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DrVilma Xhakollari

Lecturer/Assistant Professor (Ad Astra Fellow)

School of Agriculture and Food Science

Orcid identifier0000-0001-9318-1039 (opens in a new tab)⁠
  • Lecturer/Assistant Professor (Ad Astra Fellow)
    School of Agriculture and Food Science
  • University College Dublin, School of Agriculture and Food Science, Agriculture and Food Science Belfield Dublin 4

BIO

Dr. Vilma Xhakollari is an Assistant Professor (Ad Astra Fellow) at the School of Agriculture and Food Science, Agribusiness and Rural Development Section. She completed her PhD at the University of Bologna, where her research focused on consumer preferences for gluten-free products and adherence to gluten-free diet. 
 
Before joining UCD, Dr. Xhakollari contributed to several UKRI and Horizon 2020 projects across the UK, Italy, and Spain. Her main research interests lie in consumer preferences, food choice behaviour, and functional foods. Her work combines economic and psychological perspectives, with a focus on quantitative methodological approaches. 
 
Building on her work in consumer behaviour, she is now expanding her research to engage with other stakeholders in the food supply chain, aiming to investigate how their behaviour affects economic performance within the supply chain.

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN APPOINTMENTS

  • Assistant Professor of Social and Behavioural Sciences in Food and Agriculture (Ad Astra Fellow)
    University College Dublin, School of Agriculture and Food Science, Dublin, Ireland22 Sep 2025

ACADEMIC POSITIONS

  • Postdoctoral Research Associate
    University of Reading, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, Reading, UK1 Nov 2022 - 31 Aug 2025
  • Associate Lecturer (Consumer Attitudes)
    University of Reading, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, Reading, United Kingdom2 Sep 2024 - 28 Feb 2025
  • Adjunct Professor (Research Methods)
    University of Bologna, Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Bologna, Italy1 Sep 2020 - 28 Feb 2025
  • Postdoctoral Research Assistant
    University of Bologna, Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Bologna, Italy1 Nov 2018 - 31 Oct 2022
  • PhD Researcher
    University of Bologna, Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Bologna, Italy1 Nov 2015 - 20 Mar 2019
  • Research Fellow
    Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón, Unidad de Economía Agroalimentaria, Zaragoza, Spain1 Sep 2014 - 31 Oct 2015

NON-ACADEMIC POSITIONS

  • Market Research Analyst and Survey Programmer
    Euromonitor International, Italy1 Jun 2018 - 31 Oct 2022
  • Business Consultant
    AZ Consulting, Tirana, Albania1 Jan 2013 - 30 Jun 2013
  • Market Information and Training Specialist
    United States Agency for International Development, Tirana, Albania31 Aug 2010 - 31 Dec 2012
  • Intern
    United States Agency for International Development, Tirana, Albania1 Sep 2009 - 31 Aug 2010

DEGREES

  • Associate Fellow
    Higher Education Academy UK
  • Bachelor
    Agricultural University of Tirana Faculty of Economy and Agribusiness
  • Master of Agricultural Science
    Agricultural University of Tirana
  • Master of Science (M.Sc.)
    International Center for Advanced Mediterrenean Studies Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zarago
  • PhD
    University of Bologna

LANGUAGES

  • Albanian
    Can read, write, speak, understand and peer review
  • English
    Can read, write, speak, understand and peer review
  • Italian
    Can read, write, speak, understand and peer review
  • Spanish; Castilian
    Can read, write, speak and understand