Dr Mandi Jamalian

I joined the University of Leicester in 2015 as a Graduate Teaching Assistant while undertaking my doctoral research full-time at the School of Management (now the School of Business). During my PhD, I contributed to several research projects alongside my own thesis (see Publications), developing an interdisciplinary perspective on contemporary issues in marketing and management.

After completing my PhD in 2020, I was appointed as a Teaching Fellow at the University of Leicester School of Business, before taking up my current role as Lecturer in Marketing in 2021. Since then, I have undertaken a number of academic leadership roles within the School.

As Programme Lead for the BA Marketing (2022-2024), I was responsible for the overall academic quality of the programme. This included curriculum review, enhancing the student experience, supporting colleagues in delivering an engaging and rigorous marketing education, and ensuring the programme met both university and external expectations.

In 2024, with the establishment of the new College of Business, I was appointed as Director of Education for the School of Marketing and Strategy. In this role, I lead the School’s education portfolio, supporting the delivery of the School and College vision for inclusive, innovative, and high-quality business education. I work with Programme Leads and colleagues to enhance curriculum design, assessment, and the student learning experience across our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes (both campus-based and distance learning). In addition, I lead the development and implementation of education strategy aligned with institutional priorities, overseeing the ongoing quality assurance and delivery of our portfolio, and leading the development of new programmes and initiatives that support the strategic direction of the School and College.

I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, which reflects my ongoing engagement with teaching and learning and my commitment to supporting colleagues in their professional development, alongside students.

My teaching and research interests focus on services marketing, with a particular emphasis on understanding and improving customer and service experiences in contemporary contexts.

My main research interests focus on consumer experience and behaviour, with particular emphasis on tourism, leisure, and cultural consumption. I specialise in qualitative and ethnographic research methods to explore how individuals engage with places and experiences.

In my PhD thesis, titled “A More-Than-Representational Understanding of Dark Tourism Places,” I examined how places associated with death are produced, consumed, and reconstructed through embodied practices. This work contributes to the growing literature on dark tourism and deepens our understanding of how people interact with and make meaning from such complex sites.

Currently, I am engaged in several research projects related to the business of dark tourism and the management of difficult heritage sites, exploring the challenges and opportunities these unique places present.

Papadopoulos, O., Lopez-Andreu, M., & Jamalian, M. (2021). Violation and lack of awareness of employment rights in the United Kingdom's hotel industry: Isolation, fragmentation and barriers to labour enforcement. Industrial Relations Journal, 1- 16. View abstract

Jamalian, M., Kavaratzis, M., & Saren, M. (2020). A happy experience of a dark place: Consuming and performing the Jallianwala Bagh. Tourism Management, 81, 104168. View abstract

Lopez Andreu, M., Papadopolous, O., & Jamalian, M. (2019). How has the UK hotels sector been affected by the fissuring of the worker-employer relationship in the last 10 years? Director of Labour Market Enforcement: London. Pp. 1-58. View

Paper presentations

Jamalian, M., Kavaratzis, M. and Saren, M. (2019) Tourist Photography: The experience of visitors at the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre Memorial, paper presented at the Travel and Tourism Association Europe 2019 Conference, 7-10 April, Bournemouth, UK.

Jamalian, M., Kavaratzis, M. and Saren, M. (2019) A place for remembrance, rest and selfies, paper presented at the 6th Corfu Place Marketing and Branding Symposium, 6-10 May, Corfu, Greece.

Artwork presentations

IPBA Art Gallery (2019). It's a dark but a happy place. University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece View 

Images of Research competition (2018). In Search for Inner Peace. University of Leicester. [Katherine May People's Choice Award Winner] View 

I am currently supervising doctoral research on topics including:

• The role of sustainability factors in shaping positive place brand image
• Online consumption practices and behaviours of Generation Z in the post-pandemic context
• The potential of virtual travel experiences to foster pro-environmental behaviours
• The influence of social media interactions on consumer motivation toward green consumption
• The impact of digital business models on the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)  
• Consumption practices in hyperreality

I have supervised two PhD students to successful completion and welcome inquiries from prospective research students interested in the following areas:

• Consumer experience and behaviour in contemporary contexts
• Online and digital consumption practices (including social media, virtual experiences)    
• Tourism, leisure, and cultural consumption
• Place and destination marketing, including sustainability and place branding
• Services marketing and service experiences
• Pro-environmental behaviours and sustainability  
• Ethnographic and qualitative approaches to studying consumer experience

I contribute to teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. I currently lead MK3119 Services Marketing (Level 6 undergraduate) and supervise students on MK3204 Dissertation (BA Marketing). Additionally, I lead MK7054 and MK7055 Dissertation and Project modules for the MSc International Business programme.

Academic Leadership: 

• Director of Education, Marketing & strategy (2024-) 
• BA Marketing Undergraduate Programme Lead  (2022-2024) 
• Academic Stream Tutor for BA Marketing Year 3 (2020-2022)  

Image of Research (2018): ‘In search for inner peace’ - Katherine May People's Choice Winner

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)