Hyelin Kim (Hospitality) coauthored a study published in the Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing that examines the key attributes shaping tourists’ cognitive image of conflict-ridden destinations, using the Korean Demilitarized Zone as a case study. The results highlight the greater importance of structural factors, particularly…

For the fourth year in a row, professors Seyhmus Baloglu and Jungsun (Sunny) Kim (both Hospitality) have been included on the World's Top 2% Scientists list, which is compiled jointly by Stanford University and Elsevier. Officially released in October 2026, this prestigious list identifies the world's leading researchers, representing…

Master’s student Chencong Ren (Hospitality) received the 2027 Emerging Nevada Scholars in Gambling Research Award for his project, “Does Betting Speed Signal Gambling Problems? A Sportsbook Simulation Study.” The award supports graduate research that advances understanding of gambling-related harm. The project received $3,000 in funding and is…

Juliana R. V. Tkatch (Hospitality) published a new study in the Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance that examines how people with intellectual disabilities (PwIDs) transition from school to careers in the hospitality and tourism industry. Using a sustainable career perspective, the exploratory…

On Sept. 30, the Harrah College of Hospitality hosted an interdisciplinary seminar with faculty and students from Hospitality, Engineering, and the School of Medicine, demonstrating how the college's PGA Golf Management Center can serve as a platform for interdisciplinary collaboration in sport performance and entertainment. School of Medicine…

Assistant Professor Renata Fernandes Guzzo (Hospitality) is the author of a recent article, "The circular economy advantage: unpacking the effects of hotel employees' involvement in circular economy initiatives," published in the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights. Drawing from social cognitive theory (SCT), this study explains how…

Christopher Cain (Hospitality) has been approved to serve on UNLV’s Intercollegiate Athletics Council (IAC). The IAC advises and oversees the university’s intercollegiate athletics program, including policy, institutional control, academic integrity, compliance, and student-athlete welfare. He joins other newly appointed members, Joe Ervin (…

Assistant professor Bonhak Koo (Hospitality) and his coauthors received the Best Paper Award at the GLOTECH 2026 Conference for their paper, “Hospitality’s Empathic Friend: How an Emotional Support AI Chatbot Can Be Used for Early Detection and Intervention for Employees’ Psychological Distress.” This interdisciplinary research was conducted in…

Tiange Xu (Hospitality) was featured in a G&M News interview, "Understanding the Impact of Gambling Content Creators on Player Behavior and Responsible Gaming." Drawing on his dissertation research on slot machine vlogs, the interview explores how gambling content creators are becoming informal sources of gambling education and building highly…

Tiange Xu (Hospitality), Andrea Dassopoulos (International Gaming Institute), and UNLV alumnus Dante Miller (Ph.D. Sociology, 2026) recently published a paper, "Classification-Behavior Discordance and Problem Gambling: Differential Patterns for Fantasy Sports and Loot Boxes Among College Students," in the Journal of Gambling Studies. The study…

Joseph Lema (Hospitality) presented the World Tourism Cities Development Report (2025–2026) at the opening session of the World Conference on Tourism Cooperation and Development 2026 on September 8, 2026, in Beijing, China. The report systematically assesses 100 representative tourist cities worldwide, covering 70 countries and regions. Lema was…

Professor Joseph Lema (Hospitality) is a coauthor of the recently published article, "Public Trust in Generative AI: Risk Perceptions, Regulatory Safeguards, and the Acceptance of Deepfake Technology." This study examines how perceived benefits, perceived risks, privacy concerns, and demographic characteristics relate to trust in deepfake…