Dr. Maren Viol
Originally from Germany, Maren holds an undergraduate degree in International Hospitality Management from Stenden University in the Netherlands and an MSc in Tourism and Events from the University of Sunderland in the UK. Maren gained her PhD from Edinburgh Napier University in the UK in 2016 with a thesis exploring commemorative narratives of the anniversary events of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Since then, she has taught on tourism, hospitality and events management courses in the UK and Vietnam and has held programme leadership roles at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Maren is also a Fellow of Advance HE. Her research interests include commemoration, memory studies, semiotics, tourism education and sustainable tourism. Maren has published her research in academic journals and book chapters and presented at international conferences.
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Doctor of Philosophy (2011-2016)
Edinburgh Napier University, UK
Thesis: Collective memory and identity narratives at the 20th and 25th anniversary events of the fall of the Berlin Wall
- Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (2012-2013)
Edinburgh Napier University, UK
- Master of Science in Tourism and Events (2010-2011)
University of Sunderland, UK
- Bachelor of Business Administration in International Hospitality Management (2006-2010)
Stenden University, Netherlands
PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS
- British University Vietnam
Senior Lecturer (2023 – present)
Discipline Lead Tourism and Hospitality (2023 – present)
- Glasgow Caledonian University (UK)
Lecturer (2020-2022)
Programme Leader MSc International Tourism and Events Management (2021-2022)
- British University Vietnam
Senior Lecturer (2016-2019)
Programme Leader BA(Hons) Tourism Management and BA(Hons) Events Management (2016-2019)
- Edinburgh Napier University (UK)
Graduate Teaching Assistant (2011-2016)
RESEARCH AREAS / FIELDS
- Critical tourism and events studies
- Sustainability in tourism and events
- Tourism higher education
RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS
- Nguyen, B. L. & Viol, M. (2022) ‘Factors influencing decision-making of millennial travellers participating in community-based rural tourism experiences in South-East Asia’, in Stylidis, D., Kim, S. & Kim, S. (eds.) Tourism Marketing in East and South-East Asia, Egham: CABI, 22-38.
- Viol, M. & Southall, C. (2021) ‘A conceptual framework for understanding Western-centrism in transnational education in tourism’, Current Issues in Tourism, 1-5, DOI: 10.1080/13683500.2021.2019203
- Viol, M., Todd, L., Theodoraki, E. & Anastasiadou, C. (2018) ‘The role of iconic-historic commemorative events in event tourism: Insights from the 20th and 25th anniversaries of the fall of the Berlin Wall’, Tourism Management, 69C, 246-262, DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2018.06.018
- Viol, M. (2015) ‘The use of wikis within the virtual learning environment to support collaborative working and their influence on students’ learning experience’, Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, 3 (2), 50-57, DOI: 10.14297/jpaap.v3i2.156
RESEARCH & CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS / EXHIBITIONS
- Viol, M. & Southall, C. (2023)
Decolonising the tourism curriculum – experiences of faculty in Asian transnational education contexts (keynote address)
3rd Critical Tourism Studies Asia Pacific Conference
Hanoi, Vietnam
- Viol, M. & Nguyen B. L. (2023)
Ethical consumers post-COVID-19: Sustainable travel behaviours of young Vietnamese tourists
3rd Critical Tourism Studies Asia Pacific Conference
Hanoi, Vietnam
- Viol, M. & Southall, C. (2018)
Western-centrism in internationalised tourism higher education curricula: Perspectives from Vietnam
Critical Tourism Studies Asia Pacific Inaugural Biennial Conference
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
- Viol, M., Theodoraki, E., Anastasiadou, C. & Todd, L. (2014)
Researching narratives of collective memory and identity: The case of the commemorative events of the fall of the Berlin Wall
International Conference on Remembering in a Globalizing World
Le Chambon sur Lignon, France
- Viol, M., Theodoraki, E. & Anastasiadou, C. (2013)
The impact of commemorative events of the fall of the Berlin Wall on collective memory (re)constructions
Post Conflict, Cultural Heritage and Regional Development: An International Conference
Wageningen, Netherlands
AWARDS & HONOURS
- Final Year Research Student Prize for Research Excellence (2015)
Edinburgh Napier University
- Interim Research Student Prize for Research Excellence (2014)
Edinburgh Napier University
- First Year Research Student Prize for Research Excellence (2012)
Edinburgh Napier University
- Best Postgraduate Student (2011)
Association for Tourism in Higher Education (ATHE)
- Share
Read more 
Senior Teaching Fellow
Hoang Bao LongBao Long is a lecturer, researcher, entrepreneur and interaction design expert specializing in game design, interaction design, user experience and psychology. He is also interested in entrepreneurship and startups, applying human-centered design to developing products to solve modern social life problems. Outside of teaching, he also is co-founder of LacBird Co. – a game company […]
Head of School, School of Computing & Innovative Technologies
Dr. Ali Al-DulaimiAn instructor with a Ph.D. and around 25 years of cross-disciplinary experience, with a long list of skills and certificates. Throughout his international career, Dr. Al-Dulaimi held different roles: teacher, lead teacher, head of department, lead instructor, research team leader, and Quality & Project manager. Using his solid academic foundations and extensive professional experience, he […]
Teaching Fellow
Sandra SchneidermanSandra is Student Success Lead and a Teaching Instructor. She liaises with faculty and students to develop individualised success lessons and learning plans. Raised in New Zealand and educated in Australia, Sandra received her Bachelor of Education and Master of Education at The University of Melbourne. She also has a Post-Graduate Certificate in Gifted Education […]
Senior Lecturer
Programme Lead – Professional Communications
Before joining BUV, Dr. Pham Hai Chung was a researcher at Harvard Kennedy School in the U.S. She earned her Ph.D. in Media and Communication from Bournemouth University, England, and holds an M.A. in International Journalism from Hong Kong Baptist University. Chung’s Ph.D research focuses on the evolving narratives of Vietnam, examining its war-torn past […]
Lecturer
Dr. Adrian WengAdrian joined BUV Hanoi in 2020, having previously taught at RMIT Vietnam for more than 10 years. Before teaching, he worked as a Training Manager in KPMG Malaysia, an international accounting firm headquartered in the Netherlands. Adrian also worked as a stock analyst and a real estate negotiator in Kuala Lumpur before finding his calling […]
Lecturer
Dr. Bilal AslamBilal Aslam is an accomplished academic with a PhD in Finance from Curtin University. His doctoral research, titled “Machine Learning for Capital Market Research and Portfolio Optimization,” delved into the application of advanced computational techniques to equity portfolio construction and decision-making. Prior to his PhD, Bilal completed an MPhil in Economics and Finance at Curtin […]
Teaching Fellow
Julien PsomasAs Julien was studying for his BA Hons in Marketing in bonny Scotland, he discovered hospitality, its rhythm, its multicultural pool of talents, its long shifts, and the passion behind all this. Beside his studies, he worked in banqueting in St Andrews and later as a bartender. Julien quickly became team leader and got the […]
Senior English Teacher
James McMillanJames was born in England, but spent his formative years not far from Vietnam, in Brunei. In 1986 James moved back to the UK with his family, where he remained until 2015. Following graduation in 1996, he embarked on a career in the financial industry, working for HBOS and then Lloyds Banking Group. Before leaving […]
Lecturer
Dr. Luu Thi Thao NguyenNguyen holds a bachelor’s degree in international business and economics from Foreign Trade University Vietnam, a Master of Management from Keele University in the UK, and a PhD in Marketing from RMIT University in Australia. Nguyen’s PhD research explores the emergence of social enterprises, and she plans to further pursue impactful research. Nguyen has more […]
Senior Lecturer
Programme Lead – Film and Media Production
Born in Perth, Western Australia, composer and sound designer Ross Adrian Williams has written music and designed sound across a range of styles for theatre, film, animation, dance, museum installation, 360° video and VR. His work for award winning abstract, documentary, animated and narrative films have been shown in festivals, and installations around the world […]
