully complete the Msc Marketing at University of Ulster with a distinction and an excellence award in 2009. It was during the Msc programme that I discovered my interest for research after completing my Msc thesis. I returned to University of Ulster in September 2010 when I began full-time work on my PhD. I hope to complete in September 2013.

The teaching at Ulster impressed me while I was doing my Masters and I felt confident I could successfully complete my PhD at the University. In particular, I was aware of the strong research focus on tourism and marketing at University of Ulster. After discussing the possibility of doing a PhD with some of the staff I applied for the scholarship and was successful. My research is supervised by Dr Danielle McCartan-Quinn and Professor Audrey Gilmore, both of which bring a wealth of knowledge to my research programme.

The research is based in the Ulster Business School and is looking at tourism management from a marketing perspective. The research process looks at strategic marketing planning / management in tourism particularly at heritage sites and is focused in Northern Ireland, specifically at two key sites in NI, the Mournes and the Causeway Coast and Glens. The purpose of the research is to investigate how a more streamlined, less fragmented approach can be taken to tourism marketing management by developing a model of collaboration for tourism. The principal methodology will be to carry out in-depth interviews with key stakeholders operating in the tourism industry in Northern Ireland, from a government planning perspective.

This year (2012) will largely be spent carrying out interviews with stakeholders at all levels of tourism management and delivery and I am already getting very interesting findings which are helping to shape my research. I am particularly enthused by my research in tourism at the present time as tourism is bringing many opportunities to Northern Ireland and really helping the region to raise its profile. Tourism is almost the ‘buzz word’ for Northern Ireland at the moment.

I have recently presented early research findings in a paper at Academy of Marketing 2011 conference in Liverpool and at the Tourism Hospitality in Ireland Conference 2011 in Athlone. I hope to present again at this year’s Academy of Marketing Conference. I hope to get involved in teaching at University of Ulster during my PhD and in the future I hope to build on my PhD research, perhaps at another tourist destination, and of course secure a full time teaching position.