About Dr Amirah Mazlan
I began my education and career journey in 2008 in the culinary arts and hospitality sector in Malaysia and the UK. I was actively involved in various industrial projects, events, and international competitions as a professional chef before I joined Sunway University, Malaysia. My industrial experiences include hotels, resorts (Sheraton Imperial, Westin), Thompson Medical Centre, and Malaysia Airlines.
My PhD focused on the career experiences of female chefs in Malaysia, through the lens of gender and ethnicity intersectionality. Prior to that, I graduated with MA Culinary Arts Management (Distinction) from University College Birmingham, UK, and BA (Hons) Culinary Arts (First Class) from Management and Science University, Malaysia.
My international teaching and working background allow me to connect and collaborate with students coming from diverse and multi-ethnic multi-cultural backgrounds while my industrial experiences will ensure more inclusive learning (knowledge, theories, practical) that potentially enhance greater knowledge transfer to my students.
I am a Fellow of the Advance HE (FHEA). I am also Deputy Programme Leader for the MSc Tourism suite, module leader for multiple modules including gastronomy, taught across our collaborative partnerships and branches in Nepal, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.
Teaching and supervision
I teach the following undergraduate and postgraduate courses:
- BSc (Hons) Tourism and Aviation Management
- BSc (Hons) International Tourism and Hospitality Management
- MSc Tourism and Events
- MSc Tourism and Hospitality
- MSc Tourism and Aviation
- MSc Sustainable Tourism
I am module leader for:
- TLH334 Gastronomy
- TLH231 Planning Hospitality Environments
- TLH125 Fundamentals of Aviation
- TLH219 MICE: Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions
- CHTM35 Tourism Concepts and Issues
I am also a research supervisor for undergraduate and postgraduate major projects.
Interests
I am a PhD Co-Supervisor. My research and collaborations include:
- Gender, career, ethnicity in tourism, hospitality and culinary fields
- Multicultural setting in the workplace
- Gastronomy, international food and cuisines
- Food and beverages operations
Research
My PhD research aimed to explore the career experiences of female chefs in Malaysia. It investigated the role of gender and ethnicity, behaviour, and future career prospects. My research has gathered female chefs from various professional culinary backgrounds from the three main ethnic groups in Malaysia (Malay, Chinese, and Indian).
As the culinary industry and professional kitchen are known to be male-dominated, in addition to a strong collectivist–multicultural society in the country, there is a need to explore the reasons behind the lack of female chefs in Malaysia. The contribution behind this is to educate, inform, and enhance better career experiences for female chefs. Not to mention, to extend more potential research on women's careers regardless of their occupational area, as it is always associated with various potential barriers.
Areas of expertise
- Gastronomy
- Gender and career
- International food and cuisines
- Intersectionality of gender and ethnicity
- Culinary arts
- Food and beverages operations
- Customer services (hospitality, food and beverages, airlines)
Further information
Qualifications:
- Diploma Culinary Arts & BA (Hons) Culinary Arts, Malaysia
- MA Culinary Arts Management, Birmingham, UK
- PhD, University of Sunderland, UK
Membership:
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (Advance HE)
Conferences:
- 6th Global Conferences on Women's Studies, July 2024, Zurich, Switzerland
Find me on Linkedin(opens in new tab).