Deepa Thilak Raj Kumar holds an M.B.A. in Tourism Administration from Pondicherry University, India. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree from the same university. As a research scholar she is studying how cultural variances influence tourist behavior. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Bharathidasan Government College affiliated to Pondicherry University, India.

Prior to working at Zayed University, she taught at Emirates Aviation College in Dubai and in Anna Adarsh College, affiliated to the University of Madras. Her teaching experience in the latter includes a wide range of tourism and management courses for the undergraduate level in the Department of Tourism.

Kumar also has 6 years of professional experience working in the tourism industry. A co-founder of Great Moments Tour Company, India, has successfully developed its branches in UAE, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and South Africa. She is currently one of the directors of the company.