Dr. Ellen Kim holds a M.S. degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Purdue University and a Ph.D. degree in Recreation, Sport and Tourism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Prior to joining Western Illinois University, she served as a Visiting Research Scholar at the National Laboratory for Tourism and eCommerce in the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Temple University. She also served as a Research Associate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and at Purdue University. Her industry experience includes positions as a marketing specialist at the Lotte Hotel, a five star establishment in Seoul and as a tour guide for the Korea Travel Agency in Seoul.

Her research focuses on applications of information technology in hospitality and tourism management, and on the development of persuasive and knowledge-based systems for hospitality and tourism organizations. Currently, her special research emphases are hospitality and tourism website evaluation; performance management and consumer attitudes and behaviors; and information search and decision-making for experiential goods.

She has made presentations at a range of national conferences, including the American Marketing Association Conference, the Travel and Tourism Research Association, the International Federation for IT and Travel and Tourism conference, and the Graduate Education and Graduate Student Research Conference in Hospitality and Tourism. She has authored or co-authored articles published in the Journal of Travel Research and the Journal of Information Technology and Tourism.