Featured Faculty

Kesgin’s professional background in higher education and the industry spans internationally. He received his B.S. from Akdeniz University in Turkey and Ph.D. from Coventry University in the United Kingdom. He is an experienced hospitality professional, having worked in various roles in four countries before moving into higher education as a Lecturer at Akdeniz University in Turkey. He was an Adjunct Lecturer at Buckinghamshire New University in the United Kingdom before joining RIT in 2013.

His research primarily focuses on destination marketing and tourist behavior, with special emphasis on visitor attractions, visitor experience design, and visitor engagement. His research has appeared in the Journal of Revenue & Pricing Management, Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, and Tourism: An International Interdisciplinary Journal. His plan of work focuses on crises, disasters, and resilience management in hospitality and tourism with particular interest in demand-side considerations, such as crisis-resistant tourists. His additional research interests include technology integration in the marketing and delivery of hospitality and tourism services.

Kesgin involves undergraduate and graduate students in his research projects. He has encouraged and enabled his students to attend the Annual Graduate Education & Graduate Student Research Conference in Hospitality and Tourism. His work with graduate students and his undergraduate research assistant accounted for nine artifacts in 2016 and 2017. He collaborates with faculty and professionals locally at RIT, in Rochester and New York State, as well as those nationally, and internationally. He is currently working on five collaborative projects funded and supported by grants from RIT and CAST. These grants support student researcher salaries and help him continue to be on the forefront of recruiting, training, and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in his research program.

Believing that university-industry collaboration plays a vital role to enhance innovation, he actively builds relationships and participates in partnerships with industry practitioners to bene t from knowledge exchange, such as RIT’s partnerships with the Genesee Country Village and Museum and the Seneca Park Zoo Society. He serves on the George Eastman Museum’s Market- ing and Engagement Committee and Visit Rochester’s Research Task Force. He also disseminates his research findings to local authorities and industry practitioners during Visit Rochester’s Visitor Industry Council meetings. As chapter adviser of the Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) RIT Chapter, he presented on a panel on the topic of “Student Engagement: Preparing Future Finance and Technology Leaders” at HFTP’s 65th Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida, on October 26, 2017. The aforementioned knowledge exchange efforts guide Kesgin to make more informed research decisions, leading to scholarly outcomes with practical implications.

Muhammet Kesgin
Assistant Professor
RIT College of Applied Science & Technology