Expertise
- Training and mentoring researchers in career development and academic writing/publishing
- Qualitative research and evaluation
- Understanding open access publishing
- Understanding open research practices
- Research and higher education in the UK, Africa and South Asia
- Responsible use of generative AI in research
- Online facilitation skills
Examples of my work
Supporting global researchers
I was project manager of AuthorAID (now Rising Scholars) for over eight years, managing the website and mentoring scheme with over 14,000 members, and led the deployment of online courses that trained more than 50,000 researchers from Africa, Asia and Latin America in research writing and proposal writing.
Open research expertise
I was project manager and Co-PI for the Digital Hub for Open Research in East Africa (Templeton World Charity Foundation, 2024–2025). I helped design and deliver a five-module online learning offer, and worked with partners in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to contextualise open research training for an East African context.
Managing expertise and online delivery for specialist training
I was project manager of the INASP/ACU Ocean Country Partnership Programme training in 2024/2025, co-developing and managing an online programme covering policy influence, community engagement and grant proposal writing (Association of Commonwealth Universities and UK Aid, 2024–2025).
Scoping the higher education ecosystem
I was partnerships lead for ‘Equipping early career African researchers to succeed’ (Norad, 2024–2027), working with Mekelle University and Jimma University (Ethiopia), and the University of Dodoma (Tanzania) to support researcher professional development.
Research and evaluation
I’ve conducted research through surveys, online interviews and focus groups – for example, INASP’s ‘Listening to the Voices of Early Career Researchers’ report, an evaluation of Wiley’s mentoring scheme for marketing staff, and qualitative research papers on coaching and AI (see publications below).
Mentoring expertise and coordination
I managed the AuthorAID/Rising Scholars online mentoring programme for over a decade, coordinating a platform that matched thousands of global mentors and mentees, as well as managing smaller focused cohorts. I also co-authored the INASP ‘Academic and Research Mentoring in Africa Toolkit’, a resource for African universities to set up their own mentoring scheme and train their researchers and staff in mentoring readiness.
Open access journal publishing experience
As well as training researchers in navigating open access publishing, I’ve supported journal editors in South Asia (INASP’s JOLs programme) to launch and improve their journals. I am also a board member of the Open Access Journals Toolkit.
Get in touch if you would like me to…
- Deliver an interactive online training or webinar for researchers or staff (in any of the above topics)
- Co-design learning content for adult learners (including with AI in mind)
- Co-design training for online, face-to-face, synchronous and asynchronous delivery
- Advise on contextualising training for diverse and limited-infrastructure audiences
- Deliver training on AI literacy
- Support project management and implementation of international development projects
- Provide feedback or mentoring on academic writing
- Co-design a mentoring or professional development programme for your organisation
- Have a chat about any of the above
Pictures on the right: 1) co-facilitating a Rising Scholars ‘Tea Time’ networking event for global researchers; 2) delivering a webinar on choosing the right journal for AJOL; and 3) facilitating a session on open research for NM-AIST in Tanzania (2025).
Peer-reviewed publications
Nobes, A. (2025) Is AI Chatbot Coaching Actually ‘Coaching’? Exploring Relationship and Reflection in AI-Human Conversations, International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, 2025, S19, pp.92–109. https://doi.org/10.24384/xjc6-cv40
Wild, J., Nzegwu, F., Clery, E., Murugesan, R., Nobes, A., & Schaeffler, V. (2022) “Examining some common assumptions about TEL in capacity development”, in Wild, J. & Nzegwu, F. (eds.) Digital Technology in Capacity Development: Enabling Learning and Supporting Change. African Minds. (link)
Salmons, J., Nobes, A., Pallett, N. & Carr, T. (2022) “Teaching research methods online: Informal or semi-formal professional development”, in The Handbook of Teaching and Learning Social Research Methods (Sage).
Bezuidenhout, L., Karrar, O., Lezaun, J. & Nobes, A. (2019) Economic sanctions and academia: Overlooked impact and long-term consequences. PLoS ONE 14(10): e0222669. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222669
Tennant, J.P., Crane, H., Crick, T., Davila, J., Enkhbayar, A., Havemann, J., Kramer, B., Martin, R., Masuzzo, P., Nobes, A. et al. (2019) Ten Hot Topics around Scholarly Publishing. Publications 7, 34. https://doi.org/10.3390/publications7020034
Nobes, A. & Harris, S. (2019) Open Access in developing countries – attitudes and experiences of researchers. Emerald Open Research. https://doi.org/10.35241/emeraldopenres.13325.1
Murugesan, R., Nobes, A. & Wild, J. (2017) A MOOC approach for training researchers in developing countries. Open Praxis 9(1). https://doi.org/10.5944/openpraxis.9.1.476
Further publications: ORCID or Google Scholar.
Other research and publications
Nobes, A., Somefun O.D., Mutonyi, H (2025) Academic and Research Mentoring in Africa Toolkit – INASP
Harle, J., Nobes, A. & Buchner, T. (2023) Partners are needed to meet the demand for mentoring at scale, University World News.
Nobes, A. (2023) Listening to the voices of early-career researchers in the Global South so that we can better support them to thrive. INASP. https://www.inasp.info/publications/voecrs-2023-summary
Nobes, A. (2022) Literature review: how do established models of mentoring relate to academic mentoring practice in the African context? https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18101961
Nobes, A. (2022) An analysis of culture and communication in Wiley’s marketing mentoring scheme – a Complex Adaptive Systems approach. Available on request.
Nobes, A. (2021) Developing AuthorAID as a community-led model, INASP blog. https://blog.inasp.info/developing-authoraid-towards-a-community-led-model/
Nobes, A. & Warne, V. (2021) Voice of Early Career Researchers Study 2020, INASP. https://www.inasp.info/voice-ECRs-2020
Nobes, A. (2018) A beginner’s guide to avoiding ‘predatory’ journals, AuthorAID blog. https://www.authoraid.info/en/news/details/1310/
Nobes, A. (2017) Must we decolonize Open Access? Personal blog. http://journalologik.uk/?p=149
Nobes, A. (2017) Critical thinking in a post-Beall vacuum – don’t forget developing-country researchers!, Research Information, April/May.
Nobes, A. (2016) Open Access Plays a Vital Role in Developing-Country Research Communication, Editorial Office News (ISMTE), March. http://dx.doi.org/10.18243/eon/2016.9.2.8
Work with me
Get in touch if you’d like to discuss a potential collaboration.