Tourism and Leisure Studies Research Network

Emerging Scholar Awards

Each year a small number of Emerging Scholar Awards are given to outstanding early-career scholars or graduate students. The Award offers complimentary registration and Network Membership. It provides a robust professional development opportunity for early career academics to meet experts in the field, interact with colleagues from other parts of the world, and create networks and lasting connections. In our model, we have two kinds of Emerging Scholars -- In-Person and Online Only. Across all formats, Emerging Scholars play a critical role in the conference by leading discussions and chairing parallel sessions and are offered a publication pathway for their research. This way, we can provide maximum exposure for this selected group of researchers.

To apply, follow the link below. You may also view further instructions by selecting our "Step-By-Step Guide."

Final Deadline: 1 March 2026
Apply Now Step-By-Step Guide

2026 In Person Emerging Scholars

For each conference, a small number of Emerging Scholar Awards are given to outstanding graduate students and emerging scholars who have an active research interest in the conference themes. 2026 Emerging Scholar Award recipients are as follows:

Justyna Liro

Justyna Liro

Jagiellonian University, Poland

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.

Ekaterina Shebanova

Ekaterina Shebanova

CETT Barcelona School of Tourism, Hospitality and Gastronomy, Research Group TURCiT, Spain

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

2026 Online Only Recipients

Matthew C. Ogwu

Matthew C. Ogwu

California Polytechnic University Pomona, United States

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.

In Their Words

My favorite part of this conference experience was the talking circle. It was interesting to hear the backgrounds and fields of the researchers and professionals present because they gave some some ideas for my own career"

Viktoria Konyves, 2017 Awardee

This was my first time chairing sessions, and I think I learned a lot from this. There are a lot of personalities and preferences to navigate and it was good to have experience doing so."

Bethany Rigles, 2016 Awardee

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