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Yinping Yang

Doctoral student
Ph.D. Student
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Contact:

yinping@vt.edu

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Yinping's LinkedIn

Yinping Yang is a Ph.D. Graduate Student in Hospitality and Tourism Management at Virginia Tech. Originally from Sichuan Province, China, and raised in Zhejiang Province, she developed her academic interests through interdisciplinary training in hospitality management, tourism marketing, and emerging technologies. Before joining Virginia Tech, Yinping completed her graduate studies in Hospitality Management at Florida International University, where she developed research experience in artificial intelligence applications, digital tourism experiences, consumer behavior, and hospitality innovation. Her research explores how emerging technologies reshape hospitality and tourism experiences, with particular interests in AI-enabled service innovation, AI customer service systems, consumer responses to AI adoption, and responsible AI implementation in hospitality.

Expected Graduation

2030

Advisor(s)

  • Zheng (Phil) Xiang

Research Areas

  • Artificial Intelligence in Hospitality and Tourism
  • AI-enabled Service Innovation and Customer Experience Management 
  • Responsible AI Adoption and Technology Governance 
  • Tourism Marketing and Consumer Behavior
  • Digital Transformation in Hospitality

Research Experience

  • Graduate Researcher, Florida International University Conducted studies on AI-based hospitality customer service systems, including ChatGPT and DeepSeek comparison and multi-turn complaint resolution evaluation.
  • Principal Investigator, AI-Generated Dream Travel and Its Impact on Destination Booking Investigated traveler responses to AI-generated and authentic tourism imagery using EEG-based neuroscience methods, A/B testing, and survey analysis.
  • Research Collaborator, ESG and Green Financing in China's Hospitality Sector Applied evolutionary game theory to examine sustainable development mechanisms. 

Research Methods

  • Experimental Design and Behavioral Experiments 
  • A/B Testing 
  • EEG-based Neuroscience Methods 
  • Survey Design and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) 
  • Quantitative Data Analysis 
  • Python-based Data Processing and Analysis

Teaching Interests:

  • Hospitality and Tourism Marketing
  • Consumer Behavior 
  • Artificial Intelligence Applications in Hospitality 
  • Research Methods in Hospitality and Tourism 

Education

  • Ph.D. Student in Hospitality and Tourism Management Virginia Tech, USA Expected Graduation: 2030 
  • M.S. in Hospitality Management Florida International University, USA 
  • B.S. in Hospitality Management (Dual Degree Program) Florida International University, USA & Tianjin University of Commerce, China

Industry Experience

  • Marketing and Sales Intern, Taizhou Qilong Marriott Hotel 
  • Human Resource Management Intern, Baidu 
  • Human Resource Management Intern, Courtyard by Marriott Hangzhou Qianjiang New City 
  • Executive Lounge Intern, Courtyard by Marriott Hangzhou Qianjiang New City

Favorite Destinations:

  • Sanxingdui Museum, Sichuan, China 
  • Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake, Dali, China 
  • People's Park, Chengdu, China 
  • West Lake, Hangzhou, China 
  • The Forbidden City, Beijing, China 

Favorite Food:

  • Sichuan cuisine and hot pot 

Hobbies:

Travel photography