Four HTM Faculty Members Recognized as Leading Researchers

Four faculty members from the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management in the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst have been recognized among the world’s most-cited scientists, reinforcing the reputation of the department, as well as Isenberg as a whole, as a hub for world-class research and impactful learning. Albert Assaf, Melissa Baker, Irem Onder Neuhofer, and Muzzo Uysal were all included on the 2025 edition of the annual Top 2% Scientists list.

“This recognition reflects the depth, rigor, and relevance of the research conducted by the faculty at Isenberg HTM,” said Melissa Baker, department chair. “We are proud of the inclusion of so many researchers, and this demonstrates the strength of the Isenberg School of Management’s research contributions to shaping the future of hospitality and tourism management.”

Albert Assaf

Albert Assaf is a professor, the Hadelman Family Faculty Fellow, and the graduate faculty director. His research focuses on applied econometrics, efficiency and productivity analysis, and performance measurement, particularly within the hospitality and tourism industry. Assaf’s work often combines advanced quantitative techniques with real-world industry applications to better understand how organizations can improve efficiency and decision-making. His research has been published extensively in leading academic journals on topics such as hotel performance, tourism demand, sustainability, and benchmarking methods.

“Being recognized among the top 2 percent of researchers is truly an honor,” said Assaf. “I’m very grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with outstanding colleagues and students over the years. This recognition reflects not only individual work, but also the many partnerships and conversations that shape research and learning. As a professor, I hope to continue contributing to the field while supporting students and helping connect academic research with practical industry challenges.”

Melissa Baker

Melissa Baker is the chair of the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, professor, and the Jaime ’76 and Cindy Pereira Faculty Fellow. Baker’s research uses both qualitative and quantitative methods to address cutting-edge issues in hospitality and customer experience management. Her expertise focuses on service failure and recovery, customer-employee interactions, appearance and impression formation, and employee wellbeing. Most recently, her research has examined the effects of customer incivility on employee mental health and performance, the evolving service triad of customer-employee-technology service interactions, and emerging workplace issues such as quiet quitting and performance punishment.

“I’m honored to be recognized, and I congratulate all of the researchers included,” said Baker. “Accolades like these underscore how impactful research can drive mindful change, advance knowledge and theory, and shape the world of hospitality management. These recognitions are grounded in rigorous citation metrics and reflect the global impact of our scholarly contributions. It is inspiring that our department had 4 faculty members honored on this list.”

Irem Onder Neuhofer

Irem Onder Neuhofer is an associate professor and the program coordinator for Isenberg’s PhD in hospitality and tourism management. Her research focuses on the intersection of hospitality and tourism with artificial intelligence and digital transformation. She studies how technologies like generative AI, machine learning, and digital platforms are changing service experiences, decision-making, and customer behavior. Recently, Onder Neuhofer has been conducting research on AI-powered sentiment analysis of large-scale review data, service failure diagnostics, and the strategic role of generative AI in hospitality and tourism businesses.

“This recognition means a lot to me,” said Onder Neuhofer. “It reflects years of steady work, curiosity, and collaboration with colleagues and students. More than the ranking itself, what matters to me is producing research that is rigorous but also relevant, and that helps the industry think critically about how to adopt technology without losing the human side of service. As a professor, I bring these conversations directly into my classroom, so students are prepared for what’s coming next."

Muzzo Uysal

Muzzo Uysal is the Carney Family Endowed Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Since 2021, Uysal has also been featured on every year’s edition of the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers list, which recognizes individuals who rank in the top 1 percent by citations in their fields. His academic research focuses on examining the relationship between quality of life (QoL) and hospitality and tourism. Uysal explores this connection from three perspectives: visitors, residents, and employees within the tourism and hospitality sector. His work also involves developing QoL and well-being measures for visitors, destination communities, and employees.

“In my research, I’ve demonstrated that QoL, grounded in domains such as well-being, community cohesion, work–life balance, environmental quality, and sustainability, should function as a core performance indicator for tourism development and governance,” shared Uysal. “My analysis shows that sustainable destination competitiveness, smart-city technologies, resilience planning, and stronger policy integration of QoL indicators are essential for managing tourism growth while safeguarding community well-being.”