Dr Nicola Cade

Biography

Nikki is currently the Departmental Director of Partnerships, Academic Offence Adjudicator and Committee member, Student Complaints Investigator, UG International Tourism Management Course Lead and Lecturer in Tourism and Events. Nikki is currently a registered member of the Destination Management Plan Skills Working Group with Visit Essex. She has a Doctor of Philosophy in Events Management awarded by King's College, London. Her research qualitatively explores how Rio's mega-events impacted a specific favela community through the theoretical lenses of socio-cultural trauma and resilience. Her thesis is titled: ‘Mega-event fragmentation of Rio’s favelas: The socio-cultural trauma of Morro dos Prazeres’. Nikki completed her undergraduate BA Hons Tourism Management degree between 2013-2016 at Anglia Ruskin University and was awarded the Association for Tourism in Higher Education (ATHE) 'Best Undergraduate Student on Tourism Programmes' in 2015/16. In 2019, Nicola successfully defended her Master of Philosophy thesis at Anglia Ruskin University - 'Transformational resilience, resistance and social change: The role of creative social legacy initiatives in Rio's favelas'. Her research interests include: • Mega-events • Favela tourism • Dark tourism • Cultural trauma • Resilience • Social Capital • Cultural and Heritage Tourism • Slow Tourism/Events Her teaching expertise is in tourism and events management having taught on a range of modules within these areas as well as business and marketing modules at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Qualifications

• Master of Philosophy Anglia Ruskin University, (2019)

• BA Hons Tourism Management Anglia Ruskin University, (2016)

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) King's College London, (2024)

Appointments

University of Essex

• ASE Lecturer, Edge Hotel School, University of Essex (6/2/2023 - present)

• Director of Partnerships, Edge Hotel School, University of Essex (20/6/2025 - present)

• BA International Tourism Management Course Director, Edge Hotel School, University of Essex (1/9/2025 - present)

• Academic Offence Adjudicator and Committee Member, Edge Hotel School, University of Essex (1/9/2023 - present)

• Student Complaints Investigator, Edge Hotel School, University of Essex (1/1/2026 - present)

Other academic

• Lecturer / Postgraduate Course Portfolio Leader, Faculty of Business and Law, Anglia Ruskin University (18/9/2017 - 31/1/2023)

• External Examiner, School of Aviation, Marketing and Tourism, University of Bedfordshire / City University of Malaysia (1/10/2025 - 30/9/2029)

• Panel Member, Marketing, Enterprise, and Tourism, Anglia Ruskin University (1/12/2025 - present)